Latokartano, Helsinki — Area Guide & Where to Stay

What are the main landmarks in Latokartano?

Latokartano holds its sights in two registers. Two churches serve the district and its edges: the Viikin kirkko within, and the Pihlajamäen kirkko just beyond the boundary. Memory has its place as well.

The Fasismin vastustajien muistomerkki honours those who resisted fascism, and the Helsingin 1939 - 44 siviiliuhrien hauta marks a grave for the civilian dead of the war years. Around them spreads the great wetland of the Vanhankaupunginlahti bay, a bird-rich nature reserve at the head of the water that gives Viikki and the wider district of Latokartano their open, green character.

What is the history of Latokartano?

Latokartano grew up at the inner end of the bay. Long an outlying part of north-eastern Helsinki, it centred on Viikki, the settlement at the foot of the Vanhankaupunginlahti bay a few kilometres from the city. Building came in stages.

Housing and a campus rose around Viikki, while the Viikin kirkko was raised to serve the parish and the Fasismin vastustajien muistomerkki was set up to mark wartime memory. The Vanhankaupunginlahti bay was kept as a protected wetland through it all, leaving Latokartano a district where green and water hold as much ground as its homes.

Where is Latokartano?

Latokartano lies in north-eastern Helsinki in southern Finland, set around Viikki at the head of the Vanhankaupunginlahti bay, a few kilometres out from the city centre.