New and long-term residents of Espoo met on a walk through the Espoonlahti area
On 5 September 2024, the City Planning Department organised a walk for residents in cooperation with the Kivenkolo Community Centre and KAMU Espoo City Museum. A total of 14 residents took part, along with the organisers. From city planning, there was Mervi Romppanen, Project Coordinator for Communications and Engagement, Paltsa Salama, Detailed Plan Engineer, and Aurora Salmi and Sami Suviranta, Name Planning Officers. From KAMU Espoo City Museum, the walk included Community Manager Kirsi Ojala, and from Kivenkolo, Activity Coordinator Anni-Pauliina Lummekoski.
The event began with an introduction to the principles of city planning, followed by a presentation from Kirsi Ojala about the work of KAMU Espoo City Museum. After the presentations, the group embarked on a walking tour, during which Sami Suviranta presented the sites along the route and the history of Espoonlahti. The first stop was the area around the Laurinlahden koulu comprehensive school, where Paltsa Salama also gave a status report on the detailed plan for the school grounds. From there, the group continued to Kivenlahti. Along the way, they learned more about the Tyrskyvuori green area, Laurinlahti beach, and Espoonlahti sea area.
Next, the participants heard about the history of the Larsvik Villa, and the walk passed by the Laurinlahti boating club and marina. Near the villa, the group paused at the park Alexander Freyn puisto, where they learned about Frey’s significance to Laurinlahti. “When dividing the Larsvik land into plots, he decided not to sell the waterfront area, ensuring that it remained available for public use. This result still benefits the residents of Espoo today,” said Suviranta. The walk concluded with a stop at the Ankkuripuisto park area.
The participants felt that the area walk was an excellent way to gain diverse information about Espoonlahti and discuss the history and current state of the area. They expressed that they would like to see similar walks organised in the future.
Are you interested in learning about the origins of place names in Espoonlahti? Read more and explore the history of the area. (In Finnish)
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