The History of the Kalasatama Area
Finland’s first oil port, turning the sea into dry land, and a filming location for a world-famous movie – Kalasatama’s colorful history is full of interesting events and major upheavals.
As you admire Kalasatama’s metropolitan skyline, it’s hard to imagine that this former port area was still filled with shipping containers as recently as the early 2000s. Today, the area is one of Helsinki’s fastest-growing residential neighborhoods.
Kalasatama’s history has been marked by many upheavals. Until 1825, the area was a forested, uninhabited outskirt of the city. When the growing city of Helsinki decided to move its factories and workshops to the outskirts of the city due to the risk of fire, Kalasatama began to develop as a residential area.
At the same time that Helsinki’s manufacturing industry was concentrated in the Kalasatama and Sörnäinen areas, maritime traffic off the coast of Helsinki increased. The expanding city needed a new harbor. The Sörnäinen Harbor was completed in the 1860s.
Finland’s first railway, connecting Helsinki to Hämeenlinna and opened in 1862, was extended just two years later when the section from Pasila to Sörnäinen was completed. The rail connection from Hämeenlinna to the large, modern port meant increased traffic to the Port of Sörnäinen as the timber trade expanded. The port experienced its next growth spurt when the St. Petersburg railway line opened in 1870.
Helsinki’s industry was concentrated in Kalasatama and Sörnäinen, and by the 1960s, the area had developed into the largest contiguous industrial zone in the city center. This meant a growing need for freight transport.
New Residential Space from the Seabed – Kalasatama Remains at the Forefront of Development
The expansion of the port and industrial area also extended out to sea. The waters surrounding Kalasatama were shallow, offering the opportunity to incorporate numerous small islands into the expanding port area. Land reclamation work has been carried out in the Kalasatama area since the 1930s.
The small islands off the coast of Kalasatama were originally used mainly as destinations for city dwellers’ recreational outings and as summer pastures for livestock. The sawmill established on Verkkosaari, along with the incorporation of Sompasaari and Nihdi into the expanding port area, created a new shoreline for Kalasatama. At the same time, the foundations were laid for future homes and workplaces. Other islands connected to the mainland include Kyläsaari, Hanasaari, and Kana.
Near Kalasatama, there are still islands whose lush greenery provides a delightful contrast to the urban environment. A public park since 1921, and later as a recreational park, Mustikkamaa offers the tranquility of nature, sandy beaches, and fresh air just a stone’s throw from Kalasatama. Mustikkamaa is connected to the mainland by the Kulosaari Bridge, opened in 1964, as well as the Isoisänsilta Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, completed in 2016, which connects the recreational area directly to Kalasatama. From Mustikkamaa, you can reach the lush Korkeasaari, which features, among other things, recreational areas and a zoo that has been in operation since 1889.
“With the release of the movie *The Man Without a Past*,
(Verkkosaari) has become a Finnish
national landmark.”
– The “Kallio Sparks and Kallio Blooms” network In Helsinki News
Sumppari, Sumppusaari, Sompasaari
Sompasaari is one of the islands that were incorporated into the expanding Sörnäinen harbor area. The area south of the Vihdinka Canal—which was built through the center of present-day Sompasaari—is home to Nihdin Island. Together, these islands form present-day Sompasaari.
Sompasaari was used for recreational purposes until it was connected to the mainland. City residents would take a steamboat to admire the island’s uniquely diverse vegetation. A garden was established on Sompasaari in the 1840s, to which the most unusual plants from ships sailing in from distant lands were added. At that time, just under 30 permanent residents lived in the island’s wooden cottages.
The photo shows firefighters extinguishing a fire that broke out in Sompasaari in the winter of the 1950s. The photographer is unknown.
Sompasauna
In 2011, an unauthorized shack-style sauna appeared at the southern tip of what is now Sompasaari, in Nihti. After two years of numerous demolitions and rebuilds, the Sompasauna Association was founded to ensure the sauna’s continued operation, and the association paid rent to the city for the sauna’s lot. Today, the association has about a hundred members, and their goal is to bring more open and free saunas to Helsinki. Sompasauna itself has gained fame around the world, and travelers seeking unique experiences rave about their authentic sauna experience there.
Over the course of more than a decade, Sompasauna has been torn down, burned, set on fire, or pushed into the sea so many times that it would have been no surprise if the project had been abandoned. However, time and again, the sauna has been rebuilt, each time with the support of an ever-growing group of supporters. As construction on Sompasaari progressed, Sompasauna was moved to Hermanninranta. The scenery has changed, but sauna-goers hold fast to their traditions. They carry the firewood and washing water to the site themselves. Between sauna sessions, they take a dip in the sea, sing, chat, and listen to all sorts of stories. Sompasauna is a wonderful example of what a sense of community can achieve.
Art in Kalasatama
Kalasatama’s exciting history and diverse environment inspire new events and works of art that thousands of people admire every year. The cultural projects that enrich the area are an integral part of the spirit of Kalasatama.
