Oral history collection: Student houses
NEWS
The New Student House, Domus Gaudium and the Old Student House have served as meeting places for several student generations. The buildings have seen students get together to party, have meetings and enjoy hobbies ranging from theatre to choirs and from chess to table hockey. People have also wanted to influence society at the student houses. For many people, their student days were a meaningful period in their lives: People formed lifelong relationships and discovered their own career paths. They fell in love and paired up at the student houses.
In addition to having been at the heart of student life, the student houses have also served as places of employment for many people. The buildings have served as home to offices, restaurants, hotels, movie theatres, training centres, pharmacies and various small businesses. The student houses have been renovated, cleaned and guarded. The Old Student House has also functioned as a centre of cultural life, hosting events ranging from art exhibitions to shows and fairs. The student houses have developed into places that carry a significant wealth of memories for students, residents of Helsinki and Finland in general.
We are interested in experiences related to both student life and other functions at the Old Student House, the New Student House and Domus Gaudium over the decades. Tell us your memories to contribute to recording the history of Finnish student life and urban culture!
Submit your recollections by 15 February 2027.
The oral history collection is organised by the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY).
You can participate in the collection under either your own name or a pseudonym. The responses will be archived in HYY’s archives. We will communicate about the results of the collection in 2027.
When writing your submission, you can refer to the following questions to aid you:
- What were the most memorable moments you have experienced in the student houses like? What kind of emotional reactions were involved?
- How has your relationship with the student houses and/or student life in them changed over the years?
- Have you organised events or participated in them at the student houses?
- What kind of events have been organised at the student houses?
- Have you participated in cultural or hobby activities at the student houses?
- Have you participated in student activism or politics at the student houses? Have you been involved in occupations or demonstrations in the buildings?
- What kind of events and places have you visited within the student houses, and who was with you?
- Have you been employed by any of the companies that have operated in the student houses? What was your job’s relationship to student life? Did the other functions or history of the buildings affect your work?
- What names were used for the different spaces in the student houses? Did the buildings have any nicknames?
- What kind of sensory experiences do you relate to your experiences in the student houses? Can you think of any smells, views, tastes or sensations you associate with the experiences?
- Are there any special stories about the student houses or student life in them that are told among your friends or family?
Further information:
Ahto Harmo
archivist
arkisto@hyy.fi
