The first
glimpse of Helsinki was indeed a sad sight for
the returning residents. Only the stone base
of the destroyed bell tower indicated where
houses had been located. The majority of the
returning people came back to Helsinki in the
spring of 1722. The reconstruction of the town
began immediately. Reconstruction did not
apply merely to buildings, but also to people
since Helsinki needed new inhabitants,
"new blood" so to speak. Some of the
old town dignitaries settled in Stockholm for
good, and new burghers were needed to take
care of the town administration and the
business life of Helsinki.
At this time new
families moved to Helsinki, and quite soon
they had become the new élite of Helsinki.
These families included also the Sederholm
family. All the official buildings of the town had
to be rebuilt and the first public building to
be build was the town church.
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For people who
lived in the 18th century it was natural that
building the church was given a priority
instead of the more practical buildings such
as the mill or wharf. The church, named after
Queen Ulrika Eleonora, was build in the old
site. The town clergyman had a text put on the
wall that said:
"Oh,
our beloved Helsinki, cast
away
your old sins
if you wish
to avoid future
destruction."
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