After a year and a half in the making, Finland's new Consulate-General opened its doors in St. Petersburg. The new building in the heart of the historic city centre was erected by Skanska.
With its 7,900 square metres of area divided between four floors, the EUR 18 million edifice owned by the Finnish government is the largest foreign legation in the city.
The building was designed by architect Jukka Siren for a site opposite to the Preobrazhensky Cathedral across the square of the same name. The building permit called for a construction that would respect the existing surrounding architecture as much as possible.
The new building consists of a large consular section on the first two floors that promises help to the backlogged visa operations, offices for consular agents and specialists on the next floor, and a VIP sauna on the top floor.
There are also a cafeteria and an auditorium on the ground floor, and the building has five residential apartments.
The Consulate-General in St. Petersburg grants more visas to Finland than any other Finnish embassy abroad.
The new facilities provide customers queueing for visas with a comfortable indoor waiting area with 38 seats, plus a guarded outdoor area with infrared heaters above.
The striking difference between the old and the new consulates has been noticed by staff and clients alike. "It's like a sudden shift from stone age to space age", describes head of the consulate Martti Ruokokoski.
Twenty customer service points have been reserved for visa clients, while the applications are processed at 78 desk posts.
The official opening of the new Consulate-General takes place at the beginning of 2005.
The official residence of the Consul General remains in its old address at Tshaikovskogo Street.
