Seurasaari is one of the most popular open air sites. It’s
especially favoured by people wishing to get away from
it all. A long wooden bridge leads onto the island, where
you will find an extensive ”open air museum”: a
collection of vernacular styles of Finnish wooden
architecture. Massive spruce-trees by the pathways
reinforce the feeling of Finnish national identity. You will
also find pleasant coastal scenery on the approach to
the island at nearby Meilahti with its old, spacious villas,
an arboretum, the President Urho Kekkonen Museum
and the residence of the incumbent Finnish president.
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SEURASAARI
How to get there
Bus 24, which leaves from Erottaja every 20 minutes,
takes you to the foot of the bridge onto the island (the
terminus). Tram 4 and buses 14 and 18 go from the city
centre and pass along Paciuksenkatu Street, close to
the island. The bridge onto the island is always open; a
charge is levied only for the midsummer festivities.
Motoring and cycling are prohibited on the island.
The various buildings which make up the museum are
open from 1 Jun to 31 Aug 11am-5pm, Wednesdays till
7pm. From 15 May to 31 May and from 1 to 15 Sept. the
buildings are open Mon-Fri from 9am-3pm, Sat and Sun
11am-5pm. Entrance to the museum buildings costs 5 €
for adults, 4 € for pensioners and students; free entrance
for under-18’s. You can buy a brochure (in Finnish or
English) from a kiosk on the island. For further information
§ 4050 9660 in summer, § 40 50 9574 in winter.
http://www.nba.fi/fi/seurasaari
Lots of people go to Seurasaari to feed the squirrels and
birds. Even back in the 1930’s, tame squirrels lived on the
island, probably the first ones in Helsinki. Whenever there
is open water under the bridge leading onto the island, you
may see mallards, but also mute swans, Canada geese
and tufted ducks. Oystercatchers and great crested grebe
nest nearby. In spring, you will hardly fail to hear the
insistent hammering of the lesser spotted woodpeckers
which nest on Seurasaari and along nearby shores. The
duck-ponds dug out on the southern part of the island are
good places to observe bats on summer nights. A spinner
may land pike or pike-perch from the rocky promontories
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CAUS
PITK EWAY
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LIPUNMYYNTI
TICKET OFFICE
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ULKOMUSEON TOIMISTO
MUSEUM OFFICE
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Luonnonsuojelualue
Nature reserve
of Seurasaari. The south and south-west shores offer a
very representative selection of the marine flora of the Gulf
of Finland. Woad (Isatis tinctoria), once used for dyeing
fabrics, grows in Humallahti Bay. You can observe birds
characteristic of coniferous forests, according to the
season. Stoat and mink inhabit the shores, too. In winter,
foxes prowl around, scavenging for fish discarded by
fisherfolk.
A hurricane that swept over Helsinki in August, 1890
felled over 5000 trees. One of the survivors was a now
gigantic and protected Scots pine, among the largest in
the city. You will find this tree in the backyard of
‘Jusupoff’s Stable’. At the foot of this tree is a peculiar
ants’-nest, which has partially crept its way into fissures
in the trunk. Not far away in nearby Meilahti, at 11
Seurasaarentie Road, is another massive, protected
pine tree. Very close to this tree, at the south end of
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PRONSSIKAUTINEN HAUTA
BRONZE AGE GRAVE
RESIDENTIN VIRKA-ASUNTO
RESIDENTAL RESIDENCE
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PÄÄMINISTERIN VIRKA-ASUNTO
PRIMEMINISTERS OFFICIAL RESIDENCE
THE SIBELIUS
MONUMENT
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NUORTEN LUONTOTALO
YOUNG PEOPLE’S
NATURE HOUSE
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HAUTAUSMAA
CEMETERY
Heikinniementie Road, is a colony of hogweed (Heracleum
sphondylium). This plant, a rarity in Finland, found its way
here at the end of the second world war, when a German
baggage-train was held up nearby. Here the plant remains
as a living symbol of a past military alliance, a modest
reminder of a horses’ feeding place by the home of
Finland’s future presidents.
