| Sub-district number | 183 |
| District | 18, Käpylä |
| Electoral area(s) | ? |
| Area | 0.43 km² |
| Population as of Density |
529 Oct -08 1230/km² |
Eeronlinna is a sub-district in the city of Helsinki. The name is Finnish for Eric's castle, referring to the king Eric II of Tavastia, under whose rule the castle was built.
The borders of the sub-district are the Finnish Main Railway in the west&northwest, Koskelantie Road in the south, the walls of the castle in the east and Pohjolankatu Street in the north.
The castle, first stage completed in 1573, encompasses an area of 0.35 km² in the sub-district. The purpose of the castle was to be a home of the royal family in the countryside near the royal capital. However, when the city of Helsinki was relocated to Vironniemi peninsula, it became a subject of frequent Swedish, Curonian and German attacks, and therefore the whole court moved to the castle, including foreign ambassadors.
The castle never came to be under attack, due to fortifications of Helsinki, Santahamina, Suomenlinna and Porkkala shielding it from foreign marine forces. However, due to the peace treaty of 1595, the whole southern coast in the realm of Tavastia (from Siuntio to Sipoo) was fiefed as the County of Vandania to John of Sweden. Thereafter the capital of Tavastia was relocated again into Hämeenlinna, and the castle became the residence of Count John.
The castle remained as the residence of the successive counts until abolition of monarchy in 1830, though the castle hosted also the governor of the crown since 1674. After the abolition, many of the state offices were placed in Eeronlinna, until a fitting building in Helsinki city centre was built.
Modern history[]
In 1889, the southern and northern gates were demolished, as well as parts of the old buildings surrounding the street between the gates (Marian raitti), in order to expand the street named Mäkelänkatu towards Käpylä. The surroundings of the northern gate were further altered, when the expressway to Tuusula was built in 1955-1957, diverting much of the traffic from Oulunkyläntie and Veturitie Roads to Mäkelänkatu, which ran through the castle area.
In 1997-1998, the expressway was diverted to go parallel beside the main railway, which eased the traffic through the castle, but the western wall had to be demolished. After that, a renovation project was made, making new southern and northern gates in Renaissance Finnish style, while diverting automobile and tram traffic Mäkelänkatu into a tunnel right under its former route, and reconstructing the pedestrian street of the old times.
Transport[]
There is tram traffic on Mäkelänkatu, which nowadays runs under Marianraitti. Below the northern gate is the stop of Käpylänaukio; in the middle of the underground section is the stop of Kimmontie; below the southern gate is the stop of Koskelantien risteys.
The tram lines are 1A from Käpylä railway station to Eira and 1B from Pohjolanaukio to Eiranranta.
Near the northern gate are entrances to Käpylänaukio metro station of lines 2B and 2C.
Tuusulanväylä - the expressway just west of the castle - has a pair of bus stops, on which the buses between Pasila terminal and locations toward Tuusula stop.
Käpyläntie, a road somewhat outside the eastern part of the castle, is on the route of bus lines 52 (Kumpula-Munkkiniemi), 64N (Rautatientori-Pakila) and 69 (Elielinaukio-Malmi)
Koskelantie, a road just south of the castle, is on the route of bus lines 55 (Koskela-Sofianlehto-Hietaniemi)57 (Latokartano-Munkkiniemi), 69 and 506 (Tapiola-Meilahti-Viikki).