Käpylä: the “dimple” on the cheek of Helsinki

A bit of Käpylä history

Welcome to Käpylä, a homage to the social power of architecture. Sounds grandieus? Perhaps, but Käpylä truly is a neighbourhood whose uniqueness can be credited to architecture. In a way you could say that not just the buildings, but the community in Käpylä was designed by architects. (Even the sweet nickname “dimple” has been credited to an architect, but more about that later!).

As you wander the streets of historical Puu-Käpylä (Wooden Käpylä) today and admire its picturesque beauty it is easy to forget that Käpylä started as a very practical solution to a very practical problem. Poor housing (along with poor working conditions) had been one of the underlying issues behind the Finnish civil war of 1918 so improving the living conditions of the working people was one of the main tasks for the painfully divided, newly independent nation. At the same time the economy needed to be kickstarted after the war. 

So, the question was how to house the growing working classes of 1920s Helsinki as fast and cheap as possible, but do it so that it would enhance the wellbeing of people? Hmm, fast and cheap and good for the people? Sounds like an oxymoron, but in Käpylä they cracked it. Well, two young architects did.

and humble

Historic, friendly

Puu-Käpylä is one of the very first examples of standardised building applied to a whole neighbourhood. The area was mainly forest and swamps and to begin with a sawmill was set in the middle of the area. 

The standardized structures made of timber and boards were designed by young architect Akseli Toivonen. The structure enabled two builders to “set up” a house in two weeks when it previously would have taken 10 weeks and three men. Not bad. 

Most importantly Toivonen worked on the social welfare board of the City of Helsinki and he was a fan of the Garden City Movement. Along with him the Garden City ideals became the guiding principles for Käpylä. 

In April 1920 architect Martti Välikangas was assigned to design the buildings. He had studied abroad and was especially taken by Italian architecture in the medieval city of Gubbio in Umbria. Looking at the pillars and the archways of Käpylä it’s easy to imagine how excited young Välimäki (then only 26 years old!) must have been about the work at hand. Not quite Italy but empirical, brave and fun design that reaches above the mundane practicality! 

Within just 9 months since Välikangas started his work on Puu-Käpylä the first people moved in. Now that can be called efficiency. 

Ever since its birth Käpylä has been a must visit for architects and architecture lovers. Unlike some other building projects based on quick and fast standardised structures Käpylä has aged well. Even after hundred years and one close call to demolition in the 1960s, saved by a strong grass roots movement (by the people of Käpylä and architecture students among others – of course!) Käpylä neighbourhood is as vivid, thriving and loved as ever.  That’s what happens when architecture is designed with people in mind!

And what about the “dimple”? In 1929 a Norwegian architect took part in the Nordic architecture days in Helsinki. Apparently after a late night of partying, he wandered into Käpylä in the wee hours of the morning.  “I found the dimple in Helsinki’s cheek” were his words. Or so the story goes.

So, who lives in Käpylä?

Originally built as a new kind of social housing for the working classes Käpylä has since also attracted many artists, musicians, journalists and other creative professionals.  

More specifically though, the Käpylians are people with children and dogs and cats! They are people who love to build and fix things. People who don’t mind little space inside and love a lot of space outside. People who love nature and the smell of slightly fermented apples in the garden. People who tend to like their neighbours, and don’t swear (at least not much) when helping them out. People who understand that when things are wooden and over 100 years old, they are wooden and over 100 years old. 

The core of Käpylä, Puu-Käpylä, still consists to a large degree of council housing, and even as the prices of the privately owned houses have shot up, Käpylä has not become “boringly” middle class. It has managed to maintain a feeling of social mixture and a certain kind of bohemian vibe still prevails. 

Käpylians are active and socially aware beings who are ready and able to stand up for their neighbourhood and neighbours. Traditionally it is one of the “red and green” areas of Helsinki when it comes to voting and party politics. The area is especially popular among young families with small children. Indeed, if anywhere, in Käpylä, a young, stay-at-home dad carrying a baby in a backpack, pushing another one in a buggy and managing two more kids on the side is not a rare sight. 

“I love it here because there’s a lot of nature and not too many people. And it’s beautiful.” Aleksi, 13

“People over here are kind and friendly” Elias, 13

…and what’s it like to live in Käpylä?

Inhouse toilets and bathrooms arrived to Puu-Käpylä in the early 1970s, after the decision to save and renovate the area and obviously nowadays the houses have all the necessary and even unnecessary (some might say) luxuries. However, living in Käpylä still requires a kind of “yes we can” attitude. If nothing else, you’ll probably find yourself pushing a handful of cars up the hill or off the drift of snow during the winter, or you’ll be searching for someone’s lost cat in your basement or trying to figure out what to do with a baby bird your neighbour’s kids rescued. 

“Relaxed, peaceful, happy, down to earth, a bit wild, unpretentious, cool in an authentic way, collective, communal – alive!” Those are some of the words the locals describe Käpylä with when stopped and asked in the street, in the library, the community space Kylätalo, or the local restaurant-bar Sophie or communal cafe Saurahuone. 

Photo Saurahuone Käpylä

As you walk along the streets of Käpylä and observe the locals, you may start to recognise what some Helsinkians mischievously call the “national outfit” of Käpylä. Yes, it will probably include a woolly jumper way past its best days, possibly some old Marimekko stripes, a raincoat and rubber boots, whether sunshine or rain, but hey, it’s comfortable, it’s adorable, it’s down to earth and easy to approach. Just like Käpylä.

Why Käpylä?

In Käpylä you can find pretty much all the ingredients for a good life: great neighbours and community, beautiful gardens and urban nature, various playgrounds and sports possibilities, all the necessary services from awarded grocery stores to music venues, karaoke pubs, pizza and burger joints (often vegan!), bars and local festivals. And of course many nurseries and kindergartens and schools, vibrant community spaces for youth, kids and adults alike, a library with public events and visiting authors – and even the sea close by if you fancy fishing at one of the best spots in Helsinki (Vanhankaupunginlahti)!

Photo Jussi Hellsten

You could easily live a very good life never even leaving Käpylä, but if you fancy the bigger buzz of city life, Helsinki center is just a short bike, tram, bus or train ride away. For nightlife, you don’t need to venture further than Kallio and Vallila neighbourhood, practically by Käpylä’s doorstep. And even “the rest of the world” is easily approachable – the bus and train will take you to Helsinki airport within 20 minutes.

In short: in Käpylä you get the best sides of both – life in a city and life in a village. Besides, who can resist a dimple?