neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Hakaniemi Hakaniemi (; sv, Hagnäs) is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It covers most of the neighbourhood of Siltasaari in the district of Kallio. Hakaniemi is located at the sea shore and is separated from the city centre by the ...

Sörnäinen metro station Sörnäinen metro station (, ) is a station on the Helsinki Metro. It serves the central Helsinki districts of Sörnäinen and Kallio. Sörnäinen is the easternmost station on the system to be located underground. The station was opened on 1 Sep ...

Kalasatama metro station Kalasatama metro station ( fi, Kalasataman metroasema, sv, Fiskehamnens metrostation - "Fish Harbor") is a ground-level station on the Helsinki Metro, in the capital city of Finland. The station was opened on 1 January 2007, and it serves the eas ...

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 ...

Senate Properties sv, Senatfastigheter , logo = Senate logo.gif , type = Liikelaitos Senate Properties 2009(Finnish). (≈ unincorporated entity, unincorporated state-owned enterprise) Ministry of Finance 2009. Senate Properties 2009/ref ...

Helsinki Prison The Helsinki Prison, also known as the Sörnäinen Prison (earlier known as Helsinki Central Prison) is a prison located in the Hermanninmäki district of Helsinki, Finland, opened in 1881. At the moment it is the only prison operating in Helsin ...

Vironniemi Vironniemi ( sv, Estnäs; literally the "Cape of Estonia" or the "Estonian Peninsula"Helsinki slang the area is known by the names Sörkka and Sörkkä. These names probably come from the Swedish language slang name ''Sörckan''.

History

Birth of the harbour

In the early 19th century the area of present-day Sörnäinen consisted of countryside, although there was already a brick factory in Lintulahti at the time. Sörnäinen began to industrialise in 1825, when the city ordered factories and workspaces to be located on the edges of the city because of danger of fires.Kalasatama - Historia
''Uutta Helsinkiä'' 8 September 2017. City of Helsinki. Accessed on 1 June 2021. Building the street Itäinen Viertotie (now known as

Hämeentie Hämeentie () is the second longest street in Helsinki, Finland, and among its major thoroughfares. Hämeentie is a multi-lane street beginning at the Hakaniemi square in Siltasaari, and ending near Vanhankaupunginkoski on Koskelantie. Old street ...

) from

Siltasaari Siltasaari (Finnish), or Broholmen (Swedish), is a central neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland. Most of its area is unofficially known also as Hakaniemi Hakaniemi (; sv, Hagnäs) is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It cove ...

to

Kumpula Kumpula ( sv, Gumtäkt) is a verdant neighbourhood in Helsinki, bordered by Eastern Pasila to the west, Vallila to the south, Käpylä and Koskela to the north and Toukola and Arabianranta to the east. As of January 1, 2003, Kumpula had approxi ...

in the 1850s was important for the development of the eastern part of the city proper. Factories rose on the eastern side of the street and residential buildings on the western side. The largest continuous industrial area formed on the Sörnäinen shore when the

Sörnäinen harbour Sörnäinen ( sv, Sörnäs; ''Sörkkä'' or ''Sörkka'' in Helsinki slang) is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland. Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district ...

was built there. Finland's first harbour track, the

Sörnäinen harbour rail Sörnäinen ( sv, Sörnäs; ''Sörkkä'' or ''Sörkka'' in Helsinki slang) is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland. Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district ...

, was built in 1863. The track led from

Pasila Pasila (; sv, Böle, ) is a part of Helsinki, Finland, that is both a central-northern neighbourhood and district, bordering the areas of Alppila to the south, the Central Park ( Keskuspuisto) to the west, and Vallila to the east. Pasila is ...

to the Sörnäinen harbour along

Teollisuuskatu Teollisuuskatu (Swedish: ''Industrigatan''), meaning "Industry street", is a street in the Vallila district of Helsinki, Finland. The street is the multi-lane main connection between Pasila and Kalasatama, used by about 20 thousand vehicles p ...

. This started the rapid growth of Sörnäinen. The harbour was expanded by the growth of exports in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1889 Finland's first oil harbour was built in the area, but it was later moved to

Herttoniemi Herttoniemi ( sv, Hertonäs) is an East Helsinki neighbourhood and a suburb of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. Geography Located about east of the city centre, Herttoniemi can be reached by the Helsinki Metro in 10 minutes, or by road via the It� ...

because of fire security reasons in 1938. The harbour switched from export to import in the late 19th century, when the forestry export started to travel via

Kotka Kotka (; ; la, Aquilopolis) is a city in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province on the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city and also a diverse school and cultural city, which was formerly part of the old Kymi parish ...

and

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ne ...

.