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History
Seurasaari was established as a national park for the
workers in 1890. Its name, which translates roughly as
‘Social’ or ‘Meeting-place Island’, reflects this purpose. The
construction of the paths, the bridge, steam-boat jetty and
the plantings were sponsored by the Helsinki Liquor
Company, which set out to improve the lot of poor people
rather than make large profits. On the island the common
people were allowed things that were not seemly in the
downtown parks frequented by the gentlefolk: bonfires,
hammocks - and lounging around. Towards the end of the
19th century there were two free dance floors, but they
had to be demolished because of the incessant fighting!
Right at the outset the park’s fixtures included cells with
double log walls for drunks to cool down in. Nowadays,
dancing on the dance floor is in again, and the Midsummer
festivities are especially popular with families.
The open-air museum demonstrating Finnish vernacular
architecture was built during the 1910’s. The originator
of the undertaking was the folklorist A.O. Heikel, whose
grave is on Seurasaari. There are presently more than
80 buildings from various parts of the country. The
oldest is the church, which dates back to the 17th
century. The other buildings are from the 18th and 19th
centuries. There are also some amazing buildings from
our hunting culture: a bear-proof meat store and cabins of
backwood dwellers.
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On the west side of the bridge is the small island of
Pukkisaari with a cluster of buildings representing the Iron
Age. You approach the isle by a wooden causeway. The
buildings are open from 15 to 31 May and from 1 to 15
September daily from 12am to 3pm and from 1 June to 31
August daily 12am to 5pm.
http://www.sommelo.hai.fi/
Seurasaari has a nudist beach, for which there is an
entrance charge.
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The coastal promenade from Meilahti to the Sibelius
Park and Hietaniemi.
Along the stretch of shore between the president’s
former and present houses in Meilahti is a promenade
set in a pleasant park, with a high rocky outcrop at its
eastern end. By Johannesbergintie Road (on the right as
you look towards Seurasaari) is Meilahti Arboretum,
which includes a small collection of old roses. At the
junction of Seurasaarentie Road and Paciuksenkatu
Street, the rocks are capped by a heap of stones, a
Bronze Age burial-place. A striking-looking fern, forked
spleenwort (Asplenium septentrionale), grows on the
seaward face of the steep rock-faces. The coastal
boulevard goes on past the president’s official residence
towards Sibelius Park. As well as the Sibelius
Monument, the park boasts an elegant ochre-painted
wooden villa, the Young People’s Nature House (36
Mechelininkatu Street), part of which is given over to the
activities of young naturalists. On the south side of the
park (6 Kesäkatu Street) is the large building used by
the Finnish Environmental Centre, a governmental
department mainly devoted to environmental research.
There are photograph and art exhibitions in the lobby.
The centre (doorway C, 2nd floor) holds the largest
collection of environmental literature in Finland. The
library is open weekdays from 9am-4.15pm, the rest of the
building from 8am-4pm. tel 403 000.
The promenade continues from Sibelius Park to Hietaniemi Beach and to the large cemetery of Hietaniemi,
where a time-weathered morgue has been in use since
the mid-1800’s. Many of Finland’s great men, such as
Urho Kekkonen and Field-Marshall Mannerheim, are
buried in this cemetery. The coastal park extending from
Seurasaari to Hietaniemi is the longest seashore
boulevard close to the city centre.
Other birds in the area:
Eurasian wigeon, goldeneye,
red-breasted merganser,
common sandpiper, great
spotted woodpecker, garden
warbler, icterine warbler,
coal tit, Eurasian tree-creeper,
goldcrest.
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Other mammals:
Northern bat,
arctic hare,
brown hare,
muskrat,
weasel.
- SITES OF INTEREST
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KORKEASAARI ZOO
Korkeasaari Zoo is largely devoted to conserving
endangered animal species. Both Finnish and exotic
animals are represented there. A special feature of the zoo
are certain arctic species.
At Korkeasaari (the name means ‘High Island’), you will
find most of the animals that characterise Finnish nature
and folklore, such as elks, bears, wild forest reindeer,
swans, eagle owls and eagles. Altogether the zoo houses
about 150 species, of which a third are Finnish natives.
