International Women's Club of Helsinki

Walk from Kaivopuisto to Punavuori
2026-01-08 10:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | Helsinki
Join us for a Walk and Coffee

Please join us on Thursday 8 January for a walk around the southern districts of Helsinki. Easy, flat walk around 5km (not circular but will always be close to public transport!). Meet at St Henry’s Catholic Cathedral – Kaivopuisto stop on Tram 3, or a short walk from Olympiatermial -Tram 2. We are heading to Punavuori for coffee.

Where: StHenry’s Cathedral, Pyhän Henrikin aukio 1 A, 00140 Helsinki

Difficulty level: easy

Deadline to register: 6/1/2026

Guest or members only: guests are welcome

Who is the organizer: Sarah Kolkman, sarah@iwch.fi

Early Birds' Morning Coffee
2026-01-09 08:15 - 09:30 | Helsinki
Kick-start your day into the weekend by meeting eager ladies who all get better after some coffee! Come as you are and enjoy the cosy atmosphere of the café and the buzz of the coffee machine and people in perfect harmony. Let’s see if we make this a regular event.

Where: Fratello Torrefazione on Yliopistokatu 6, opposite Helsinki Uni Metro station

Who: Members and friends welcome!

We all pay for our own order

Visit | The Miettinen Collection
2026-01-11 13:30 - 15:00 | The Kunsthalle, Nervanderinkatu 3,, Helsinki, 00100
We warmly invite you to an exclusive guided tour of the Miettinen Collection,

… to the exhibition I Will Look Into The Earth — with a special opportunity to meet the collector, Timo Miettinen, in person.

Images courtesy of The Kunsthalle

This visit offers a rare insight into one of Finland’s most remarkable private art collections. From Finnish classics to leading figures in international contemporary art, the exhibition showcases over 100 works by more than 50 artists. Themes of landscape, nature, and intimacy are woven throughout both historical and contemporary pieces.Curated by Linda Peitz and Florian Peters-Messer, the exhibition invites visitors on a profound journey into the essence of artistic expression and the dialogue between tradition and modernity.The Miettinen Collection currently comprises around 1,500 works. With curiosity and bold vision, Timo Miettinen continues to expand it, championing both established and emerging artists from Finland, Germany, and beyond. The tour will be conducted in English.Address: Taidehalli/ Kunsthalle, Nervanderinkatu 3, 00100 HelsinkiMembers are welcomeMaximum capacity of the event: 20 personsDeadline for sign-up: January 08, 2025, 10 am

January Luncheon | Lilla Roberts
2026-01-13 11:30 - 14:00 | The North Wing, Krog Roba @ Lilla Roberts, Pieni Roobertinkatu 1-3, Helsinki, 00130
Join us in the heart of Helsinki for the first luncheon of the year, where we will be joined by the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye, Mrs. Deniz Çakar.

Programme

11:30 – 12:10 Speaker’s talk and Q&A, Meeting Room Selim

12:15 – 14:00 3-course meal, Cabinet ‘The North Wing‘, in restaurant Krog Roba

We are honoured to welcome the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Finland, Mrs. Deniz Çakar, as our luncheon speaker. Ambassador Çakar has 40 years extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations, and is delighted to share us her inspiring career journey and diplomatic experience.

Ambassador Deniz Çakar joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985 upon her graduation from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of International Relations. She served at various levels at the Ministry’s Departments for Greece, NATO, Cultural Relations and Africa as well as at the Embassies of the Republic of Türkiye in Damascus, Athens, Singapore and Canberra.

After serving as the Republic of Türkiye’s Consul General in Antwerp between 2009-2013 and as Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia between 2013-2017, she assumed her duties as the Deputy Chairman of UNESCO Türkiye National Commission and also the Director General of Overseas Promotion and Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since September 1, 2022, Ambassador Çakar has been serving as the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Republic of Finland.

Date & Time: Tuesday 13th January 2026, 11:30-14:00. (Please make sure to arrive in time. Speaker’s talk starts at 11:30.)

Venue: Hotel Lilla Roberts, Pieni Roobertinkatu 1-3, 00130 Helsinki

Capacity: 40 participants

Price: 31,50€

Members and guests are welcome

Last day to register or cancel is Friday 9th, by 10am.

No shows and late cancellations will be invoiced.

Visit City Hall, with Deputy Mayor Maarit Vierunen
2026-01-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Helsinki City Hall, Pohjoisesplanadi 11-13,, Helsinki, 00170
The Deputy Mayor of Helsinki for Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services, Maarit Vierunen will be hosting a visit to Helsinki City Hall.

Image courtesy of The City of Helsinki

Besides having a tour in the City Hall we will discuss Helsinki’s social, health and rescue policy and other topics that are recent in Helsinki.

On Women's Collective Wisdom
2026-01-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Helsinki
Welcome to a morning of self-reflection, inspiration and heartfelt communication among other like-minded fellow sisters, in the beautiful Bud Helsinki – a flower shop/ event space in the heart of Helsinki.

