Lauttasaari is an island in Helsinki, about 5 km west of the city centre. Together with some surrounding unpopulated small islands, Lauttasaari is also a district of Helsinki. With 23,226 residents as of 2017, the island is Finland's second largest by population, after Fasta Åland. Its land area is 3.85 km. Lauttasaari is primarily a residential area but also contains services, including several marinas and canoe clubs. Although close to the city centre, Lauttasaari has not been entirely built up. Notably, almost the entire shoreline remains in public use, with footpaths, beaches, playgrounds, patches of forest, and rocky outcrops. The name Lauttasaari literally means "ferry island", although nowadays, the island is connected to the rest of Helsinki and to the city ofEspoo by bridges, causeways, and the Helsinki metro, which has two stations in the district. The island has two postal codes: 00200 and 00210.
History
Lauttasaari was a largely undeveloped part of the municipality of Huopalahti, which was annexed to the city of Helsinki on 1 January 1946.
Transportation
The Helsinki metro has two stations in the district, the Lauttasaari and the Koivusaari stations. Koivusaari metro station is currently closed for floor renovations until September. All the internal bus routes — 20, 21, and 21B — connect with at least one of these stations, and the routes 20 and 21 continue to the city centre. The bus routes 115A and 555 start at the centre of the island. Route 115A runs via Tapiola to Mankkaa in Espoo, and route 555 runs via Espoo to Martinlaakso in the city of Vantaa. Lauttasaari is also served by night bus routes 20N and 112N from the city centre. The Länsiväylä motorway that links central Helsinki with Espoo passes through Lauttasaari, and has two interchanges on the island.
Lauttasaarentie and Lauttis
Lauttasaarentie is the main thoroughfare in Lauttasaari, home to many residents, and the location of the shopping mall Lauttis, which also serves as one of the entrances to the Lauttasaari metro station. The shopping mall is the commercial centre of the island, and near its geographical centre.
Subdistricts
The district of Lauttasaari is divided into four subdistricts.
Koivusaari
The subdistrict of Koivusaari is a separate island, separated from Lauttasaari by a narrow channel. It had no residents as of 2017. Its postal code is 00200. The Koivusaari metro station was built in anticipation of extending the island by land fill and constructing residential buildings on it.
Kotkavuori
The subdistrict of Kotkavuori comprises the northeastern part of the island, nearest Helsinki city centre. The housing is mainly apartment buildings. The subdistrict has one of the two main hills of the island, where the iconic Lauttasaari water tower was located in 1958–2015. Kotkavuori had 8,117 residents as of 2017. Its postal code is 00200.
Myllykallio
The subdistrict of Myllykallio comprises the western part of the island. The housing is mainly apartment buildings. The subdistrict has one of the two main hills of the island. The area of Katajaharju is the part of Myllykallio on the north side of Länsiväylä motorway. The housing is mainly private residential houses. Myllykallio had 7,066 residents as of 2017. Its postal code is 00200.
Vattuniemi
The subdistrict of Vattuniemi comprises the southern part of the island. The area was built up in the 1950s as an industrial zone. Since 2000, there has been a significant change in the makeup of the area, and several office and industrial facilities have been demolished, with apartments being built to replace them. Currently, the median price of residential property is relatively high, causing the residential makeup to consist of the young and affluent. The main streets are Särkiniementie on the western side of the area, and Vattuniemenkatu on the eastern side. Vattuniemi had 8,043 residents as of 2017. Its postal code is 00210.
Public buildings
The Lauttasaari church, the Myllykallio school, and the old Management Studies Institute building are amongst the examples of 1950s construction for public spaces on the island. The church was inaugurated in 1958, and was designed by professor Keijo Petäjä, who himself was a resident of Lauttasaari. The church steeple was placed into service in the autumn of 1957.
Popular culture
Lauttasaari was the shooting location for Doe Paoro's "Body Games" music video, which premiered in September 2012.