The snow leopard from the Himalayas is the zoo’s
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BORELIA-TALO
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ETELÄ-AMERIKKATALO
SOUTH AMERICAHOUSE
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TO THE MARKETPLACE
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ARTIC FOX
MYSKIHÄRKÄ,
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KISSALAAKSO
VALLEY OF BIG CATS
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PAVIAANILINNA
BABOON CASTLE
METSÄPEURA
WILD FOREST
REINDEER
SUOMEN MERIMUSEO
THE MARITIME MUSEUM
OF FINLAND
emblem. Snow leopards have flourished and multiplied
at Korkeasaari and since the 1960’s have produced
about 100 offspring. The cubs have been sent to other
zoos in Europe. The Helsinki climate suits many species
adapted to the cool conditions of northern or mountain
regions. The arctic elements are represented at Korkeasaari by the musk-ox, and by the arctic fox, snowy owl
and wild forest reindeer, which have become
increasingly rare in Finland.
The main task of the zoo is to conserve natural diversity
and to educate and instruct people towards conserving
nature. These efforts are made on several fronts: by
nurturing endangered species, participating in
cooperative conservation programmes with other zoos,
keeping pedigree records and, in the case of
endangered species, rehabilitating animals raised in
confinement back into their natural environment. The
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Cat Valley is inhabited by Eurasian cats, including the
highly endangered large species such as the Amur tiger,
Amur leopard and the Asian lion. Other animals
endangered on a world-wide basis at Korkeasaari
include the musk-ox, the Przewalski horse and, in the
South American section, some of the smaller apes and
various parrots. Golden eagles and snowy owls raised
at Korkeasaari have been released into Finnish natural
environments. Likewise, alpine ibex from the zoo have
been sent to the Austrian Alps, European bison to
Russia, lynx to Poland and eagle owls to Sweden.
How to get there; services
Of world’s zoos, Korkeasaari is one of the very few built
on an island. In summer, it’s a memorable experience to
make the trip there by boat. Motor-launches leave for
the island from both the main market place and from
Hakaniemi from April to September. The boats go every
half hour, on the hour, from both places. You can travel
to the zoo entrance overland with bus 11, which leaves
from Herttoniemi metro-station every half hour. In winter,
the easiest connections are by metro or bus 16 to
Kulosaari, from where a kilometre-and-a-half walk will
take you to the entrance via the scenic island of
Mustikkamaa. Korkeasaari is open May to Sept. 10am8pm, Oct. to Febr. 10am-4pm and March-April 10am-6pm.
Entrance charges by boat/overland for adults are 5/8 €, for
children 3/4 €, no charge for under-7’s. There are cafés, a
restaurant and a souvenir shop on Korkeasaari. Customer
service § 1695 969. Infotel (24h): 0600 95911.
www.hel.fi/zoo
Natural animal visitors
Korkeasaari attracts a number of native winged visitors.
The lesser blacked-gull, whose numbers in Finland have
dramatically fallen, nests on the rooves of the zoo
buildings and on the nearby islet beside the boat harbour.
Mew gulls often nest in the large pine-trees in the animal
enclosures. Hooded crows, herring gulls and pigeons,
those tiresome uninvited guests, scavenge a substantial
part of the food intended for the zoo animals. Barnacle
geese have colonised the rocks off Korkeasaari. During
the 1980’s some wild individuals joined the enclosed
colony of barnacle geese to interbreed with them. The
progeny were released into natural surroundings. In fact,
breeding colonies have rapidly built up in the nearby
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K o r k e a s a a r i z o o
waters. You may see hundred of these geese grazing on
the extensive grasslands and lawns around Helsinki and
Espoo, and nowadays individuals of other kinds of geese
frequently join these flocks.
In wintertime eagle-owls circle around Korkesaari and
nearby Mustikkamaa. At times they try to out-hoot their
captive brethren. The long-eared owl often over-winter
on the island, too, subsisting on the abundant vole
population. You’ll be lucky, though, to spot any owls
during daylight hours.
