About the book: 2017 / The book by art historian Ekaterina Andreeva is dedicated to several phenomena of Finnish culture. The author examines the paintings in medieval churches, talks about the estates of the 17th–19th centuries, and dwells in detail on the works of the genius of Finnish and world architecture of the 20th century, Alvar Aalto. Speaking about him, E. Andreeva emphasizes such aspects of the architect’s creative philosophy as the organic nature and superiority of the principles of “natural” design over “technogenic” ones. This approach makes the historical example of Finnish culture particularly relevant for modern urban planning. The monuments that E. Andreeva writes about have rarely become the subject of interest for Russian art critics and architectural historians, which makes the book important for a wide range of readers, and the combination of erudition and wit turns it into a rare example of Russian literature.