Locally known as 'Espa', oblong-shaped Esplanadi stretches for four blocks between the squares Erottaja to the west and the kauppatori to the east. Designed by architect CL Engel and opened in 1818, it's one of the city's most loved green spaces and fills with picnickers on sunny days. Elegant shops, cafes and restaurants line the streets Pohjoisesplanadi (North Esplanadi) and Eteläesplanadi (South Esplanadi). At the park's eastern end is a bandstand out the front of grand cafe Kappeli.
In the centre of the park is a statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finland's national poet and composer of the national anthem, which was unveiled in 1885.
