The Physical Tourist Physics in Helsinki

摘要

I trace the origins of teaching and research in physics and astronomy during the 17th and 18th centuries at the Academy of Turku (?bo), which was relocated to Helsinki in 1827 and renamed as the Imperial Alexander University of Finland, and which in turn in 1917 became the University of Helsinki. I discuss the growth of physics in Helsinki during the 19th century, which culminated in the opening of a large new Physical Institute in 1911, pointing out the individuals responsible for these developments and the sites associated with them. I also discuss related events, such as the founding of a new astronomical observatory and a new magnetic observatory and the development of technical education in Helsinki. I conclude by discussing the construction of an accelerator laboratory and other important developments in physics in Helsinki after 1945.