The park, vegetation
Most of the limes, oaks and larches on the island originate
from plantings in the 19th century, when large quantities of
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More unusual plants to be found on the island include
the annual stinging-nettle (Urtica urens), with a sharper
sting than the common nettle. The annual species,
presently classified as rare in Helsinki, is a plant of
nutrient-rich sites of human habitation or farmyards, and
has found its niche around the animal enclosures. Woad
(Isatis tinctoria), once used as a dye, opens its yellow
flowers in early summer along the shores of the island.
As the vegetation is an important environmental
indicator, the zoo has also built up a comprehensive
collection of plants from various parts of the world. A
brochure has been compiled of the island’s flora, giving
the names in Finnish, English and Swedish of 270
garden taxa, as well as many wild and naturalised
species. The brochure costs 2.50 €.
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soil were imported to help plantings flourish. At that time a
school garden was also planted in order to demonstrate
to ordinary people food and crop plants already grown, or
that might be grown, in Finland.
Finnish animals on Korkeasaari (in 2000)
Mammals:
Lemming,
nothern red-backed vole,
grey-sided vole,
harvest mouse,
black rat,
arctic fox,
brown bear,
stoat,
weasel,
otter,
European mink,
wolverine,
lynx,
white-tailed deer,
grey seal,
wild forest reindeer,
fallow deer,
elk.
Reptiles:
Viper
Birds:
Grey heron,
mute swan, whooper swan,
greylag goose,
lesser white-fronted goose,
Eurasian wigeon,
teal,
eider,
black scoter,
smew,
golden eagle,
European honey-buzzard,
crane,
ruddy turnstone, ruff,
redshank,
razorbill,
Eurasian eagle owl,
Tengmalm’s owl, northern
hawk owl, Ural owl, great
grey owl, snowy owl,
Eurasian pygmy owl,
Bohemian waxwing.
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History
King Johan III of Sweden bestowed Korkeasaari to the
townsfolk to use for grazing and fishing in 1569, soon after
the city was founded. A spring on the island was used as a
source of drinking-water for the city, and for washing
laundry. By the end of the 19th century there were many
factory workers in Helsinki, and Korkeasaari and Seurasaari became the city’s first national parks. There was a
merry-go-round on Korkeasaari, dancing on an outdoor
dance floor, and they brewed coffee on braziers by the
shore. The wooden house built as a restaurant in 1884 is
still being used for this purpose.
The zoo was established in the park in 1889. Its purpose
was to provide an educational pass-time for the children
of poor families and working folk. In those early days
Korkeasaari purchased animals, or received them as
donations. Many an elk, otter or flying squirrel spotted in
Helsinki ended up on Korkeasaari.
The zoo’s management has not always considered the
animals’ welfare. The cramped, stone-built bear
”prisons”, built in the early 1900’s, are a reminder of the
callousness of those times. In 1910 Rolf Palmgren was
appointed director of the zoo; he was one of the first
proponents of nature conservation in Finland. He
improved the living conditions of the animals
considerably, and banished some of the most
objectionable funfair features of the zoo. Nowadays the
zoo, which belongs to the city of Helsinki, makes every
effort to ensure that the animals enjoy as natural
conditions as possible.
Other nearby sites of interest
If you walk to Korkeasaari from Kulosaari metro-station,
you will pass through Mustikkamaa (‘Blueberryland’), an
island devoted to recreation. There is a beach on the
south shore, and close to the sportsground is the
restaurant of the Helsinki Workers’ Union dating from
the 1920’s. Towards the eastern end of Mustikkamaa is
a protected bird rock, Norppa, with the largest colony of
black-headed gulls in Helsinki.
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Mustasaari is only four kilometres from the centre of
Helsinki. It’s especially popular with families with small
children. On Mustasaari the children will be amused by
the tame animals, adults will appreciate the verdure of
the island, and the whole family will enjoy the sea
crossing. The pasture meadows are well worth seeing.
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MUSTASAARI
How to get there
There is a regular boat service to the island from
Taivallahti jetty, which is at the end of Eteläinen
Hesperiankatu Street. The most convenient trams, 3T
and 3B, stop off about 600 metres from the jetty. The
motor-boat trip takes 15 minutes, and costs 4 € with
return. The trip passes by the president’s official
residence, Seurasaari, and islets colonised by lesser
black-backed gulls.
