Helsinki’s Island of Seurasaari

Truth be told, Helsinki was not high on my list of must-visit capitals. I had recently returned from an amazing trip to The Caucasus where I absolutely fell in love with Baku, Tbilisi, and Yerevan. I longed to feed my former-Soviet addiction with a few weeks in Tallinn (Estonia), Rīga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania), but flights between New York and The Baltic States were really overpriced. Enter Finnair with a sweet deal between JFK and Helsinki and I couldn’t say no.

Two things to take away from this: A) don’t be so rigid with your plans that you pass up a good deal that takes you further afield from your ideal destination and B) the detour can end up surprising you in ways you couldn’t imagine. Yep, Helsinki ended up being awesome and is freakishly beautiful; honestly, I don’t need to write a word in these posts as the photos will blow you away. The one downside is that Finland, like Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, is extremely expensive, but sometimes you have to splurge, enjoy and not stress about all those Euros you’re spending.

Anyway! Instead of beginning this series of posts with info about downtown Helsinki, I thought I would let Helsinki’s unique geographical layout guide my writing. Believe it or not, Helsinki is made up of 315 individual islands that pepper the waters surrounding the mainland. If you never venture out of downtown Helsinki you are really missing out on the beauty and complexity of the quirky Finnish capital.

The most popular island to visit is Suomenlinna (and it’s great, if crowded), but my favorite island was Seurasaari, home to both the Kansanpuisto (People’s Park) and Ulkomuseo (Open-Air Museum). There are several ways to reach Seurasaari, including a popular bike path, but Helsinki’s tram/metro/bus system is a marvelous thing and makes for the easiest way to get around.

Sibeliuksenpuisto & Monumentti (Sibelius Park & Monument)

A good place to catch the 24 Bus to Seurasaari is at Sibeliuksenpuisto (Sibelius Park), located a pleasant walking distance from downtown Helsinki. Near the entrance to the park, you’ll find the Ilmatar ja sotka statue, which depicts a scene from the Kalevala- the greatest epic poem in Finnish literature. The Kalevala tells the story of the goddess Ilmatar who created the first man from the shards of a duck egg, hatched by her warmth, causing the rest of creation to spill forth thereafter.

But the Sibeliuksenpuisto has become a rather crowded stop for cruise ship daytrippers because of the Sibelius Monument, a 1967 monument dedicated to Finland’s greatest classical composer, Jean Sibelius. The sculpture was created from 600 pipes, which was somewhat controversial at the time as Sibelius composed very little music for the pipe organ. I hate to call the monument “overrated,” but it certainly is an unpleasant experience to visit with the swarms of people, each clamoring to get their perfect shot. A constant stream of tour buses drop off dozens of people and quite frankly I couldn’t get away from the monument fast enough! I kept meaning to walk about either early morning or late at night, but I never had the chance to see it again without the crowds.

Seurasaaren kansanpuisto (Seurassari People’s Park)

It’s more expensive to pay for your ticket on the bus or tram, so make sure you’ve purchased a ticket ahead of time. A single ride ticket is good for an hour on any mode of transportation, but much better value for your money is to purchase one of the 1/2/3/7 day unlimited transportation passes. These are available from R-Kiosks, tourist info centers- even my hostel sold them. An even better option is the Helsinki Card, which allows you admission to numerous museums and unlimited transportation (including the ferry to Suomenlinna). Make sure you tap whatever type of ticket you buy on the electronic sensor upon entry or face a heavy fine if caught.

Make sure you take the 24 Bus in the correct direction and get off at the Fölisön stop (the end of the line). From there, simply walk across the footbridge and you’ll be in Seurasaari. (There are no cars allowed on Seurasaari.)

Helsinki purchased Seurasaari in 1871 with the aim of turning it into a park for the working class, which would be open on Sundays and holidays. The so-called People’s Park opened in 1889 and was immensely popular until WWI. The open-air museum also opened in 1909, which eventually consumed almost half of the island. It’s free to walk around the remaining nature preserve, but the open-air museum requires a ticket; the museum is included on the Helsinki Card.

Along the eastern footpath of the People’s Park is a set of seven concrete steps that appear to be mundane, but in fact, have an interesting story behind them. Urho Kekkonen, the eighth President of Finland, who served for a record 26 years between 1956-82, lived in a house right next to the bridge to Seurasaari. During his presidency, Kekkonen would take a daily jog around the island; in his youth, he was also a professional long and higher jumper and thus when he reached these steps he always tired to leap to the seventh step in a single bound, regardless of how often his security detail would attempt to thwart him. Even at 74 years old, Kekkonen could still jump to the sixth highest step.

Seurasaaren ulkomuseo (Seurasaari Open-Air Museum)

I am such a fan of the open-air museum format. After I received my first taste for them in Bucharest, I have tried to track them down wherever I travel. Often set in idyllic natural surroundings, the open-air museums are a much-needed respite from hectic urban capitals. Helsinki’s has a stunner of a collection, totaling 35 buildings assembled from all over Finland and brought to Seurasaari to create this village of historic structures. I think there’s some international law that these museums force college student workers to dress up in old-timey garb, ready to answer all your questions about rural life.

Of course, you are welcome to explore the buildings, which have been furnished with authentic furniture and accouterments of rural living. I feel like my dad, a lover of antique furniture and woodworking craftsmanship, would be happy spending the whole day here.

Karuna Church, built in 1685, is the oldest building featured in the open-air museum. The church was originally from Sauvo, a village in southwest Finland, where it was purchased by the museum curator and transported to Seurasaari. Services are still held at the church on summer Sundays and the founder of the museum is buried in the church cemetery.

An open-air museum wouldn’t be complete without a windmill or two and Seurasaari is no exception. Interestingly, Finnish windmills came in regional models, just as the houses and farmsteads varied depending on climate and topography. The windmill below, from a village in western Finland, is known as a harakkamylly or “magpie mill” because of the protruding board used to turn the mill that resembles a magpie’s tail.

One of the true pleasures of the open-air museum is to simply stroll through the forest from building to building. The shoving crowds at the Sibelius Monument created quite the juxtaposition with the peaceful woodland trails of the museum. The famous, “must-see” attraction couldn’t hold a candle to this quiet island I practically had to myself on a weekday afternoon. You don’t have to go to a remote village in Lapland to get off the beaten path. It’s gotten so that even people in the big cities are too afraid to stray from the Hop-on, Hop-off bus loop. This is stupid. Stop. Go forth and explore.