Länsisatama

Länsisatama (Västra hamnen) No. 20 district of Helsinki
Coordinates	60 ° 9 '18 "  N , 24 ° 54' 56"  E Coordinates: 60 ° 9 '18 "  N , 24 ° 54' 56"  E
surface	2.44 km²
Residents	6408 (Jan 1, 2009)
Population density	2626 inhabitants / km²
Jobs	13,080 (Dec. 31, 2005)
structure
Sub-areas	Ruoholahti (20.1) Lapinlahti (20.2) Jätkäsaari (20.3) Munkkisaari (20.4)
Source: Helsinki City Statistics Office: Helsinki alueittain 2009 (PDF, 13.3 MB, Finnish)

Länsisatama ( Finnish ) or Västra hamnen ( Swedish ), in German "Westhafen", is both a port and a district in the Finnish capital Helsinki . Länsisatama is located in the southwest of the Helsinginniemi peninsula , on which the center of Helsinki is located. In common parlance, "Länsisatama" mostly refers to the actual port, while the other areas belonging to the district are better known under their own names.

History: From the port on the outskirts to the district in the center

Until the early 20th century, the area was on the very edge of Helsinki and was largely flooded by the sea. Next door was the port of Hietalahti , founded in the mid-19th century , when the western port was built in 1913. In the following decades it was continuously enlarged. This was mainly done through landfills that radically changed the coastline. The land area grew and several small islands were "swallowed" by the mainland. Industrial companies also settled in the vicinity of the port. The port was expanded in the 1970s.

Originally located on the outskirts, however, Länsisatama had become part of the inner city due to the strong growth of Helsinki. The use of the land, which has meanwhile become valuable, for logistics and industry was viewed by many as making little sense, and the rail and truck traffic caused by the port also posed a problem, as it threatened to overload the already strained traffic system in the city center. Therefore, in the last few decades, the port and industrial operations have increasingly been relocated to other locations and the process of converting Länsisatama into an urban district with apartments, offices, etc. has begun.

This construction project - quite comparable with international parallels such as Hamburg's HafenCity - began in the late 1980s with the construction of Ruoholahti (together with the northern part of Jätkäsaari ) and later also Salmisaari . New buildings for around 6,000 residents and 12,000 jobs were built here. Apartments were also built in Munkkisaari . In 2008, with the complete relocation of container traffic to Vuosaari, an even larger area in Jätkäsaari became available for new construction projects. A further 16,000 residents and 6,000 jobs are to be found here by 2020. The future population of the entire district is estimated at 26,000–28,000.

In the port, which has now been significantly reduced in area, mainly passenger ships now operate. Passenger traffic is to be maintained in the future, similar to that in the south port of Helsinki. The neighboring Hietalahti shipyard is also to be retained until further notice, albeit in a smaller form. The Salmisaari coal-fired power station and some other, now often converted, industrial buildings, such as the cable factory ( Kaapelitehdas ) , which have been converted into a cultural center, testify to the district's industrial past .

The sub-areas of the district

Länsisatama as seen from the northwest (2010). In the foreground Salmisaari. The green area on the left belongs to Lapinlahti. To the right of it Ruoholahti. Jätkäsaari and Munkkisaari in the back right.

New buildings in Jätkäsaari (2013)

The district (Finnish: kaupunginosa ) Länsisatama officially consists of four sub-areas ( osa-alue ):

Lapinlahti

Lapinlahti is the northernmost part of the district and the only one that has never been part of the port or industrial area. Most of it is taken up by Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki's most famous cemetery. There is also an Islamic and an Orthodox cemetery in Lapinlahti . The Lapinlahti hospital with its park, which was completed in 1841 according to plans by Carl Ludwig Engel , is also located here .

Ruoholahti

The Ruoholahti sub-area is essentially a residential and office area built in the 1990s. The northern part of the Jätkäsaari sub-area, which was built at the same time, is usually considered to be Ruoholahti in common parlance.

Ruoholahti also officially includes the small area ( pienalue ) Salmisaari . There is in the middle of new office buildings u. a. still a coal-fired power station and the Kaapelitehdas (cable factory) converted into a cultural center .

Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari is separated from Ruoholahti by a canal dug to beautify the landscape and is in fact an island. However, there are several bridges. Apart from its northern part, which in common parlance often belongs to Ruoholahti, Jätkäsaari was completely taken by the port by the end of 2008. By 2020, another residential and office area for 16,000 residents and 6,000 jobs is to be built on the now vacated port area.

Munkkisaari

Munkkisaari is a peninsula southwest of the districts of Punavuori and Eira . It is opposite Jätkäsaari, but there is no direct land connection to the rest of the Länsisatama district. Munkkisaari belongs to the municipality ( peruspiiri ) Ullanlinna, while all other areas of Länsisatama belong to the municipality of Kampinmalmi.

In the area of ​​the sub-area Munkkisaari are u. a. the Hietalahti shipyard and parts of the western harbor. The exclusive residential area Eiranranta, which was built between 2005 and 2008, is also located here. There are plans to further expand the residential area as far as the southern part of the peninsula known as Hernesaari.

The port today

The actual western harbor seen from the northeast (2010). On the left side of the port basin Munkkisaari, on the right Jätkäsaari.

From an organizational point of view, the actual west port is not a separate unit, but part of the port of Helsinki , which also manages the south port in the immediate city center and the port Vuosaari in the east of the city.

Since the relocation of container traffic to Vuosaari , the west port has mainly been used for passenger traffic. The main quay of the remaining port is in Jätkäsaari. This is where the large ferries that run daily between Helsinki and Tallinn dock , while the catamarans that run between the two cities use the south port. Another quay is in Munkkisaari. Foreign cruise ships dock here, especially in summer .

The neighboring shipyard Hietalahti is not part of the actual western port.

Web links

Commons : Länsisatama  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Information about the new construction projects in Länsisatama City of Helsinki (only Finnish)
• Information on the new development area Jätkäsaari City of Helsinki. (Finnish, Swedish, English)
• Homepage of the port of Helsinki (Finnish, Swedish, English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jätkäsaaren historia City of Helsinki. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2011.
2. ↑ Ruoholahti ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Helsinki city. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2011. 
3. ↑ Tämä on Jätkäsaari ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Helsinki city. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2011. 
4. ↑ Länsisataman aluerakentamisprojekti ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Helsinki city. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2011.