Mustikkamaa

Aerial view ofKulosaari(the larger island) and Mustikkamaa (on the upper-left side)

Mustikkamaa restaurant in the 1920s

Mustikkamaa(Finnish:[ˈmustikːɑˌmɑː];Swedish:Blåbärslandet;literally translates to "blueberry land" ) is an island in theGulf of Finland,some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the east of the city centre ofHelsinki,andc.36 hectares (89 acres) in size.

Leisure use

It is owned by the City of Helsinki, and used for public recreational and leisure activities such as jogging, hiking,cross-country skiing,tennis and other ballgames.

There is an open-air summer theatre, restaurant and marina, and the island is connected via a pedestrian bridge to the adjacent island ofKorkeasaari,where theHelsinki zoois located.

Bridges

In 1964, a bridge was built to connect Mustikkamaa to the larger island ofKulosaari.

In 2016, the newIsoisänsiltabridge was opened, connecting Mustikkamaa also to theKalasatamaneighbourhood on the Helsinki mainland.

Thermal energy storage

In the 1980s, three large rock caverns were excavated under Mustikkamaa, to store oil reserves. In 2018, the Helsinki municipal energy companyHELENbegan converting these into athermal energy storagefacility, capable of holding 260,000 cubic metres (9,200,000 cu ft) of warm (45 °C (113 °F) or warmer) water, with the aim of reducing Helsinki's carbon emissions by over 20,000 tons annually.