Kulttuurikasarmi (Finnish for "Culture Barracks") is an entertainment and event centre located in Kamppi, Helsinki, Finland.[1] It was built into the former economic building of the Turku barracks located on the edge of the Narinkkatori square. From 1935 to 2005 the building served as Helsinki's central bus station. The old building has been expanded with a glass extension with a restaurant and a bar on the Narinkkatori side, and there are three cinema auditoriums on the basement floor of the building. Kulttuurikasarmi was opened on 17 November 2023.[2]
The project cost about 35 million euro, most of which was paid by the Finland-Swedish Konstsamfundet foundation which owns the nearby Amos Rex art museum.[3] The building was built by SRV-yhtiöt and it was designed by the architecture bureau Arkkitehtitoimisto Sarc with Sarlotta Narjus as the main designer. The limited company Kulttuurikasarmi Oy was founded to take care of the project.[4]
The cinema was operated by the Bio Rex chain for almost a year, but in September 2024 Bio rex announced it would withdraw from the operation because of low viewer numbers. The distributor Atlantic Film joined the Kulttuurikasarmi company as a shareholder to replace Bio Rex.[5] In November 2024 the new cinema Gilda was opened in the premises of Kulttuurikasarmi.
History of the building
The building that currently houses Kulttuurikasarmi was built in the 1830s as the economic building of the Turku barracks located next to it, at the place of the current Lasipalatsi building.[6] The barracks proper was destroyed in the Finnish Civil War when Helsinki was being seized on 12 April 1918,[6] but the economic building remained standing. It hosted the Uusimaa dragoon regiment from 1918 to 1921, and a "Rakuuna" plaque designed by Jari Männistö on the wall of the building commemorates this even today.[7]
The building later served as the central bus station in Helsinki from 1935,[6] until the Kamppi Center with its new bus station was completed in 2005. From 1935 to 2005 the departure platforms for long-distance traffic were located on the square between the bus station building and Lasipalatsi, while the arrival platform was located at the edge of the Narinkkatori square to the west of the building. The departure platforms for local traffic were located at the site of the current Kamppi Center building.
After the Kamppi Center was completed, the old economic building has hosted the Laituri exhibition of the Helsinki city planning bureau[8] as well as the Walkers youth café.[9] The building was renovated to serve as a cultural centre from 2021 to 2023 on the initiative of the investor Ari Tolppanen.[10]
References
- ^ Helsingin ydinkeskustan uusi viihdekeskittymä avaa ovensa: Kuvissa näkyy 1800-luvun talon muutos, Helsingin Sanomat. Accessed on 15 November 2023.
- ^ Helsingin ydinkeskustan uusi hitti? Tältä näyttää paraatipaikalle kohta aukeavan Kulttuurikasarmin sisällä, Avec. Accessed on 15 November 2023.
- ^ Helsingin Lasipalatsikortteliin rakentuva kulttuurikasarmi aukeaa marraskuussa, ePressi. Accessed on 15 November 2023.
- ^ Kulttuurikasarmi Oy, Finder. Accessed on 15 November 2023.
- ^ Vanha-Majamaa, Anton: Isolla rahalla Helsingin keskustaan rakennettu Kulttuurikasarmi kamppailee katsojalukujen kanssa - Bio Rex jättää toiminnan, Yle Uutiset 13 September 2024. Accessed on 13 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Ollila, Kaija; Toppari, Kirsti: "Kortteli 194, Turun kasarmi", Puhvelista Punatulkkuun, Helsingin vanhoja kortteleita, pp. 209-209. Helsingin Sanomat, 1998. ISBN 951-9134-69-7.
- ^ Rakuuna-reliefi, HAM: Helsinki Art Museum. Accessed on 16 November 2023.
- ^ Näyttelytila Laituri, stadissa.fi. Accessed on 16 November 2023.
- ^ Walkers rantautui nuorten keskelle Kamppiin, Yleisradio. Accessed on 17 November 2023.
- ^ Helsingin entisestä linja-autoasemasta tulee Kulttuurikasarmi, RakennusTaito. Accessed on 16 November 2023.