Completing the square are the main building of the University of Helsinki, the Government Palace and Sederholm House. The statue, erected in 1894, in the center of the square is Alexander II, he is surrounded by figures representing law, culture and peasants. From 1899 during the Russification of Finland the statue became a place of quiet resistance as the people placed flowers on the statue of the "good tsar" protesting the decrees of Nicholas II. After Finland gained independence there were demands that the statue be removed or replaced. Neither happened and it is a major tourist attraction today.
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