Boat timetable 16.-27. May: from Taivallahti: mon - fri 10am,
11am, 12am, 1.15pm, 2pm, 3pm, and from Mustasaari:
Mon-Fri 10.40am, 11.40am, 1pm, 1.40pm, 2.40m, 4pm. Weekends closed.
Boat timatable 31.5.-28.8.
From Taivallahti
Mon closed. Tues, Fri, Sat, Sun 11am, 12am, 1.15pm, 2pm,
3pm, 4pm.
Wed, Thu 11am, 12am, 1.15pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm*, 6pm*
From Mustasaari
Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun 11.40am, 1pm, 1.40pm, 2.40pm, 3.40pm,
4.40pm, 6pm.
Wed, Thu 11.40am, 1pm, 1.40m, 2.40pm, 3.40pm, 4.40pm
5.40pm*/6pm, 7pm*, 8pm*, 9pm*
*) These boats only until 11 August. Weeks 33 and 34 no
evening boats. The last return from Mustasaari 6pm. Information
(09) 612 0040/ Mustasaari office. Dogs are not allowed.
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Kaskisaari
Svedjeholmen
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Haapasaari
Services
In the manor building, built in 1889, is a café famous for its
cinnamon rolls (‘korvapuusti’, a traditional Finnish
sweetmeat). Surrounding the house are lawns with
barbecues, a safe beach for children and a playground.
The different kinds of animals vary somewhat from
summer to summer, but hens and cocks, rabbits and
sheep are established favourites. On Sundays at 12.30pm
there is a Finnish-language service in the island’s own
chapel. There is also a centre where children’s activities
are arranged for short periods.
Nature
The name Mustasaari, literally ‘Black Island’, could well
have originated from the dark forests of the island. The
Swedish form of this name has been used at least as far
back as 1779. The large grey alders circling the shores
and the grand spruce trees do create a awesome
atmosphere. Here and there old pine trees stand out from
the forest, some of them hoary giants. These almost
untouched, leafy forests are complemented by the wellmaintained parks.
Various pathways circle the shoreline. The shortest (half
a kilometre) is ideal for very young children. A footbridge
takes you to Hevossari (‘Horse Island’, 1.1ha/2.7 acres)
with a remarkable erratic boulder by the shore and,
usually, pastured sheep. Of the many pasture islands kept
around Helsinki during the 19th century, Hevossari is one of
the very few remaining ones. It represents a national
romantic landscape of the kind often depicted in the
golden age of Finnish pictorial art at the turn of the 19th and
20th centuries.
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Besides the hens and cocks, rabbits and sheep, many of
the commoner island birds settle on the island. The best
place to see this wildlife is a small bird rock off the
northern shore, a nesting site for mute swans. From the
main jetty you can also aim your binoculars at a bird island
half a kilometre to the north (Morsianluoto), colonised by
black-headed gulls, terns and Canada geese. Several
kinds of small birds nest in the mixed forests of Mustasaari. As the public don’t have access to the island at
night, few people have seen the tawny owl. As well as the
squirrels, you may be lucky enough to glimpse a fox or
wild mink.
The leafy forests grow lushly in several parts of the island.
In early spring bulbous corydalis and lesser celandine and,
a little later, lily-of-the valley grow in profusion, especially
near the southern shore. The shore meadows are
botanically rich, and some of the drier rock meadows
above, too, carry an interesting flora.
Anglers along the shores of Mustasaari will mostly pull
in perch, roach and bream. A few fishing rods have
traditionally been lent out, at least, to small boys. Ask
the staff ; they will also tell you where to find worms for
bait.
History
Mustasaari was a private manor island upto the end of
the 19th century. The existing main building was built
around the beginning of the 20th century on the site of
the then demolished former house. Since 1932 the
island has been overseen by the parish. It was here on
the island that Finland’s first volley-ball match was played.
The present playing ground is not on this historic site.
Plants
Bulbous corydalis (Corydalis solida),
wall speedwell (Veronica arvensis),
lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria),
cliff willowherb (Epilobium collinum),
adder’s tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum),
blackcap, goldcrest.
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