With its new status as capital of Finland in 1812, Helsinki's military significance grew. Most of the Russian troops were billeted in the barracks of the Sveaborg fortress but some of them were inconveniently accommodated in the burgher houses of the town. The people living in Helsinki had had enough of the Russian soldiers lodging at their houses; indeed, a complaint had been made to the Emperor himself. For this reason, several barracks were built in Helsinki in the early nineteenth century.
     The naval barracks were built during the years 1816-20 in accordance with C. L. Engel's plans. The foundations of the building were difficult to construct because of the ground, part of which was clayey mud. Tons of rock,

quarried from the nearby cliffs of Katajanokka, was conveyed to the construction pit. In 1825, a new western wing was added to the barracks. In the early years, Greek Orthodox services were held at the barracks, until the Church of the Holy Trinity was completed in 1827. The first residents of the barracks were artillery soldiers; the naval forces did not occupy the barracks until 1832. Naval recruitment was difficult at first, because sailors were paid at a lower rate than, for example, the guards.
     The naval barracks' days as a military garrison ended in 1968, when the Battalion of Guards moved to the barracks in Santahamina and Taivallahti. The building nowadays houses the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.