About the House of Nobility

The Finnish House of Nobility

As early as the beginning of the nineteenth century, a space had been allotted east of the House of the Senate for the building of the House of Nobility. In 1857, the knighthood and the nobility redeemed the reserved lot to construct a building for their activities. They received several suggestions from architects representing different architectural styles and ultimately decided to have the building made according to G.T. Chiewitz’s neo-Gothic design. The building was finished in 1862, and as the House of the Estates had not yet been built, it was used as a meeting place for the four estates at the Diet of 1863. In other words, the House of Nobility is the first parliamentary building in Finland.

A house full of life

The House of Nobility continues to be an active venue for all sorts of events. The interior of the house is largely contemporary with the building, bestowing the house with a museum-like quality, but the historical environment is used for diverse activities every day. In addition to hosting the office of the House of Nobility and a library for researchers, some rooms in the house are rented out. The leased office spaces have been carefully modernised to meet the demands of present-day business life.

A popular meeting place

The Assembly Hall (464 m² with a c. 10-metre ceiling height) is probably the best-known room in the house. The Assembly Hall is a very popular venue, and it is regularly rented out for corporate events, concerts, conferences and other functions where people can enjoy the dignified setting of the House of Nobility’s gothic splendour.