Vallisaari

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Opened to the public in 2016, Vallisaari has firmly established itself as one of the favourite destinations in Helsinki’s maritime archipelago!

Located just a 20-minute waterbus ride from the Market Square, next to Suomenlinna, Vallisaari is easy to reach. From Vallisaari, you can also continue to Kuninkaansaari along the stone causeway connecting the two islands. The magnificent nature, diverse services and military history attractions of Vallisaari and Kuninkaansaari attract visitors from spring through autumn. More information about services on Vallisaari can be found here >>

Vallisaari at a Glance:

• The most diverse natural environment in the Helsinki archipelago
• 1,000 species of butterflies, more than 400 plant species and five protected bat species
• Well-preserved history of coastal defence
• The culturally and historically significant Aleksanterinpatteri
• A stone causeway connecting Vallisaari and Kuninkaansaari
• Just a 20-minute waterbus ride from the Market Square with JT-Line

Picture: Metsähallitus / Katri Lehtola

Nature & History

Vallisaari and Kuninkaansaari are excellent destinations for a day trip into nature close to Helsinki. By exploring the trails on the islands, you can discover their unique natural environment and fascinating history at the same time. More information about the trails can be found here >>

A Range of Services

Vallisaari is home to cafés and container restaurants, offering visitors a variety of snacks and drinks to suit every taste. The trails on Vallisaari and Kuninkaansaari also offer a range of services for day visitors. These include water points, toilets, composting toilets and picnic tables. More information is available on the trail map >>.

The trail map also provides information about accessibility on Vallisaari. Please note that there are no designated campfire sites in the area. Making fires is strictly prohibited throughout Vallisaari and Kuninkaansaari.

You Can Also Go Swimming on Kuninkaansaari!

Swimming is not permitted in the pond on Vallisaari, nor is it safe to access the sea from the rocky shores for swimming. Swimming is possible at the sandy cove on the eastern side of Kuninkaansaari. However, the cove is not an official beach and is neither supervised nor otherwise maintained.

Please also note that the Santahamina military area is located directly across the water. It is part of the Finnish Navy’s restricted protection areas, and approaching it within 100 metres is prohibited.

History of Vallisaari

The Swedish Reign

In the Middle Ages, Vallisaari was known by the name of Lampisaari (“Pond Island”), as seafarers replenished their drinking water supplies from the ponds in this island. An urban lifestyle was unheard of at the time; it was not until the 1550s that Helsinki was founded. It is possible that a small fortification was built on the island simultaneously with Helsinki’s foundation. However, the earliest attested information on the fortifications date back to the 17th century, a period when the island acquired its present name, Vallisaari (“Embankment Island”).

By the middle of the next century, the decision on the construction of a massive sea fortress off Helsinki – at the time, a hamlet of 1,500 inhabitants – was taken. Augustin Ehrensvärd, a young artillery officer, drafted the plans, with the construction beginning in 1748. On a neighbouring island, which is today known by the name of Suomenlinna, a formidable fortress was built, known at the time in Finnish as “Viapori” and referred to as the “Gibraltar of Finland”.

While a small redoubt was built on Vallisaari, the island remained otherwise unfortified. This gave raise to harsh criticism directed at Ehrensvärd. With cattle grazing in Vallisaari, the island served as a supply point for Viapori. The trees on the island were cut down for firewood.

In the 18th century, Vallisaari also became a base for pilots. The pilots lived in their cabins at the north-western tip of the island, next to the Kustaanmiekka strait, the route taken by arriving ships. The pilots and other inhabitants of the island were a headache for law enforcement. Distilling of alcohol and a tavern on the island caused the people to forget work on occasion. The inhabitants were also suspected of smuggling and serving illegal alcohol.

Picture: Metsähallitus / Katri Lehtola

The Russian Reign

The neglect of Vallisaari’s fortification came back to haunt the island in 1808, when Sweden and Russia had gone to war and the Russians laid siege to Viapori. The Russians stationed dozens of cannons on Vallisaari – from the island’s high hills, they could fire directly at Viapori. Viapori soon surrendered to the Russian forces. Sweden lost Finland, and Finland became an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.

Vallisaari was now renamed Aleksanterinsaari in honour of the emperor. A golden age of fortification began. Viapori was an important part of the defence of the imperial capital, St Petersburg. The Russians also began planning the development of Vallisaari. It was not until the Crimean War, which began in 1853 between Russia and an alliance consisting of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia, that construction work really got underway. Batteries, or artillery positions, were built on Valli- and Kuninkaansaari.

