Merilinna at Kivisaari
We hopped aboard FRS Finland’s eastern archipelago route and went to explore Kivisaari (“Rock Island” in Finnish), an island off the coast of eastern Helsinki, which was exceptionally open to visitors for the day. Today, the island, owned by a parish, is in private use for purposes such as confirmation camps and is not normally open to the public.
The route started from Meritullintori and passed, among other places, by Korkeasaari and through Laajasalo’s narrow canal.
Merilinna (“Rock Island” in Finnish), the beautiful Art Nouveau main building on the island, was completed in 1920 and designed by Eliel Saarinen. It was built as a summer residence for businessman Kaarlo Kontro and his family.
The interiors combined the atmosphere of a camp centre with layers from different eras: there was Art Nouveau, Artek and retro vibes.
Large windows and natural light are things I’ll always admire, but I’d happily take some little hexagonal windows as a bonus, too!
From Kivisaari, a bridge led to the small neighbouring island of Karhusaari (a bear island) whose name originates from actual bears. Kontro had bears there in the 1920s, and stories tell they occasionally escaped to the neighbouring island’s jam cellar and the shore by the main building in search of festive treats. In the end, the bears are said to have moved to a zoo in England.
Today, Karhusaari has an area for playing sports and a spot where you can grill. The island was so small that by walking around the sports area, through the trees and bushes, you could see where the shoreline runs.
They also had a sauna warming up on the island, which would certainly have been an experience. However, it would have made the day too long for a three-year-old, with the usual daycare-and-work hustle awaiting us the next day.
On the archipelago cruise, we could have returned along the same route as well, but to see some new scenery, we continued from Kivisaari onwards to Vuosaari.
With this experience, I can warmly recommend the eastern archipelago route, perhaps exploring one of the islands that are open to visitors (remember to pack some good picnic snacks! 😊)