Roots deep in Kauklahti

Ninna Suominen returned to her childhood hometown when her children were young.  

Ninna Suominen’s family has lived in Kauklahti for generations on both her mother’s and father’s sides – her grandparents were farmers in the area. This is also the place where Suominen’s parents met each other.  

Suominen lived in Kauklahti for her entire childhood, up until she turned 18.  

“At thirty, when we had children, my husband and I began to want more space, to be closer to nature and to have more of a sense of security, the kind you get when living in a smaller place,” she says. 

Suominen and her husband have jobs in Helsinki. 

“We didn’t want to go too far, and when we got the opportunity to build a house on a plot owned by my grandparents, the solution was obvious.”  

The family has now been living in Kurttila, in the Greater Kauklahti area, for a decade.  

“My favourite place is the Kurttila rocks, where I always go to walk our dog. You can see all the way to Kirkkonummi from there.”  

Kauklahti has grown immensely since Ninna Suominen’s childhood.  

“Although a lot has been built here, the historical milieu and sense of community have remained. This is a warm-hearted, happy village. Many families with children have moved in, so our children have lots of friends.” 

As the population grows, the services remain and develop. The area has a residents’ park, club activities for children, a youth centre and a library. Brick-and-mortar shops are the pride of Kauklahti. These include a traditional bakery and a popular fishmonger’s, which moved near K-Supermarket.  

“There’s a rural atmosphere here – sand roads and nature close by. The old residents know each other, and there are bus drivers who have been driving the same route for 30 years.”  

Being a Swedish-speaking Finn, Ninna Suominen’s children attend a Swedish-speaking school.  

“Our Swedish-speaking primary school is brand new. Our eldest child has to go to a Swedish-speaking lower secondary school in Matinkylä, and the connections to get there could be better.” 

The train is the most important form of public transport for Kauklahti residents. As part of the Espoo Rail Line project, two additional tracks will be built between Kauklahti and Leppävaara, which will be completed in 2028.  

However, there will be interruptions in train traffic during construction, and the railway construction site will be in the middle of Kauklahti.  

“Hopefully, the route to Kauppamäki will remain clear even during construction so that the brick-and-mortar shops can still manage,” Suominen says.  

• The Greater Kauklahti area, located along the Coastal Railway Line, includes Espoonkartano, Kauklahti, Kurttila and Vanttila.
• The area is largely dominated by small residential buildings.
• The 2006 housing fair area was built next to the old village milieu.
• Blocks of flats have been planned near the station to replace the industrial area.
• At the end of 2022, the Greater Kauklahti area had a population of 12,547 residents, 1,056 of whom spoke Swedish as their mother tongue.  

Text: Katariina Krabbe

This article has originally been published in the Espoo Magazine 1/2024.
Read other articles in the Espoo Magazine.