Hakaniemi (; sv, Hagnäs) is an unofficial district of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

capital. It covers most of the

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural a ...

of Siltasaari in the district of

Kallio Kallio (; sv, Berghäll; literally " the rock") is a district and a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern ...

. Hakaniemi is located at the sea shore and is separated from the city centre by the Siltavuorensalmi strait and from the district of Linjat by the street

Hämeentie Hämeentie () is the second longest street in Helsinki, Finland, and among its major thoroughfares. Hämeentie is a multi-lane street beginning at the Hakaniemi square in Siltasaari, and ending near Vanhankaupunginkoski on Koskelantie. Old street ...

. Historically, Hakaniemi was often 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 that of the rest of central Helsinki. The main office of the

Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, usually referred to by the acronym SAK ( fi, Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö; sv, Finlands Fackförbunds Centralorganisation, FFC) is the largest trade union confederation in Finland. It ...

(SAK), the party offices of the

Social Democratic Party of Finland The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP, fi, Suomen sosialidemokraattinen puolue ; sv, Finlands socialdemokratiska parti), shortened to the Social Democrats ( fi, link=no, Sosiaalidemokraatit; sv, link=no, Socialdemokrater) and commonly kno ...

(SDP) and the Left Alliance, as well as the Helsinki workers' house

Paasitorni Paasitorni ( sv, Folkets hus), also known as the Helsinki Workers' House, is a conference and congress centre of exceptional value in terms of its architecture and cultural history. The historic building is located in Hakaniemi, Helsinki, Finl ...

are located in Hakaniemi. The May Day march of the working class in Helsinki usually starts at the

Hakaniemi market square The Hakaniemi market square ( Finnish: ''Hakaniementori'', Swedish: ''Hagnäs torg'') is a market square located in Hakaniemi, Helsinki, Finland, opened in 1897. Throughout its history, there have been numerous Vappu marches and demonstrations ...

. The best-known features of Hakaniemi include a large and lively marketplace, Oriental food stores with a good variety of Asian imported products the headquarters of several

trade unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

, the headquarters of the

and the Left Alliance Party and the Helsinki

Hilton hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

. Famous buildings include the round

Ympyrätalo Ympyrätalo ( sv, Cirkelhuset; lit. "Circle House") is a circle-shaped office building located in the Hakaniemi district of Helsinki, Finland. The building is a local landmark. History Before Ympyrätalo was built, the block outlined by Siltasaare ...

building (architects Heikki and Kaija Sirén,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

) and the

Hakaniemi market hall The Hakaniemi market hall ( Finnish: ''Hakaniemen kauppahalli'', Swedish: ''Hagnäs saluhall'') is a market building at the Hakaniemi market square in the district of Kallio in Helsinki, Finland. It was built at the start of the street Hämeenti ...

(architect

Karl Hård af Segerstad Karl Hård af Segerstad (28 January 1873, Helsinki – 22 October 1931, Helsinki) was a Finnish architect. He came from a Swedish family, but lived and worked his whole life in Finland, mainly in Helsinki and Viipuri (which was taken from Finland ...

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

The

was built on reclaimed land. It has been the site of a farmers' market since 1897.

Location

Hakaniemi is located at the southern edge of the district of

. It is separated from

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 ...

by the Siltavuorensalmi strait, with the bridges

Pitkäsilta The Pitkäsilta (; sv, Långa bron, ) is a bridge in Helsinki, Finland, connecting the districts of Kruununhaka and Siltasaari. It was completed in 1912 by the design of the architect Runar Eklund. Pitkäsilta is one of the best known landmarks ...

and the

Hakaniemi bridge Hakaniemi (; sv, Hagnäs) is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It covers most of the neighbourhood of Siltasaari in the district of Kallio. Hakaniemi is located at the sea shore and is separated from the city centre by the ...

crossing over it. The official subdivision list of Helsinki does not contain any subdivision named Hakaniemi, and what exact area Hakaniemi encompasses is ambiguous. As the Hakaniemi area contains reclaimed land, it is no longer recognisable in its original peninsular form. Mostly Hakaniemi is thought of the area of the

with its immediate surroundings. This would make it include the eastern part of the neighbourhood of Siltasaari and the southernmost part of the neighbourhood of Linjat; often it is also thought of including the neighbourhood of

Merihaka Merihaka ( sv, Havshagen) is a coastal residential area in central Helsinki, Finland consisting of large high-rise concrete housing blocks. It is located by the Baltic Sea next to districts of Hakaniemi, Kallio and Sörnäinen. It is known for i ...

