When looking at Finlandia Hall from the terrace of a café on the opposite shore of Töölönlahti Bay, it looks like the northern wall of the National Museum tower continues right through Finlandia Hall.
The optical illusion is attributable to the fact that the dark panel on the upper side wall of the concert hall appears to fit together perfectly with the northern wall of the tower of the National Museum.
Director Markku Lahti of the Alvar Aalto Foundation believes that the effect has been a deliberate one.
It is a well-known fact that architect Alvar Aalto liked to hide similar visual jests in some of the buildings he designed.
The optical illusion came to public attention when a reader asked in Sunday’s Helsingin Sanomat whether or not such a phenomenon was a coincidence.
After investigating the matter, Helsingin Sanomat found an old photo in which the optical illusion was in plain sight.
It is unclear whether Aalto himself was behind the trick, or whether it was the handiwork of another architect in his office at the time, Kaarlo Leppänen, who was also heavily involved in the design of the concert and conference hall.
In any event, both men took the secret to the grave with them.
