Kallio

Kallio ("Berghäll" in Swedish) is a district and a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, located on the eastern side of the Helsinki peninsula about one kilometer north from the core downtown area. It is the most densely populated area in Finland, reaching 16 494/km². Kallio (literally "the rock") is separated from the city center by the Siltasaarensalmi strait, over which is a bridge called Pitkäsilta ("long bridge"). Traditionally, the bridge marks the symbolic divide between the bourgeois center and the more working class areas around Kallio.

After the forming of the new center in the 19th century, the city expanded northward. Kallio became the area inhabited by factory workers.

However, working-class families as the most typical Kallio residents have long ago been replaced by young adults and elderly people living alone, in a process which could be seen as some sort of gentrification. For many people who move into Helsinki from elsewhere in Finland, Kallio is the area where they first settle. Most flats are small, and rents are typically somewhat lower than elsewhere in central Helsinki, partly explaining the area's popularity among students. However, the rents are gradually increasing as the district is growing more popular.

Kallio (and Harju, which is often considered a part of Kallio) also has, more than any other district in Helsinki, a reputation as a "bohemian" and liberal area. Among other things, it is distinctive for its heterogeneous population and large number of bars and pubs, usually with relatively low price level. The area also has more sex shops, strip joints than other areas in Helsinki. The district's seedy reputation grew steadily, and during the 1990s some areas in Kallio were the center of street prostitution.

Street names

The SW - NE streets of Kallio are named after Finnish scientists from the 18th and 19th century. Starting from South-east these include:
* "Porthaninkatu", named after Henrik Gabriel Porthan, known as the "Father of Finnish History".
* "Suonionkatu", named after Julius Krohn, known by his pen name "Suonio".
* "Castréninkatu", named after Matthias Castrén, ethnologist and philologist.
* "Wallininkatu", named after Georg August Wallin, orientalist and explorer.

To the east, the "Torkkelinmäki" area also has:
* "Franzéninkatu", named after Frans Michael Franzén
* "Agricolankatu", named after Mikael Agricola, reformator and the "father of Finnish written language".

Famous people from Kallio

President Tarja Halonen is a native of Kallio and lived there until moving into the presidential residence.

ee also

*Hakaniemi
*Sörnäinen
*Merihaka

External links

* [http://www.baarikierros.com Baarikierros] - This animated, mapped site lists and reviews most of the bars in Kallio.