Vaasa city centre and Hietalahti are among the historically most significant and at the same time the most vibrant areas in the city. The avenues and the grid plan in the centre reflect the city’s reconstruction in the 19th century, and Hietalahti is particularly known for its exercise and leisure services and its popular residential district.
City Centre
The city structure in the centre of Vaasa is based on Carl Axel Setterberg’s city plan from 1855. Almost the entire town burned down in 1852, after which a decision was made to move Vaasa to its current location. The site was chosen especially because of its good harbour conditions.
Central features of Setterberg’s plan are
- a clear grid plan
- wide avenues, which also serve as fire lanes
- a shoreline park zone
- public buildings situated in a park setting.
These features are still clearly visible today in Vaasa city centre.
In the centre there are several built cultural environments that have national significance, such as the Old Cemetery in Vaasa, Vaasa railway station and Vaasa’s sniper barracks.
The Old Cemetery dates from the period when Vaasa was relocated after the fire and is an early burial ground placed separately from the church and the settlement.
The sniper barracks are linked to the city’s and the country’s wartime history, when a large Russian jaeger regiment remained in Vaasa after the Finnish War. Setterberg planned a site for the Russian barracks area south of the Orthodox church. The sniper barrack area is one of the best-preserved wooden barracks according to drawings from the 1880’s.
The railway station was completed in 1883, when the railway connection to Vaasa was opened. This reinforced the city’s status as an industrial town. The stages of the industrial city are told by the Onkilahti machine shop (Onkilahden konepaja), the Woollen Goods Factory (Villatavaratehdas) and the Vaasa steam mill (Vaasan höyrymylly) with its hoist towers and grain silos. Several smaller industrial buildings in the southern part of Klemettilä have been preserved from this time.
Hietalahti
Hietalahti (Sandviken) is located about one kilometre from Vaasa’s city centre. The first buildings in the area were completed in the 1920s. Hietalahti is a popular residential area thanks to its beautiful buildings and peaceful atmosphere.
Hietalahti is also a hub for exercise and sports in Vaasa. The area includes, among others,
- the ice rink
- football stadium
- indoor swimming pool
- pesäpallo (Finnish baseball) stadium
- Kaarlenkenttä sports stadium
- the multipurpose area and the disc golf park in Rytilaakso
- Tennis Centre.
In addition, Hietasaari is one of Vaasa’s most popular beaches and an important recreational area in summer.