Tervasaari (; sv, Tjärholmen), meaning "tar island", is an island in

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 ...

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 ...

, in front of the district of

Kruununhaka Kruununhaka (; ) is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Kruununhaka became the area next to the harbour and the center, when Helsinki was moved from the earlier location in the mid-1660s. From the very beginning, the residents i ...

. Tervasaari is connected to the mainland by a long causeway called Tervasaarenkannas. The causeway is connected to the

Pohjoisranta Pohjoisranta (Swedish: ''Norra Kajen''), meaning "northern shore", is the eastern shore of the district of Kruununhaka in Helsinki, Finland and a street running along it. Description and history Pohjoisranta is known for the Halkolaituri (''Ve ...

street on the eastern edge of the city centre.Tervasaari
''Vihreät sylit''. Accessed on 23 June 2020.Tervasaari
city of Helsinki. Accessed on 23 June 2020. Facilities on the island include a granary restaurant, a children's play park, an area for dogs with a dog swimming place, an event venue and a pier for washing mats. Tervasaari was renovated into a functional island in the 1990s.

History

Tervasaari got its name from a storage used by

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bi ...

merchants, located on the island. The island appeared on maps in the 1640s as Tiäruholmen. The name Tervasaari was established in the late 19th century.Nyholm, Jenny
Tiäruholmenista Tervasaareksi
'' Helsingin Sanomat'' 17 June 2003. Accessed on 23 June 2020. In 1804 Tervasaari was leased as a plank storage to plank merchant Petter Heidenstrauch. In 1805 Heidenstrauch built a tar granary on the island. This

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

is the only building on the island to survive to this day. The granaries were located in Tervasaari because of risk of fire. At the time, houses in cities were made of wood and topped with flammable materials such as shingles, birch bark or peat, and hay and firewood were stored in the yards. The fire-fighting equipment at the time was also inefficient. Because of thesse reasons the risk of fire was great. For example Helsinki was almost completely destroyed in a fire that started on 17 November 1808. During the wars Tervasaari hosted an anti-aircraft gun and the granary was used as an outpost for its crew. In 1939 the Tervasaarenkannas causeway was built to connect Tervasaari to Pohjoisranta. When a permanent connection to the island had been established, the city began using the island as a storage. A tall plank fence was built around the island. In wintertime Tervasaari acted as a dumping ground for excess snow. In 1970 Tervasaari was fully opened to the public. At the time the last functioning cement foundry on the island moved away. Tervasaari was expanded by land reclamation. During the last renovation in 1995 the artificial pond on the island was filled up.

Use

After storing tar, the island has been used in many ways. In 1967 restaurant Tervasaaren Aitta was opened in the granary on the island. Restaurateurs on the island have included Oy Primula Ab, Leila Orpana's Pirkkis Ky and Wolfgang Wiegand, owner of restaurant Zinnkeller. Since 2007 the current restaurateur is A&S Ravintolat operating under the name of restaurant Savu. After the renovations in the 1990s Tervasaari has become a park in the city of Helsinki containing a children's play park and an area for dogs. The Tervasaarenkannas causeway hosts the marina of the Helsinki Motorboat Club with docking places for outsider boats. Tervasaari also has an event venue with an inclined auditorium. The

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

hosts two professional theatres every year: HIT Helsinki holds plays for the whole family, and Teatteri Helsinki founded in 2005 holds plays for adults.Mahlamäki, Soila; Ålander, Noora:
Teatteri Helsinki yhdistys ry:n markkinoinnin kehittäminen sosiaalisessa mediassa
', graduate thesis, Laurea University for Applied Sciences 2019, pp. 6-7. Accessed on 23 June 2020.

Gallery

Tervasaari kaakosta.JPG, Tervasaari in 2012. Tervasaaren kannas - panoramio.jpg, The Tervasaarenkannas causeway connects the island to the mainland. 14-08-12-helsinki-RalfR-N3S 0332-014.jpg, There is a boat harbour for guest boats along

in front of the island. Tervasaari.jpg, The dog area with its swimming place in July 2016. Ravintola Savu.jpg, Restaurant Savu. Tervasaari - panoramio (4).jpg, The Tervasaari amphitheatre.

History

Use

Gallery

References

External links