the tourist guide publisher Lonely Planet, as well as by the BBC in 2014. In addition to the National Museum of Finland, the Helsinki Central Station was one of the largest construction projects by the Finnish state in the early 20th century. Both buildings have been involved in disputes among the architectural community. The final design of the station has been said to bear a close resemblance to Sigurd Frosterus's entry "Eureka". Both designs have similar vaults, but Saarinen's design does not include any of the features typical for Frosterus's concrete architecture. Saarinen was inspired by German architecture. The station has drawn inspiration from the German Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof and from the Swiss Basel Badischer Bahnhof. Facade At the time of its construction, the station building was very modern: it was made of concrete and iron, with a red granite facade. The dexterously curving vaults of the station halls are among the oldest examples of monumental concrete construction in Finland. The heavy stone building represents the late Art Nouveau style. The concrete-roofed halls of the station building are also visible in its exterior architecture. The facade of the building became a combination of heavy granite surfaces and airy decorative elements and graceful window frames in a playful balance with them. The facade of the station is divided by pilasters with no feet or capitals. The smooth attic floors have windows, and they are topped with a slightly backwards swept mansard roof which was popular in the 1920s. This solution is familiar among German business building architecture, where Alfred Messel and Hermann Billing were among its first implementers. Features Building The station is mostly clad in Finnish granite, and its distinguishing features are its clock tower and the two pairs of statues holding the spherical lamps, lit at night-time, on either side of the main entrance. Animated characters based on the statues have recently been featured in some major advertising campaigns by Finland's government-owned railway operator VR, to the extent of releasing rap singles allegedly sung by Kivimiehet ("The stone men"). The structure of the station building is made of brick. The lower, middle and upper bases of the walls contain steel-reinforced concrete, which is also used in the support structures of the vaults. The facade is made of red granite from Hanko and partly of plaster. The facade facing the railway yard is made of plaster and burnt brick. The roof