Havis Amanda fountain reopens at Market Square in Helsinki after restoration

The waters of the fountain surrounding the Havis Amanda statue were turned on Wednesday morning after seven o’clock. Now, the fish and sea lions at the fountain, located at Helsinki’s Market Square, are once again splashing water as they did in the past. Havis Amanda, also known as the Manta statue, had been undergoing restoration at the HAM Art Museum for about a year and was returned to its original location in June.

The entire restoration project is now complete with both the fountain and the surrounding area fully restored. Mervi Rantanen, who happened to be at the site, expressed her joy when she heard the water flowing. “I threw a coin and made a wish. It’s a nice tradition,” she said, noting that her coin is the first to sit at the bottom of the fountain.

However, HAM’s Head of Marketing Communications, Maarit Kivistö, hopes that visitors will refrain from tossing coins into the fountain, as this could tempt someone to retrieve them later. Kivistö encourages everyone to admire the statue and the fountain from a distance.

The grand reopening of the statue will be celebrated on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. The program will include songs and poetry, with Mayor Juhana Vartiainen also delivering a speech. The construction barriers that had protected the statue were removed yesterday, and Kivistö mentioned that many people have already taken photos of Havis Amanda since then. “We’ve certainly been looking forward to this moment,” she added.