Amid growing tensions in Europe, Finland continues to develop one of the world’s largest civil defense systems. Beneath the capital, there is an extensive network of underground bomb shelters capable of protecting nearly one million people in the event of a military conflict, including possible missiles or nuclear threats.
According to Finnish authorities, Helsinki has about 5,500 civil defense shelters with space for roughly 900,000 people. This is more than the city’s own population (around 700,000). Across the whole country, there are over 50,000 such facilities, which can accommodate up to 4.8 million people — about 85% of Finland’s population.
Many of these structures are carved deep into solid granite bedrock, dozens of meters underground. They are equipped with air filtration systems, backup power, water reserves, and food supplies. In peacetime, some of them are used as sports centers, swimming pools, parking lots, and cultural spaces. For example, the large Merihaka complex can hold up to 6,000 people and can quickly be converted from a public facility into a full shelter.
Construction of this system has been ongoing since the 1960s, based on the experience of the Winter War and the threat from its eastern neighbor. Finnish law requires developers to build bomb shelters under all new buildings larger than 1,200 m². This makes the underground infrastructure a natural part of the urban environment.
Experts emphasize that Finland’s civil defense model is considered one of the most effective in the world and can serve as an example for other countries facing modern threats.