Jätkäsaari


Jätkäsaari is a peninsula and a quarter in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It is part to the Kampinmalmi district and Länsisatama neighbourhood. It was the location of the main container harbour in Helsinki until late 2008, when the harbour moved to the new facilities in Vuosaari. The terminal for passenger ferries to Tallinn, Estonia, remains in Länsisatama.

History

What is now known as Jätkäsaari, was originally a group of four islands: Jätkäsaari, Hietasaari, Saukko and tiny Saukonkari. The sea between the islands and the continent was filled, creating a peninsula to house harbour facilities. The area became an island once more with the construction of the Ruoholahti Canal. With most of the harbour operations having moved to the new Vuosaari Harbour, the construction of a new mixed-use city district began in late 2009, after a clean-up of contaminated soil was completed.
Pop singer-songwriter Madonna performed in the vacant harbour of Jätkäsaari as a part of her Sticky & Sweet Tour on August 6, 2009. The concert was attended by 85,000 people and, thus, the event was the biggest concert ever with an entrance fee in the Nordic countries. The surrounding air and maritime space were closed as a safety precaution during the evening and the night.
'' is seen in the background
The new Jätkäsaari area is planned as an urban, densely built city district, built around the shoreline and an S-shaped park in the middle. The apartment blocks will be closed to protect the inner courtyards from wind. The planners envisage the completed area of having 17,000 residents as well as 6,000 jobs. The area will have several schools, kindergartens, sports facilities and public services. The public transport in Jätkäsaari will be handled primarily by extensions of the Helsinki tram network. The waste collection and sorting is planned to operate by automated vacuum collection.

Public Transport

Jätkäsaari has four operating tram lines but no bus lines . The large number of arriving and departing ship passengers at the passenger harbor means that occasionally trams are fully packed. However, a subway stop and several bus lines can be found in neighboring Ruoholahti district which is less than a 15-minute walk from the harbor.