Eteläsatama
Encyclopedia
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
and harbour area immediately next to the centre of the city of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It is the largest passenger harbour in Finland, and 5.4 million passengers travel through it every year. The most of the harbour's traffic is to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, and cruises. In summertime, there is also much small ship traffic.
The bay is bordered by the districts of Katajanokka
Katajanokka
Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
, Kaartinkaupunki
Kaartinkaupunki
Kaartinkaupunki is a neighbourhood in the southern part of Helsinki, Finland.Kaartinkaupunki consists of the area between the Esplanadi park and the Tähtitornin vuori park. Its area was first confirmed in 1812, but the neighbourhood was only named in 1959. It is neighbourhood number 3 in Helsinki,...
, Ullanlinna
Ullanlinna
' is the southern-most city district of Helsinki, in Finland. The name Ullanlinna refers to the fortification line that was built at the southern edge of the area during the 18th century , as part of the town fortifications, which also included the fortress of . The name refers to the Swedish...
and Kaivopuisto
Kaivopuisto
Kaivopuisto , or in spoken language, Kaivari, is one of the oldest and best known parks in central Helsinki, Finland, and also a neighbourhood of about 500 inhabitants where the park is located.-Geography:...
. The waterway leading to the South Harbour is 9.6 metres deep. The most critical point on the waterway is the Kustaanmiekka strait, with a width of 80 metres. The waterway has a speed limit of 30 km/h, except for the Katajanokka area, which has a speed limit of 10 km/h.
Piers and terminals
The South Harbour has eight named pierPier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
s and four terminals.
The Katajanokka Quay runs nearly the whole length of Katajanokka
Katajanokka
Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
, with a length of 740 metres and water depth of 8.8 metres. The furthest part of the pier, towards the sea, consists of the cruising ship pier, with a water depth of 10.3 metres. At the middle of the pier is the Katajanokka Terminal, used by the Viking Line
Viking Line
Viking Line is a Finnish shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia. Viking Line shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange...
cruiseferries among others. At the end near the Helsinki Market Square is the Kanava Terminal , used by express ships travelling to Tallinn. The terminal is named after the Katajanokka channel.
In front of the Presidential Palace
Presidential Palace, Helsinki
The Presidential Palace in Helsinki , is one of the official residences in Helsinki of the President of the Republic of Finland. It is situated on the north side of Esplanadi, overlooking Market Square.-Origins and early history:...
is the Linnanallas (Slottsbassängen) bay, used by visiting small boats. Between the bay and the sea lies Linnanlaituri (Slottskajen), used for traffic to Korkeasaari
Korkeasaari
Korkeasaari is an island in Helsinki, Finland where the country's biggest zoo is situated. The English name of the zoo is Helsinki Zoo.The zoo is located on a rocky island. It's connected to mainland via a bridge to Mustikkamaa, where there is access to the zoo all year round...
and Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
.
At the Market Square shore is Keisarinluodonlaituri (Kejsargrundskajen), named after an islet that the ship carrying emperor Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
collided with in 1833. Nowadays the islet lies under filling ground brought to the shore. The pier is used mostly by the commuter ship to Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna, until 1918 Viapori , or Sveaborg , is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands , and which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with both tourists and locals, who...
.
On the other side of the disused turning railway bridge is the Cholera basin
Cholera basin
The Cholera basin is the established name for the western harbour basin in front of the Market Square in Helsinki, Finland.- History :The harbour basins were built in the early 19th century. At that time, the Market Square area consisted of the muddy Kaupunginlahti bay. Its shores had many shore...
, named after a seaman who died from cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. The bay is used by fishermen and tourist ships.
Next to the old market hall is the Vironallas (Estbassängen) bay, used by visiting boats. The part between Vironallas and the former railway bridge is called Lyypekinlaituri. It was formerly used by ships to Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The pier between Vironallas and the sea is called Pakkahuoneenlaituri (Packhuskajen). It is 135 metres long and has a water depth of 6.0 metres.
Next is the Makasiini Terminal , used by express ships to Tallinn. The Makasiini Quay pier next ot is 270 metres long and has a water depth of 7.2 to 7.5 metres. At its end is the Matkustajalaituri (Passagerkajen) pier, used by loading cruiseliners to Stockholm.
The southernmost terminal is the Olympia Terminal
Olympia Terminal
The Olympia Terminal is a dock in the South Harbour of Helsinki, Finland. It was designed by the Hytönen-Luukkonen architects bureau and opened for the 1952 Summer Olympics....
, built for the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
. It is used by the cruiseferries of Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
. The Olympia Quay pier next to it is 370 metres long and has a water depth of 7.5 to 8.8 metres.
On the Valkosaari island in front of the Olympia Terminal is the home port of Nyländska jaktklubben (NJK), Helsinki's oldest yacht club, and a restaurant. In summertime, there is a regular ship connection to the island from the south side of the terminal.
History
In the 17th century, the bay was called Kaupunginlahti (Stadsviken). Its shores were so low that it was only suited for a harbour for boats owned by the inhabitants of the coast and the islands. In the 18th century, the main loading point on the bay's shore was the Erhardt pier. In the middle 18th century, the bay was called Eteläinen kaupunginsatama (Södra Stadshamnen). For long, it was a secondary harbour. As traffic increased, fastening places for ships were built on the shores and harbour warehouses for storing cargo were built.When Helsinki was made the capital of Finland, the bay's shores were filled and they were first outfitted with wooden piers, later by stone piers. The city wanted to turn its secondary harbour into a first-class one. In the early 19th century, the Market Square was founded on filled ground. A minor incident happened in 1827, when the bottom of the filled ground failed, and masses of land flowed down to the sea. The Makasiinilaituri pier also sank to the sea. Further harm to harbour visitor was caused by the shipwrecks, which could lie on the bottom of the sea for years.
For long, the Ullanlinna shipyard was located at the southern part of the bay, which was renamed to Ulricaborgs skeppsvarf in 1847. In Katajanokka, shores were being filled and built with piers and handsome cargo warehouses. The connections to the harbour improved considerably, when a railway was built there from 1891 to 1894. In 1900, a new customs house was built in Katajanokka. In the same year, the harbour was being excavated and the Eteläranta side was completed. Thus Eteläsatama got its current form.
In 1922, Helsinki got the icebreaker Hercules, so that ships could also travel in winter. For transport of heavy cargo, the harbour got a 25-tonne crane in 1894. More cranes were acquired starting from the 1920s, so that in 1939, Eteläsatama already had 14 cranes.
In 1936, the city council decided to expand Eteläsatama to the Helsinki shipyard. This included extensive track work to the railways, which were completed in 1952. In the same year, a pier in Katajanokka collapsed into the sea, and part of the long pier had to be closed. The car ferry era between Finland and Sweden began in the early 1960s. Cargo traffic in Katajanokka was discontinued and the railway there was dismantled in the early 1980s. Since that time, Eteläsatama has been used by passenger ships and car ferries.
