Hilda Hongell was the first female "master builder" in Finland, and is sometimes described as the first female architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

.

Early years

She grew up in the Åland Islands, and began her career as a special student at Helsinki Industrial School in 1891. In those days only men could attend the industrial schools in the country, but because of her excellent results she got accepted as a regular student the following year, and began her career in architecture in 1894.

Style

At the turn of the 20th century, the ornamented Swiss style was favoured in Finland; Hongell used this style most effectively.

Designs

Hilda Hongell designed 98 buildings in the Mariehamn

Mariehamn

Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...

district, mostly town houses and farm houses. Around 44 of them are still standing today.

Exhibitions

An exhibition of the architecture of Hongell, together with her contemporary, Lars Sonck, titled "The old architecture of Mariehamn" took place in Helsinki in the summer of 2007.

External links

• Åland postage stamps featuring buildings by Hongell