Sibelius Monument

Eila Hiltunen's monument to Jean Sibelius was unveiled in 1967 in a park on the Toolo shoreline, and it consists of around six hundred hollow steel pipes welded into a single wave-like mass some eight metres high, mounted on rock, which can be walked under and through. The abstraction caused an argument at the time, and a separate sculpted head of the composer was added beside it as a concession to the critics; both are now part of the site. The pipes catch wind and light and the surface has weathered to a dull grey with copper tones. It is on every coach route through the city, so it is rarely quiet during the day.

What you actually see

• Six hundred welded steel pipes - the wave-like mass on the rock.
• The separate sculpted head - the addition made after the original argument.
• Walking under the structure - the space beneath the pipes.
• The shoreline park - the sea and rocks around the monument.

When to go

Year round; early morning and evening avoid the coach traffic. One hour including the walk. Winter light on the steel is good but the park is icy.

Honest expectations

Coaches arrive continuously through the day and the site is small. There is nothing else at the location. Interpretation is a single plaque. In winter the approach paths are icy and poorly cleared.

Nearby

Toolo bay is east; the city centre lies south-east.