Helsinki's 'underground city' reflects tense position as Russia's neighbor

Finland may be world's happiest country -- at least on the surface. But Helsinki's "underground city" tells a different story.

HELSINKI -- Finland may be world's happiest country -- at least on the surface. But Helsinki's "underground city" tells a different story.

Beneath the capital, a massive network of bunkers and tunnels spreads out all across the city. There are than 5,000 bomb shelters in Helsinki -- enough to shelter more than the city's entire population -- and more than 50,000 bunkers across the country, according to Helsinki's Civil Defense Department. All buildings above a certain size are required by law to have their own bunkers.

"There's a historic sense that you should always be prepared. It might not be this generation or the next generation, but Russia is likely to attack Finland in some way," said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a leading researcher at the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.

With so much ground going unutilized, the city of Helsinki has converted some of its shelters into spaces for everyday public use. There's an underground playground, a shelter that doubles as a hockey rink, even an underground swimming pool.