, which belongs to the district of

Sörnäinen Sörnäinen ( sv, Sörnäs; ''Sörkkä'' or ''Sörkka'' in Helsinki slang) is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland. Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district ...

. The

Hakaniemi metro station Hakaniemi metro station (, ) is a station on the Helsinki Metro. It serves the central Helsinki districts of Hakaniemi and Kallio. Both lines M1 and M2 serve Hakaniemi. There are 28 bicycle parking spaces at the station. Opened on 1 June 1982, Ha ...

is located partly in Siltasaari, partly in Linjat. The street

Hakaniemenranta Hakaniemenranta ( Swedish: ''Hagnäskajen'') is a street on the Siltavuorensalmi shore in central Helsinki, Finland. The street belongs to two separate districts: the western part belongs to Hakaniemi in Kallio, while the eastern part belongs to ...

starts at Siltaarenkatu and continues to Merihaka, going around it along the sea shore, as a pedestrian street at its easternmost part. The sculpture

World peace World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...

is located along this coastal street, near a pier offering boat connections to various Helsinki islands such as

Vallisaari Vallisaari ( sv, Skanslandet) is an island in Helsinki, Finland. It is located between Suomenlinna and Santahamina. The island has some ponds, and it was first known for hundreds of years as a place where sailors could take fresh water. Some ...

in the summertime. Originally Hakaniemi was a peninsula clearly sticking out into the sea, located at the area between the present locations of the market square and Merihaka. It was separated from Siltasaari by a narrow strait running diagonally across the area of the present market square. In the late 18th century there was a pasture for farm animals at the peninsula, called Generalshagen, and the entire peninsula was named ''Hagnäs'' (

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

for "pasture cape") already at the time. The corresponding

name was ''Hagnääsi'' in the 1880s and ''Hakaniemi'' since 1909. The peninsula has given its name to the

, the streets of Hakaniemenkatu and Hakaniemenkuja, the

, the Hakaniemi park, the street Hakaniemenranta, the

, the Hakaniemi market square and the street Hakaniemen torikatu.

History

Land reclamation

The first bridges over the Töölönlahti bay were built in 1651 for the road leading from Vironniemi (

) to Vanhakaupunki. When the bridges were rebuilt in 1832, the islands in the bay were named Iso Siltasaari and Pikku Siltasaari. The bridge from Siltavuori to Iso Siltasaari was called Pitkäsilta and the bridge over Pikku Siltasaari was called Pikkusilta. Land reclamation in the strait separating Siltasaari from the mainland on its northern and eastern sides, containing the Hakaniemi area at the time, at the present location of the market square, started in 1886.Hakaniementori , Kaupunkirakenne- ja ympäristöhistoriaselvitys
urban environment of Helsinki 2021. Accessed on 7 September 2021. This land reclamation used dredging soil from the Sörnäinen harbour. To stop reclaimed land from flowing into the sea, a dam was built from soil, rocks and spruce trunks. Soon after the reclamation was completed, the dam gave in. As there was plenty of dredging soil available, a new dam was built further away in the bay. In 1891 the Pikkusilta bridge still remained, but it had been left on dry land. The market square area dried up slowly and had to be crossed on

duckboards A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridg ...

. The land reclamation took a total of eleven years, and market vendors started sales in the area on Christmas 1897.

