Of the 625,000 people who live in the city of Helsinki, 79% speak Finnish and 5.7% speak Swedish. Those whose native language is German are a minority with less than .3%. However, this latter community is served by the Deutsche Kirche built in the Kaartinkaupunki neighborhood in 1864. Although it is considered to be part of the Finnish Church, Saksalainen Kirkko has been affiliated with the Evangelical Church in Germany since 1959. The German Church is a popular venue for weddings.