We are meeting in an open and respectful atmosphere to share life skills, personal stories and how we learn and act when life gives us roses or lemons. How to move on when feeling stuck, use acceptance to our advantage and what we definitely do not want to hear when we are struggling or grieving. This is just food for thought as you will be setting the agenda.

Apart from covering the facilitation of the event, the price of of 35€ includes sandwiches.

The only rule we have is respectful listening and that what happens in our space stays in our space.

The form of the event is still developing and you will have a personal hand out to work on.

As a creative ideator and facilitator I cannot but wait to meet you all!

Fee: 40 € including coffee/tea and a sandwich.

Members and their guests are welcome!

No shows and late cancellations will be invoiced by the Club.

Private Tour of the Newly Renovated Mannerheim Museum
2026-01-20 10:50 - 12:00 | Mannerheim Museum, Kalliolinnantie 14, Helsinki, 00140
The Mannerheim Museum has undergone extensive renovations, restoring Mannerheim’s home with respect for its history.

Please join us for a private tour of this former home of Mannerheim. The tour will help us to understand the history of Mannerheim and Finland, interpreting history from a new perspective.

What – often contradictory – roles and phases did Mannerheim’s life involve, and what can we learn from them? What does patriotism look like in the future? How can we foster civilisation and social peace in an increasingly divided world?

During the week, the museum is only available to visit by private tour and, therefore, the Museum Card is not accepted. We are offering this tour to members at a subsidised price of €25 per person.

Photo reproduced from Mannerheim Museum collection, photographer Toivo Robert Tikkanen, 1924

We recommend using public transport. From the centre of Helsinki you can take tram number 3 or 2. The nearest tram stop is the Kaivopuisto stop on Tehtaankatu.

The museum does not have its own parking area, but there are a few street parking spaces in front of the museum and on Itäinen Puistotie, some of which are chargeable.

Visit | Folkhälsan Research Center, with Professor Lehesjoki
2026-01-21 16:00 - 17:30 | Biomedicum, Meilahti Hospital Campus, Haartmaninkatu 8, Helsinki, 00290
Visit to Folkhälsan Research Center (FRC) at Biomedicum Helsinki, responsible for Folkhälsan´s research activities. FRC is an internationally renowed unit with focus on biomedical and health research within programs on genetics and public health.

Professor Lehesjoki will introduce us to the existing research world.

Professor Anna-Elina Lehesjoki, Image Courtesy of Folkhälsan Research Center

Anna-Elina Lehesjoki is Professor of Medical Genetics at the Medical Faculty of the University of Helsinki and has served as Research Director at the Folkhälsan Research Center since 2019.

She leads the Genetics Research Program of the Center, based in Biomedicum Helsinki. Professor Lehesjoki’s research has focused on investigating the molecular basis of several rare human diseases, with focus on epilepsy syndromes. Professor Lehesjoki is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) since 2000. She is a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters.

Welcome & Please make sure to arrive in time. The event starts at 16:00.

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Inside the Arts | Janne Räisänen @ Helsinki Contemporary
2026-01-21 17:00 - 18:00 | Helsinki Contemporary, Bulevardi 10, Helsinki
Join Inside the Arts in visiting Helsinki Contemporary for:

Janne Räisänen’s fourth solo exhibition at Helsinki Contemporary presents a new body of work in which the private and public, the low and the high, collide joyfully on the canvas through uninhibited brushwork and exuberant storytelling. Constructivism Begins at Home marks the Berlin-based artist’s first solo show in Finland in more than four years. His paintings are veritable surprise parties of visual and linguistic play.

The artist opens up his thoughts in a free-form private event.

Self Portrait as a Capricorn in Tiergarten, Janne Räisänen Photographer: Eric Tshernow

Photo: Jonas Tölle

About the Artist

Räisänen is a Berlin-based Finnish painter known for his raw, playful works that blend drawing and painting through humour, absurdity, and bold storytelling. His latest exhibition, Constructivism Begins at Home, brings together the private and the public, the low and the high, in exuberant, layered compositions filled with irony, wordplay, and visual surprises.

Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien at the Ateneum
2026-01-27 10:30 - 12:00 | Ataneum Art Museum, Kaivokatu 2, Helsinki, 00100
The exhibition Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien explores how Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s art developed in interaction with international modernists, such as Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser. The Vienna Secession movement, which was founded under the direction of Klimt and which set out to reform art, was united by an interest in developing new artistic identities, promoting a modern way of life, and creating large public works of art. The exhibition brings Gustav Klimt’s paintings to Finland for the first time. In addition to visual art, the exhibition features photography and design, including everyday objects, jewellery and fashion.

We will have an exhibition intro. An expert guide will introduce us to the themes and main artworks in the Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition, with the help of a rich visual presentation, in the Ateneum Hall. After this we are free to explore the exhibition at our own pace. The intro lasts half an hour.

Please note that several groups attend the exhibition intro.

Photo: Kansallisgalleria | Finnish National Gallery / Aleks Talve

Entry price : €22 or free with Museum Card. The Club sponsors the introduction to the exhibition.
