The sea, which surrounds Helsinki from many sides, is like a dear friend to the residents of the city: it offers peace of mind and recreation. The OmaStadi measures carried out based on resident ideas have yielded winter swimming spots and a relaxation deck and made the East Helsinki archipelago available to those who do not own a boat.
Roughly one year ago, Oleg Jauhonen ventured into the freezing cold sea from the heated steps of Sannan Sauna in Vuosaari. He had previously thought that winter swimming was not for him. Jauhonen had, however, decided to approach winter swimming in a more measured way and try again.
“Dipping in quickly is the worst. That’s when the cold temperature shocks you. When you first hold your breath and then slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, the body calms down,” Jauhonen says.
Winter swimming has now become a meditative experience for Jauhonen, and he does not feel the cold after the first minute. Jauhonen does not actually swim; instead, he holds onto the railing and stays still in the water. He has observed many others doing that as well.
“Cold sea water lowers my stress levels after a long day at work. Any fatigue is washed away in the sea.”
Jauhonen works as a project coordinator in the City of Helsinki's Culture and Leisure Division’s Sports Services. As part of his work, he plans winter swimming spots in Helsinki. In recent years, the construction of winter swimming spots has been carried out as OmaStadi projects based on residents’ proposals, which has resulted in five winter swimming spots.
OmaStadi has accelerated the construction of winter swimming spots and saunas.
All in all, there are more than 20 City-run winter swimming spots in Helsinki, many of which have been created as a result of countless hours of volunteer work by residents and independent resident activity. The City does not manage the winter swimming spots; instead, it rents them to volunteers and clubs. The winter swimming spot at Sannan Sauna, for example, is managed by the local Vuosaari-seura association.
“OmaStadi has made residents' wishes a part of Helsinki's development and accelerated the construction of winter swimming spots and saunas.”
In recent years, the City has made significant investments in emphasising the maritime nature of Helsinki. The City has also adopted the Helsinki Maritime Strategy, which covers a time period until the year 2030.
OmaStadi has provided the residents of Helsinki with a direct way to influence decision-making for approximately five years, and there have been three rounds of OmaStadi schemes. Each round includes many stages: proposals, voting, further development and implementation. The residents can vote for their own favourites for further development.
Oleg Jauhonen is currently working on three OmaStadi winter swimming projects in Jätkäsaari, Kalasatama and Eiranranta. He was involved in implementing the relaxation deck in Vartiokylänlahti and the renovation of the Vantaa River swimming spots. The planning process may uncover surprises that prevent the project from being executed as originally planned. It is not always realistic to carry out proposals that sound good.
“When it comes to winter swimming, the first thing we do is ensure water quality. Then we work with Building Control Services to determine if the spot is suitable for the construction of a changing room or sauna,” Jauhonen says.
Helsinki has more than 300 islands and 130 kilometres of coastal routes. Each resident of Helsinki lives less than 10 kilometres from the sea. The sea surrounds the city from several directions.
For an OmaStadi proposal to make it to the voting stage, there needs to be at least one resident who is willing to take action and draft the proposal.
Pirjo Isotupa from Puistola spent her childhood next to the Hietalahti market. The family had no boat, but they enjoyed the sea by walking to Hernesaari or Eiranranta. Isotupa says that she somewhat fears the sea, but enjoys looking at it.
“When my son was little, we went camping in Gåsgrundet in the Espoo archipelago every summer. I started thinking about how the archipelago in Helsinki could be more accessible.”
Isotupa is somewhat of an OmaStadi veteran. She has submitted OmaStadi proposals since the very beginning of the scheme.
Several of Isotupa’s proposals have been implemented. One of them is the ‘Accessible Helsinki archipelago even without a boat’ project, in which Isotupa proposed a charter boat service and expanding it to several islands in East Helsinki. She also hoped for camping opportunities on the islands.
“There is nary a lake, river or swimming pool in Puistola. But the sea is right there in the east.”
Providing those with little means and no boat an opportunity to also enjoy the archipelago motivated her to submit the proposal concerning the archipelago.
“There are many areas in East Helsinki with residents who cannot afford their own boat or a taxi boat.”
Thanks to OmaStadi, the City brought charter boats to three islands in East Helsinki in 2023. That is when Isotupa took a boat to Malkasaari to camp with her sister for a few days. The City is also planning on implementing a similar charter boat scheme in future summers.
Every time Isotupa goes camping in the archipelago, she packs a camp stove and dry food. She then finds the windiest and most remote spot on the island where she cannot hear the voices of other campers. She does not need a sauna, campfire or restaurant services.
For Isotupa, OmaStadi has been a rewarding participation experience. She knows that some people who have submitted proposals have been sorely disappointed when their proposal has not passed the vote or has not been feasible for implementation.
Is Isotupa planning on further OmaStadi proposals?
“If there are new rounds, I will be submitting a new proposal. Of course, why not? I have to have a proper think about what I would like to propose.”
OmaStadi makes Helsinki more comfortable, functional and fun for all of us. Helsinki has used 22 million euros to implement 164 projects based on ideas submitted by residents of Helsinki in three OmaStadi rounds. The next time residents will be able to submit OmaStadi proposals will be in autumn 2025. Next time, the funding allocated by the City for the proposals will be 10 million euros.