The history of the building

When Sweden lost the war year 1809 against Russia, they also lost the rule over Finland, which was incorporated into Russia. Due to this Helsinki became the new capital of Finland. One of the prior tasks of the new ruler Tsar Nicholas I was to modernize the conditions in prisons of the new capital.

In year 1832 he  gave authorisation to start the building work for a new prison, which was completed in 1837. This building is the white wing of the hotel.

In the oldest part of the building we have the former church of the prison. When it was completed it was the second oldest church in Helsinki, only the Old Church in the city centre is older.  Nowadays the unique interior of the former church is protected by the Finnish National board of Antiques and it was renovated in co-operation with them. For example the wooden floor is original and it´s boards are probably planed by hand. All the colours used are similar to the ones used here on 19th century.

 

Philadelphia model – the prototype of all prisons

The extension of the prison became necessary in the end of the 1880´s. Tsar Aleksander III authorised the building works for the three new wings with red brick walls. The construction works were completed year 1888.  This part of the building is a classic example of the architecture of the late Gothic period.

The addition is also a classic example of the Philadelphia model, which was invented in America in the beginning of the 1800's.  This model was a very modern type of prison with open center hall surrounded by narrow corridors with a lot of cells on both sides of the hall. Actually most of the prison construction sites around the world used the same drawings and measures during the 1800's.

 

Katajanokka County prison building was a pioneer in many ways, it was one of the first to have central heating with wood burning stoves. The modern central heating was taken in use first during 1960’s. This was also one of the first buildings to have electric light in all rooms.

Helsinki County prison years 1837 - 2002

Helsinki County Prison, called Nokka or Skatta was a pre-trial detention facility.  Criminals were sent there from all around the Province of Southern Finland to wait for their trial, so more than 40 % of all prisoners in Finland was passed through this place. The prison also housed default prisoners, people who couldn't or wouldn't pay their fines. the prison  had 164 cells with 128 places for male and 7 places for female prisoners.   In reality there could be more than 200 prisoners in the quarters at the same time. The cells were  7 m² in size without toilet or shower.

Former prison life

At the end of 1800s, the prison officials included a director, a preacher, a doctor, an accountant and a teacher. The staff included a foreman, a caretaker, a parish clerk and the male and female guards.

The 1866 statutory law divided imprisonment sentences into three groups: penal servitude, water and bread sentence and imprisonment. The purpose of penal servitude was defined as holding the prisoner, utilising the labour force and improvement of the prisoner with education, discipline and work.

In the 1940s, there was no sewerage in the basement of the prison. The gutter in the middle of the basement corridor had rats as occasional visitors. After the second world war, the prison building was improved over a long period of time. Prisoners did most of the construction work, working with wood, iron and electrical wiring.

In the cells, brushes and carpets were manufactured. Female prisoners weaved, washed, mangled and ironed. They also stitched the edges of army handkerchiefs. In total of 35 000 handkerchiefs were ordered from Katajanokka prison.

After the war food was very simple, mostly soup and occasionally salted meat. For breakfast thjere was gruel or porridge. Once a week there were boiled potatoes and salted Baltic herrings for breakfast.

In the 1950s, tomatoes grew along the prison wall and on the other side of the wall carrots and beetroot were grown. In front of the officers' house there was a flowerbed from where the director's wife sold flowers in the marketplace.

In 1950, there were  many active circles for study, gymnastics, sports, singing and chess as well as for English language. All sentenced prisoners were allowed to participate in these activities. During the 1960s, approximately 10,000 prisoners went through the Helsinki county prison every year. Due to this even 30 prisoners had to be put in a cell built for eight people.

Important years

1749

The first prison building, Helsinki Crown prison, was built in the Katajanokka area in 1749. It was a wooden building with five rooms and a small entrance hall.  Since it was destroyed in a fire, a second crown prison was build to replace it in year 1800.

1837
Helsinki County prison was completed in 1837. Five year earlier tsar Nicholas I of Russia approved the design and gave authorisation to build a new stone prison next to the former crown prison. The new building had 12 prison cells, two rooms for guards and a chapel. The chapel, in it's time the second oldest church in Helsinki, has been in its original use since it was completed. 

1888

 The extension of the Helsinki county prison was completed. Russian Tsar Aleksander III authorised the building works for the three new wings with red brick walls.  This part of the building is an example of the late Gothic period architecture and also a  classic example of the Philadelphia model, which was invented in America in the beginning of the 1800's. After the extention part was in use, the oldest part was changed into administration building. At this time the prison had 164 cells.

1944

The Helsinki county prison was hit in an air raid on 6.2.1944. An aerial bomb exploded in then evening at 20.30 near the prison bakery, killing a guard, starting a fire and causing a lot of confusion. Five prisoners used this opportunity to escape. 

2002

The prison in Katajanokka was closed in the spring of 2002 and the last prisoners were transported to the new prison in Vantaa. 

2006

 The construction work at Hotel Katajanokka began. Bars were removed, new windows added and tons of soil transported away. The high walls surrounding the yard, outer walls of the building and the central hallway, which are protected by the National Board of Antiquities were preserved almost in their original form.

2007

The historical prison milieu of Katajanokka comes to life again as a high-class, modern hotel in the middle of May 2007.

 

Wellknown prisoners

 

Risto Ryti

Risto Ryti became the symbol of the entire Finnish war criminal drama. He was the prime minister during the Winter War and the president from 1940 to 1944. The Ryti-Ribbentrop agreement in 1944 brought his career as a statesman to a dramatic end. To make peace possible, Ryti was forced to resign. In the war-responsibility trial, he was sentenced to ten years of penal servitude for misuse of his position causing damage to the state. During his trial he was kept at Katajanokka, where he spent his time writing.

 

Väinö Tanner

During his political career, Väinö Tanner was in turn the minister of finance, the prime minister and a presidential candidate. Together with Ryti and Mannerheim, he was a central force in Finnish politics during the Winter and Continuation Wars. Tanner was also the most influential representative of the western working-class ideology in Finland, which made him a thorn in the flesh of Moscow. He was sentenced to prison for five and a half years in the war-responsibility trials. During his trial Tanner was kept at Katajanokka, where he attained fame for his exceptionally loud snoring.

 

Hella Wuolijoki

The author Hella Wuolijoki, who was convicted of treason, described the February 1944 bombing of Katajanokka in her book as follows: "Sunday night. I write in my cell. There's an air raid outside. Planes saw across the sky and bombs begin to howl. It came in through the window. Window frames and bars were thrown across the collapsing wall. Flames blazed in the window and suddenly I realised that the house was on fire. I heard shouting from outside: 'Open the doors! We're burning, beasts, open the doors.' I try to join the shouts but can't hear my own voice. My lower body has been hurt, I have a cramp in my back, I can only move my arms."

 

 

Source: Jaana Veikkola, Helsingin lääninvankilan historiikki