Mustikkamaa (; sv, Blåbärslandet; literally translates to "blueberry land") is an island in the Gulf of Finland, some to the east of the city centre of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

, and in size.

Leisure use

It is owned by the City of Helsinki, and used for public recreational and leisure activities such as jogging, hiking, cross-country skiing, tennis and other ballgames. There is an open-air summer theatre, restaurant and marina, and the island is connected via a pedestrian bridge to the adjacent island of

Korkeasaari Korkeasaari ( sv, Högholmen) is an island in Helsinki. The literal meaning of Korkeasaari is "Tall Island/Islet". It is part of the Mustikkamaa–Korkeasaari district. Korkeasaari Zoo is located on the island and named after it. The island ...

, where the

Helsinki zoo Korkeasaari Zoo ( fi, Korkeasaaren eläintarha, previously known as ''Helsinki Zoo'') is the largest zoo in Finland, located on the island of Korkeasaari in Helsinki. The zoo was first opened in 1889, originally showcasing common animals from Fin ...

is located.

Bridges

In 1964, a bridge was built to connect Mustikkamaa to the larger island of

Kulosaari Kulosaari () is an island and an East Helsinki suburb in Helsinki, Finland. It is also the 42nd neighbourhood of the city. Construction of villas on the island started in the beginning of the 20th century, and a bridge from Sörnäinen was opened ...

. In 2016, the new

Isoisänsilta Isoisänsilta (Swedish: ''Farfarsbron'') is a pedestrian and cycling bridge in Helsinki, Finland, opened in June 2016. The bridge connects the Kalasatama neighbourhood on the Helsinki mainland to the island of Mustikkamaa and, via it, to the ...

bridge was opened, connecting Mustikkamaa also to the

Kalasatama Kalasatama ( sv, Fiskehamnen; literally translated "fish port") is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland. The area is officially part of the Sörnäinen district; and like Sörnäinen, Kalasatama is located a little more than one kilomet ...

neighbourhood on the Helsinki mainland.

Thermal energy storage

In the 1980s, three large rock caverns were excavated under Mustikkamaa, to store oil reserves. In 2018, the Helsinki municipal energy company

HELEN Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

began converting these into a

thermal energy storage Thermal energy storage (TES) is achieved with widely different technologies. Depending on the specific technology, it allows excess thermal energy to be stored and used hours, days, months later, at scales ranging from the individual process, ...

facility, capable of holding of warm ( or warmer) water, with the aim of reducing Helsinki's carbon emissions by over 20,000 tons annually.

References

{{coord, 60.180556, 24.991667, display=title Islands of Helsinki Parks in Helsinki