Tourists are still turning up at Helsinki’s ‘church in the rock’ in their throngs, despite the fact that it has be closed for months.
Officials from the famous Temppeliaukio Church attraction say the majority of the visitors come from Russia and China, where tour groups have not received the memo that the site will be shut until the first week of June.
Seppo Puttonen, foreman of the church, said despite the closure, ”On Monday I relented and let in a group of 35 foreign architects,” the Helsingin Sanomat reports. He added, “Usually I maintain a hard line on this. Then again, this is a construction site, so we cannot keep the doors locked. Last week a group of Germans came in undetected through the back door.”
Guides say that the phenomenon continues despite efforts to temporarily deter visitors. Head guide Veikko Laitinen said, “We have done our best to inform all the organisers of sightseeing tours that the church is closed for the duration. The Helsinki City Tourist and Convention Bureau, various guide organisations, and the cruise line companies are well aware of the situation, but there is also false information going about on the Internet.”
The Temppeliaukio Church is among the top four tourist attractions in Helsinki, designed by prestigious architects and brothers Tuomo and Timo Suomalainen. The 1960s-built structure sees around 500,000 visitors annually, primarily foreign.