History
Originally, a narrow bay called Kluuvinlahti extended south of Töölönlahti, reaching the site of present-day Esplanadi. At that time, the name Vironniemi meant the area eastwards of the bay mentioned above.
The birth of the Helsinki centre today dates back to 1640. At that time, the city centre was moved to Vironniemi from its birthplace at the mouth of the Vantaa river, the location of the present-day district of Vanhakaupunki.
The city grew and developed. It can still be seen: Old buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th century form about a quarter of the buildings currently in the district. Still in the 1850s, construction of the city was mainly focused in the Vironniemi area and south of it.
When the Kluuvinlahti bay was gradually filled in the 19th century, the name Vironniemi was disused in all except historical contexts. Only in the 1980s the name was restored, as the name of the main district, when division of the city into main districts was established.
Read more about this topic: Vironniemi
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