Welcome (back) to another scene, filmed in total darkness.
We are currently walking on a little island: Tervasaari, it translates to “Tar island”.
The name is derived from the warehouse of tar exporting traders located on the island from the 19th century.
The island already appeared in the maps in 1640 as “Tiäruholmen”, under Swedish rule at the time.
For most of it’s time the island had as purpose to store tar. Risk of fire was extremely high as well.
In 1939, a bridge was build to connect with mainland making it more accessible.
In winter, snow loads were emptied into Tervasaari.
In 1970 the island became accessible to the public and in the 1990s it became a park in the city of Helsinki, with a children’s playground and a dog park.

Before i continue, today is 29 December on a Wednesday evening, Christmas is now behind us but New Year’s is yet to come.
With a light snowfall and a temperature of -4°c.

The next part of the walk is in the streets of Siltasaari, more commonly known as the unofficial name “Hakaniemi”.
Siltasaari translates to “Bridge Island” and it’s connected to the mainland by a beautiful lit up bridge “Pitkäsaari”.
Already in 1651 there was a wooden bridge connecting to the island, a total of 5 bridges were built on the site, mostly war related.
The current stone bridge was completed in 1912 but was once again damaged in the spring of 1918 during the Finnish Civil War.
Traces of grenades are still clearly visible.

Siltasaari is historically associated with the working class and workers’ associations. However, the cost of living has risen considerably in recent years and is now on par with the rest of Central Helsinki.
Several notable features include the round Ympyrätalo building, the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party of Finland and the Left Alliance Party and the Helsinki Hilton Hotel.
The market square was built on reclaimed land since 1897.

Another impressive building is the “Paasitorni”, also known as the Helsinki Workers’ House.
A castle-like building in stone carved out of the bedrock, built in 1908.
In recent years several organisations operate within this building: 4 restaurants, 30 meeting rooms and the Scandic Hotel.

Thank you for wanting to learn more about Finland. Together we grow and explore.
I hope to see you back in the next scene (or one of my previous scenes). Stay safe and take care of yourself.