The traditional home of the Venice Biennale's art exhibitions since the first edition in 1895, the Gardens are situated towards the eastern edge of Venice. They were created by Napoleon in the early 19th century, following the destruction of a working-class district that also included four churches and three convents. The Gardens host 29 foreign country pavilions as well as the Central Pavilion. Some of the pavilions in the Gardens were designed and built by famous architects.
The Finnish pavilion is a prefabricated trapezoidal structure designed by Alvar Aalto, assembled in 1956 with parts arriving from Finland. Built entirely of wood, it was intended to last for just one Biennale.
It was the success of the early editions of the Biennale (over 200,000 visitors in 1895, 250,000 in 1897 and over 300,000 in 1899) that led to the construction of the foreign pavilions in 1907. A measure motivated by logistics, but also useful for consolidating the international vocation of the Biennale.