In 1854, an Anglo-French naval fleet sailed into the Baltic Sea. The fortifications of Helsinki and Viapori were strengthened at an ever-increasing pace. In August 1855, the Allies sailed to the waters off Viapori and bombarded the fortress. The sea in front of Vallisaari was engulfed in fire and smoke, and Viapori suffered extensive damage.

Soon after the war, the impressive Aleksanterinpatteri battery was built on Vallisaari as a demonstration of Russian military power. Changes in Russian foreign policy and the rapid development of weapons technology soon became evident at Aleksanterinpatteri. Originally, its cannons were housed in casemates, meaning covered, impact-resistant structures. However, as early as the beginning of the 1870s, they were moved to the top of the rampart. The casemates were converted into accommodation and storage facilities for the troops, and the brick walls were covered with thick earthen embankments.

In 1906, the first waves of the Russian Revolution reached the Helsinki archipelago. Rebels seized Valli- and Kuninkaansaari. From Kuninkaansaari, they successfully shelled Viapori. However, an explosion in Kuninkaansaari’s powder magazine, followed by fire from the Russian navy, turned the rebels’ victorious position into panic and defeat. Dozens of people died in the clashes, some of them executed after the fighting.

Meanwhile, the pilot station building on Vallisaari was completed in 1878, and the pilots were ordered to move there. In 1910, Hylkysaari was designated as the pilots’ new place of residence, but due to a lack of space, some of them remained on Vallisaari. The last pilots did not leave Vallisaari until the early 1920s.

Before the First World War, Vallisaari’s batteries were modernised in concrete, and a powder magazine was built in the centre of the island. During the war, a brick barracks for officers and a number of storage buildings were completed. However, the importance of Valli- and Kuninkaansaari to Russia’s naval defence was beginning to wane. The focus of defence shifted towards the sea: the Russians began fortifying Helsinki’s outer archipelago, including Isosaari, Kuivasaari, Harmaja and Rysäkari.

Picture: Metsähallitus / Katri Lehtola

The Era of Finnish Independence

The islands’ history as a military area continued after Finland gained independence in 1917. Weapons belonging to the Finnish Defence Forces were stored on Valli- and Kuninkaansaari until recent years. Vallisaari was also used for loading and maintaining ammunition, torpedoes and mines, conducting weather observations, and repairing gas masks. Kuninkaansaari was home to a coastal guard station. During the Second World War, the island also housed a German air surveillance radar known as “Raija”.

On 9 July 1937, a devastating explosives accident occurred in Vallisaari’s Valley of Death. Thousands of kilograms of explosives were hurled across Vallisaari and as far as Suomenlinna. Although the residents fled for their lives, eight people were killed instantly and four more later died in hospital. In addition, Aleksanteri Huuri, an engineer colonel and head of the Defence Ministry’s Ordnance Department, was so deeply shocked by the incident that he died about a week later. The cause of the explosion remains unknown. It has been suggested that it was caused by careless handling of the explosives, but sabotage was also suspected.

Alongside the activities of the Defence Forces, Vallisaari developed a distinctive residential community whose inhabitants were mainly civilians employed by the state. The village was at its liveliest in the 1950s, when more than 300 people lived on Vallisaari. Although the island is located close to central Helsinki, its residents lived a rural life. There were vegetable gardens and grazing animals on the island, including rabbits, sheep, horses and pigs.

In the 1950s, Vallisaari had a primary school, a shop and a youth association, as well as a choir, drama club and Scout group, among other activities. For children, the island was a secret world of its own, where they went on adventures partly unbeknownst to the adults. The children threw stones at windows, searched for the entrance to a tunnel rumoured to lead to Suomenlinna, and dug up explosives – even though this was strictly forbidden then and remains strictly forbidden today. At the pond, people swam, jumped from the diving tower, sunbathed, washed laundry and pumped water for washing. The last residents moved away in 1996.

Vallisaari Opened to the Public in 2016

In recent decades, the islands have been largely dormant, returning almost to a natural state. In 2008, the Finnish Defence Forces announced that they would relinquish control of the islands. In 2013, Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland began preparing to open the islands to visitors. This unique nature tourism destination opened to the public in 2016.

The above historical text was produced by Metsähallitus and can be found in its entirety here >>

Picture: Helsinki Partners / Julia Kivelä