The Harakka ("Magpie") island is located off the coast of Helsinki where the peninsula of Helsinki reaches far to the bosom of the Baltic sea. The southern coast of the island faces the open Gulf of Finland.

The vicinity of the city is combined with the environment of the outher islands. The island used to belong to the Finnish defence forces, and it was opened to the public in 1989. There are buildings from both the periods of Russian and Finnish armies.

The Nature Centre facilities include, among others, barracs built by the Russians in 1908. Gardens, old enbankments, rocky fields, seashore meadows and little marshes provide a variety of habitats that allow biodiversity incomparable in the Helsinki archipelago.

The Nature Centre of Helsinki Environmental Centre is working in the island. We are offering exhibitions, tours and events.