The Russians founded and built the area in 1910. Since Finland's independence Häme Regiment of the Army was garrisoned here. The unit was abolished in 2014 as part of reorganizations by the Defense Forces. The buildings were repurposed and renovated as residential buildings. Some of them are vacant.
This is the officers' club. There is a restaurant in it that serves lunch between 11 am and 2 pm on weekdays. Otherwise it is open only if booked in advance.
The sign says parking (in front of the building) is only allowed for veterans of our wars.
An adjacent new build
I had a chat with a young couple who lived in the new building. The guy told me many useful things. I mentioned that the area was developed by a private investor who lost millions and was ruined financially for the rest of his life as a result of the venture. He confirmed. The resident told me that the old barracks were vacant at the moment. They're owned by a Helsinki company that rents some of the space out as storage space. There was a hostel in one of the barracks but it wasn't profitable. I asked if there was moisture damage to the buildings. He confirmed. The young guy told me he knew many who had served in the regiment as conscripts. The buildings and the garrison hospital in particular was moldy as you might expect of 100 year old buildings.
I was also told there's a long-time resident of the area who is a retired officer who gives guided tours to the area for five euros. They're at seven pm on Wednesdays. That sounds too late for the time of year. There was almost too little light for photography tonight. Maybe next spring.
This is a private residence. One half of the building is an atelier that was destroyed from the inside in a fire.
I'm looking forward to the guided tour. I already know that the garrison was the venue of tragic events during the civil war. There were tens of thousands Red Guardsmen imprisoned here in the summer of 1918. Hundreds were executed here. Thousands were before the blanket pardon of 1919. There is a storage building about 1 km to the south of here that is part of the garrison area against the walls of which some of the executions took place. The bullet holes are still there.