Other industry

Sörnäinen has been a central area in electricity production. The

Suvilahti Suvilahti ( sv, Södervik) is a cultural center and former energy production area in Sörnäinen, Helsinki. It encompasses nine buildings and two large gasometers. Construction of a steam turbine electrical power plant was completed in 1909 and ...

power plant was taken into use in 1909. The A plant of the

Hanasaari Power Plant Hanasaari Power Plant (also referred as Hanasaari B power plant to distinguish from the dismantled power plant located at the same site) is a coal-fired cogeneration power plant in Sörnäinen, Helsinki, Finland. Its chimney has a height of . Hist ...

was built in 1960 and the B plant was built in 1974. The A plant was dismantled in 2008, but the B plant is still in operation. Early industrial facilities of the area include the

Kokos Giorgos 'Kokos' Elia ( el, Κόκος Ηλία; born March 11, 1971) is a former international footballer Cyprus, Cypriot Forward (association football), striker. External links

* 1971 births Living people Cypriot men's footballers Cy ...

factory built in 1911, which represented the same architectural age and style as the Suvilahti power plant. The factory made

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

and margarine from

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

fat. In 1926 the premises were bought by

Kone Kone Oyj (; officially stylized as KONE and trading as KONE Corporation) is an elevator engineering company employing over 60,000 personnel across 60 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1910 and is now headquartered in Espoo near Helsinki, F ...

, which used them to make elevators. Kone moved away from the premises in 1967. The logistically outdated premises were left empty and were bought by the working class oriented building company Haka to be dismantled, but the youth of the city

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

the premises in 1990. After the squat the Kokos factory was closed down, and the

Helsinki Theatre Academy The Theatre Academy ( fi, Teatterikorkeakoulu, sv, Teaterhögskolan) is one of the three academies of the University of the Arts Helsinki and offers education in theatre and dance. It is Finland's largest education provider in its field and, wit ...

has worked at the premises since 2000. The economic activity of the working class was concentrated on Sörnäinen for a long time: premises located in the area included OTK-EKA's and

Elanto The S Group ( fi, S-ryhmä, sv, S-gruppen) is a Finnish retailing cooperative organisation with its head office in Helsinki. Founded in 1904, it consists of 20 regional cooperatives operating all around Finland in addition to SOK, ''Suomen Osuu ...

's red brick headquarters designed by Väinö Vähäkallio in the 1920s as well as storehouses, logistics, Elanto's main bakery, the main mill of OTK, a coffee roaster and other activities. The premises have since been converted into apartments, offices and academic premises. After the industry moved away, the

Partek Partek Ski Lifts, commonly known as Partek, is a chairlift manufacturer based in Pine Island, New York Pine Island is a hamlet in the town of Warwick in Orange County, New York, United States. It is the largest community in the Black Dirt Regio ...

headquarters were built on

Sörnäisten rantatie Sörnäisten rantatie (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Sörnäs strandväg'') is a wide street in Sörnäinen, Helsinki, Finland. It leads from the Hakaniemi market square to Suvilahti near the Kalasatama metro station. For the most part, Sörnäist ...

, whose exhibition space has been converted to the library of the working class movement. Urban construction spread from Sörnäinen to Kallio, when a group of industrialists founded a

joint-stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certificates ...

to house their workers, which caused a row of "corporate villas" to be built. Large numbers of workers lived in the villas. Many of the apartments lacked a toilet and entire families of four people could live in a single small room. These

proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...

conditions gave rise to the Helsinki slang in the early 20th century. Near the Sörnäinen harbour, along both sides of

Sörnäisten rantatie Sörnäisten rantatie (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Sörnäs strandväg'') is a wide street in Sörnäinen, Helsinki, Finland. It leads from the Hakaniemi market square to Suvilahti near the Kalasatama metro station. For the most part, Sörnäist ...

, there have been many factories, for example

Kone- ja Siltarakennus Kone- ja Siltarakennus Oy ("Kone ja Silta"; ; "Maskin o. Bro") is a Finnish former engineering company based in Sörnäinen, Helsinki. The 1892 founded company grew heavily in the 1920s and 1930s by acquiring Finnish engineering companies; the pr ...

and the

Elanto The S Group ( fi, S-ryhmä, sv, S-gruppen) is a Finnish retailing cooperative organisation with its head office in Helsinki. Founded in 1904, it consists of 20 regional cooperatives operating all around Finland in addition to SOK, ''Suomen Osuu ...

factories. The area has included the

Suvilahti Suvilahti ( sv, Södervik) is a cultural center and former energy production area in Sörnäinen, Helsinki. It encompasses nine buildings and two large gasometers. Construction of a steam turbine electrical power plant was completed in 1909 and ...

gas plant and the

Hanasaari Power Plant Hanasaari Power Plant (also referred as Hanasaari B power plant to distinguish from the dismantled power plant located at the same site) is a coal-fired cogeneration power plant in Sörnäinen, Helsinki, Finland. Its chimney has a height of . Hist ...

which is still active.

