Helsinki

Carl Ludvig Engel laid out the neoclassical centre in the 1820s when Russia moved the capital here, and the twentieth century added Saarinen, Aalto and a design culture that reached tableware, textiles and public buildings alike. The Oodi library of 2018 lends power tools and sewing machines as well as books, which is the clearest statement of what the Finns think a public building is for.