History
Eira district is located in the southern part of the Helsinki peninsula, on a site where the sea opens into a broad expanse. The origins of Helsinki’s sixth district, Eira, lie in the garden city ideas of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and in the urban design theories developed by Austrian architect Camillo Sitte. These theories drew inspiration from the organically evolved medieval city, with its continuous and varied sequences of spaces and buildings, and its richly detailed architectural elements. [2]
In 1905, during the era of the Grand Duchy of Finland, architects Lars Sonck, Bertel Jung, and Armas Lindgren, acting on their own initiative, prepared a town plan proposal for the area. Based on this plan, City Engineer W.O. Lille drafted a new official plan. Eira’s town plan was approved in 1908 and is among the oldest free-form town plans in the Nordic countries. [2]
The majority of the area’s buildings were erected just before the First World War, between 1910 and 1914. The short construction period made it possible to apply a consistent architectural language - Art Nouveau. In later additions dating from the early 1920s, the predominant style was Neoclassicism. [2]
The original intention was to create a villa district with one- and two-family houses set on lots surrounded by small gardens. This vision was not realised; instead, the area was developed more intensively with small, villa-like apartment buildings. [2]
Within about a decade, Eira emerged as a uniformly built and distinctive district, which has survived largely intact to the present day with only a few exceptions. Not all buildings are of architectural significance, yet the district as a whole forms a rare and coherent ensemble - the most unified in Helsinki - where streets are laid out along the contours of the land, pedestrian-friendly character, street-side walls, and abundant greenery together create a pleasant, human-scale, and intimate environment. [2]
The distinctive character of Eira has been protected through zoning provisions implemented in 1976. The district is officially classified as an area of architectural and cultural-historical value in terms of the cityscape. [2]
Eira covers 8.7 hectares, with 76 buildings and approximately 1,000 residents. It offers some of the few open-sea views available in Helsinki. [2]
The district dates back to the early 20th century and received its name after Eira Hospital in the neighboring district of Ullanlinna, which in turn took its name from Eira Hospital in Stockholm, which was named after Eir, the old Scandinavian goddess of healing. [2]
The balcony of the Bishop’s House located in Eira is famous because Pope John Paul II waved his greeting from there to both the people of Eira and others during his visit to Finland in 1989. The Bishop’s House serves as the official residence of Finland’s Catholic bishop. [3]
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