Residential use

The city proper gradually grew too tight for industrial activities, which moved away to the suburbs. Converting old industrial premises to residential areas started in

Merihaka Merihaka ( sv, Havshagen) is a coastal residential area in central Helsinki, Finland consisting of large high-rise concrete housing blocks. It is located by the Baltic Sea next to districts of Hakaniemi, Kallio and Sörnäinen. It is known for i ...

in the 1970s and is still ongoing. A new Lintulahti residential area has been built on the old industrial area of Sörnäinen, as well as jobs, cultural services and the

Helsinki Theatre Academy The Theatre Academy ( fi, Teatterikorkeakoulu, sv, Teaterhögskolan) is one of the three academies of the University of the Arts Helsinki and offers education in theatre and dance. It is Finland's largest education provider in its field and, wit ...

. The Sörnäinen harbour, which had been in use for over a century, was shut down in November 2008 after the completion of the

Vuosaari Harbour Vuosaari Harbour (''Vuosaaren satama'' in Finnish; ''Nordsjö hamn'' in Swedish) is a seaport facility in Helsinki, Finland, opened in November 2008. It is also the 19th tallest building in Finland. Pillu Kolehmainen is the most famous stevedorer ...

. The immediate surroundings are being developed in accordance of the changed nature of the area. Along with the rest of the city proper, Sörnäinen,

Alppiharju Alppiharju ( sv, Åshöjden) is a district of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the eastern part of the Central major district of Helsinki, Finland. It consists of sub-districts Alppila and Harju, and is bordered by Kallio in the south, Taka- ...

and Kallio are among the most tightly-built areas in Helsinki and in the whole of Finland. The percentage of small apartments is the largest in Helsinki: a whole 80 percent. Because of the small size of the apartments, most of the residents are young adults living alone, or elder or childless couples.Helsinki alueittain 2008
pp. 84 - 87. Information bureau of the city of Helsinki. Accessed on 23 January 2010. A new marine

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 ...

area is being built as part of the eastern part of the city proper in the Sörnäinen harbour area and its surroundings from the 2010s to the 2030s. It will house 25 thousand inhabitants and 10 thousand jobs.Kalasatama - Uutta Helsinkiä
''uuttahelsinkia.fi''. City of Helsinki. Accessed on 3 July 2019. The old harbour areas of

Sompasaari Sompasaari (Swedish: ''Sumparn'') is an island on the Kruunuvuorenselkä water area in the Sörnäinen district in Helsinki, Finland. On the southern side of the Nihdinkanava channel built in the middle of Sompasaari is the former island of Nihti ...

and Nihti are also being converted into residential areas.

Traffic

In the eastern part of the city proper, the number of cars in proportion to the population is the smallest in the entire city of Helsinki. The area is well served with basic services which are often close by. The Sörnäinen area is served by almost all bus lines going from the city centre to northeastern and eastern Helsinki as well as eastern

Vantaa Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Greater Helsinki, Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa i ...

, along with several through-city lines. Particularly the so-called Sörnäinen curve is a traffic hub for many public transport lines. Many

Helsinki tram The Helsinki tram network forms part of the Helsinki public transport system organised by Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and operated by Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd (Finnish: Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy, Swedish: Huvudsta ...

lines run along

Hämeentie Hämeentie () is the second longest street in Helsinki, Finland, and among its major thoroughfares. Hämeentie is a multi-lane street beginning at the Hakaniemi square in Siltasaari, and ending near Vanhankaupunginkoski on Koskelantie. Old street ...

, and the

Sörnäinen metro station Sörnäinen metro station (, ) is a station on the Helsinki Metro. It serves the central Helsinki districts of Sörnäinen and Kallio. Sörnäinen is the easternmost station on the system to be located underground. The station was opened on 1 Sep ...

was taken into use and the

Kalasatama metro station Kalasatama metro station ( fi, Kalasataman metroasema, sv, Fiskehamnens metrostation - "Fish Harbor") is a ground-level station on the Helsinki Metro, in the capital city of Finland. The station was opened on 1 January 2007, and it serves the eas ...

in 2007. The public transport connections from the area to all around the capital region are excellent.

References

External links

Image:Sörnäisten metroasema2.jpg, Sörnäinen metro station Image:Sörnäisten satama Itäväylältä.jpg, Sörnäinen harbour Image:Sörnäinen2 Helsinki.JPG {{coord, 60, 11, N, 24, 58, E, region:FI_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title

Etymology