Home of the working class

Up to the 19th century Hakaniemi was just a peaceful pasture. The city of Helsinki started to regulate construction to the north of Pitkäsilta since the 1820s. In 1846 the area was divided into villa and industrial lots, which the city leased with long-term contracts. Lands further away were dealt as fields and pastures. In the late 19th century the city of

started rapidly industrialising and factories were built in the

area. At the same time, increased rents in the city centre drove the working class further away, and Hakaniemi located on the opposite end of the

bridge soon became a popular place to live in. Pitkäsilta soon became a symbol of the class difference between the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

in the city centre and the

proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...

in the north. Hakaniemi, known as the home for many trade unions, was coloured red and many demonstrations were held at the

. During the 1906

Sveaborg rebellion The Sveaborg rebellion was an Imperial Russian military mutiny which broke out on the evening of 30 July 1906 amongst the garrison of the coastal fortress of Sveaborg in the coast of Helsinki in the Grand Duchy of Finland. The mutiny was part ...

the so-called

Hakaniemi riot Hakaniemi (; sv, Hagnäs) is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It covers most of the neighbourhood of Siltasaari in the district of Kallio. Hakaniemi is located at the sea shore and is separated from the city centre by the ...

took place at the market square, which has been seen as the first clash between the red and white guards in Finland. The reds later planned a revolution at the so-called "Granite Castle", the Helsinki workers' house at Säästöpankinranta. The

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

is thought to have started when a red lantern was hoisted on the top of the tower at the workers' house in the evening of 26 January 1918 as a sign of revolution.

Later phases

In the 1920s the industry in the area was seen as unfit to the urban image, and the Siltasaari area started to become an extension of the business centre. In 1925 Hakaniemi became a public transport hub as it started serving as a terminus for bus transport. In the early 1930s half of the

Helsinki tram The Helsinki tram network forms part of the Helsinki public transport system organised by Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and operated by Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd (Finnish: Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy, Swedish: Huvudsta ...

lines passed through Hakaniemi. The southern sidetrack of the Sörnäinen harbour rail was used to transport firewood to the Hakaniemi market square, used to heat the houses in the area. A bus terminal was built at the market square in 1963. After the war, the wooden houses in the area were replaced with multi-storey brick and stone houses, many new businesses and government institutions moved to the area, and the population of forty thousand slowly started to decrease. To stop the population for decreasing, the neighbourhood of

, a "concrete neighbourhood" similar to Itä-Pasila was built next to Hakaniemi. The population still kept on decreasing, and by the 1980s, the entire district of

only had twenty thousand inhabitants.

Projects

The

Crown Bridges The Crown Bridges ( fi, Kruunusillat) is the name given to three bridges under construction in the Finnish city of Helsinki, creating a new tram link and cycle path to the island of Laajasalo. Background The city council of Helsinki decided on ...

project was started in 2016, including a ten-kilometre-long tram connection and three new bridges between the city centre, Hakaniemi and Yliskylä. A temporary terminus will be built between Laajasalo and Hakaniemi, and tram traffic is expected to start in 2027. Many new buildings are planned in the area around

and Sörnäisten rantatie. The

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

Arthur Burchardt Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

would like to build a new hotel near the

sculpture. A new bridge will be built next to the deteriorated

, after which the old bridge will be dismantled. A new railway station is planned next to the Hakaniemi metro station as part of the

Helsinki City Rail Loop The Helsinki City Rail Loop ( fi, Pisararata, sv, Centrumslingan) is a planned new railway line in Helsinki, Southern Finland. It is to be a double track balloon loop in the shape of a tear drop. Helsinki commuter rail currently terminating at H ...

. A new service yard is being built underneath the market hall, and a new parking garage is being planned underneath the market square.Helpinen, Varpu
Nämä suuret remontit mullistavat Hakaniemen seuraavien vuosien aikana: Hämeentien katutyömaa on vasta alkusoittoa, sillä edessä on uudistusten aalto
YLE 14 October 2020. Accessed on 17 August 2021.

Pictures

Kukat ja patsas 220508.jpg, Statue by Johannes Haapasalo. Pitkäsilta 9.JPG,

bridge between hakaniemi and

. Hakaniemen metroasema 2.jpg, Hakaniemi metro station was opened in 1982. Hakaniemen tori - Marit Henrikssonväh.jpg, The

. Arena Hämeentie.jpg, The Arena house. Ympyrätalo.jpg,

. Siltavuorensalmi2.jpg, Siltavuorensalmi. Eläintarhanlahti, Kaisaniemenlahti.jpg, Eläintarhanlahti.

References

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