VANHANKAUPUNGINLAHDEN YMPÄRI Helsingin kotiseutupyöräreitit
Around Vanhankaupunginlahti. Helsinki on a Bike
Vanhankaupunginlahti-tour (Old town bay tour) 22 km
link to map and guide:
I started this tour expecting a calm and serene bike ride, and that is exactly what I got. The tour takes you around the geographical center of Helsinki, through some countryside scenes and past major historical locations. The founding site of Helsinki, the museum of technology, the first church and graveyard of Helsinki; they are all on this route.
The tour is said to be 22 km long, but my test ride ended up being 29 km. Completing the tour took 3 hours.
Located in the geographical center of Helsinki, Vanhankaupunginlahti, which is often named Viikki after its northernmost quarter, is a birdlife paradise in the heart of city. The 254 acer natural reserve in the shallow bay leading to the river Vantaa delta contains extensive reed beds, meadows, lush coastal forests and open water. North of the wetlands one can find Viikki with its old arable landscapes and pastures. The east side of the bay is a rocky forest ridge. The entire Natura 2000 protected area is 316 acers. The most important habitat types present are estuaries, Fennoscandian deciduous swamp woods andydrophilous tall herb fringe communities. 285 bird species, 28 mammals, 3 reptiles, 4 amphibians, 72 polyporaceae and 98 species of corticioid funghi have been discovered in the area. Similarly the variety of fish species is grand.
1. This is the beginning of Viikki natural reserve. Additional information from the notice board. Cycling on the duckboards and trekking outside the walking paths is forbidden, so leave and lock your bikes here.
2. Bird tower and hidden booth in the reed bed for birdwatching.
3. Keep walking the duckboards to Lammassaari (Sheep Island). On its northern shore you will find a bird tower. The island has been leased to Raittiusyhdistys Koitto (Sobriety society "Dawn") since 1904 and has been known as a recreation area for the working class. Koitto's red Pohjolan Pirtti-cabin was built on the peak of the island in 1905. The summer houses along the coast were originally a part of the recreation experience for the working class. A narrow set of duckboards departs the island from its southern shore, leading to...
4. ...Kuusiluoto (Spruce islet). Here you can encounter sheep. The red cabin on the western shore was built in the 1930's and is currently occupied by the Vanhankaupunginlahti Cultural-Ecological Club.
5. The Arabianranta (shore of Arabia) industrial center is joined with a residential area, that was finished in 2010. It is home to about 7500 people.
Tour the area to see new residential building architecture and the different works belonging to the Arabianranta art project. Arabia (aka Toukola quarter) was separated from the Forsby estate (aka Koskela) in 1840 during a time when it was fashionable to name places after biblical locations. The Arabia porcelain factories began production there in 1874.
6. The first wastewater treatment plant in Kyläsaari was finished in 1932. A waste incinerator functioned next to it from 1961 to 1983. It produced electricity and distict heating, but did it in such a polluting way that a local people's movement forced it to be shut down. From the 1990's both buildings have been governed by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre. It is a non-profit organization working for the benefit of the community. You can recycle or repurpose your things here and receive environmental awareness teachings.
7. A railroad led to the port of Helsinki in Sörnäinen as early as 1864. The local nomenclature - Hanasaari, Sompasaari and Verkkosaari (saari=island) - tells us its own story: This place has been filled up over time. The port was relocated in 2008 to Vuosaari. Now the area is being filled with residential buildings, offices and commercial centers. The Kalasatama subway station was opened in 2007.
8. The Kulosaari bridge was finished in 1960. Before that visits to Helsinki were conducted over a wooden bridge, which was erected in 1919. A tram line from Sörnäinen to Kulosaari had begun service
already nine years earlier. Then the tram was carried across the bay by a ferry. The tram was replaced with busses in 1951. Subway traffic commenced in 1982.
9. There are lots of houses from the early 1900's on Purjehtijankuja (Sailor's alley) and W. Aaltosentie.
10. Leposaari (Resting island) has been the final resting place for many a Kulosaarian since 1925.
11. The main buiding of Kulosaari mansion, designed by Carl Ludwig Engel, was built in the 1810's. The main structure may have been a two storied house built for himself by Augustin Ehrensvärd fifty years earlier. The border with Herttoniemi quarter goes down the south-eastend of the courtyard. The first bridge from Kulosaari to Herttoniemi was opened in 1916. 
12. In Kivinokka, "Puumerkki" (woodmark, signature) nature trail leads its guests to smell the scent of an old mixed forest. The trail is accessible with a wheelchair and in the final stage is equipped with a scenery board for the blind. The path leads to a platform overlooking Viikki and the bird-rich Vanhankaupunginselkä. Kivinokka used to be home to a tent village and a dance floor where even the famous Dallape-orchestra played. The summer cottages of present days started popping up in the 1940's. (The panorama photo in the beginning is from here)
13. Herttoniemi Allotment was founded in 1934.
14. The rocky eastern coast of Saunalahti was home to a number of private villas and cottages. Now all that remind us of them are some lilacs, apple trees, oaks and poplars.
15. Fastholma housed a small community of leisure apartments with garden plantations. The area, active since 1910, was originally rented from the Herttoniemi mansion. Parts of the area are now in disrepair.
16. Here in the Mölylä district was a summer camp site for the working classes between 1920 and 1950. The site consisted of tents and cardboard huts. Earlier it was called Bäcks's croft. Grazing from that period can still be seen with the abundance of wild flower blooming during midsummer.
17. Feel the atmosphere of the 19th century with this scenery. The experience is amplified with the cattle (belonging to Helsinki University) roaming around the fields.
18. Finnish and foreign trees and shrubs are grown in Viikki Arboretum. Its a 2 km long nature path that is to be travelled by foot. The path is marked with green and white markings.
19. The wooden multi-storey buildings of Saunapellonpuisto are from 1997.
20. Helsinki University's Viikki Study and Research Farm buildings are from the 1930's and 1950's. The fields supplementing the natural reserve have been cultivated for over 600 years.
21. A tropical garden, Gardenia, opened here in 2001. It was designed by Artto-Palo-Rossi-Tikka architect office. Gardenia is a center for nature-related information and activities. They offer guides to the nature reserve. Remember to also check out the Japanese garden.
22. The agricultural museum is kept by the university in a 1930's stone building. For now the museum is not open to visitors.
23. On Kuninkaankartanon saari (isle of the kings mansion) used to house the kings mansion. It was founded in 1550 for governing and defence purposes, but was abandoned after Russian raids in the late 1500's. The Kings road used to pass through here. Nowadays the island holds a museum of technology in an old water utility building. Water was purified here from 1876 to 1972, with chemical cleaning starting from 1909. On the opposite shore is a power station museum.
24. A memorial stone for the founding of Helsinki along with the site of the first church and graveyard of Helsinki. The city was founded by Gustav 1 of Sweden in 1550 and formed into a city of about 600 inhabitants. A memorial of the 1616 Herrainpäivät (early parliament sessions) is located on Kellomäki. In 1640 Helsinki was moved to Vironniemi, which is now known as Kruununhaka.
25. Villa Anneberg was built as a summer residence for commerce counsellor Gustaf Otto Wasenius (1789-1852) in the 1830's. Now Annala is governed by Hyötykasviyhdistys ry, which rents out plantations and gives information on the subject. It is a good place for a break and a cup of coffee in the local cafe.
