Historical maps of Helsinki

Old maps of Helsinki. Some of the maps are available in file format only, some are also available via a WMS interface.

Map of Helsinge Parish 1749

Historical map from 1749 ((Geographisk charta öfver Helsinge sokn, uti Borgå härad och Nylands län belägen, afmät år 1749 af Fried. Joh. Fonseen). The map is kept in the Swedish National Archives (Riksarkivet). The territory of the municipality of Helsinki and surrounding areas in 1749. Scanned from the original map and positioned on a coordinate grid. The scale of the map is approximately 1:5000. The map can be used through WMS-API.

Map of Helsinki 1780–82

Composite map of the area of Helsinki from 1780-82, based on the Reconnaissance Map of Finland (also known as Kuninkaan kartasto). Based on maps for military reconnaissance kept at the Swedish War Archives, which have been scanned and published on the archive's website. The scale of the map is approximately 1:20,000. The map can be used through WMS-API. More information in Finnish.

Tourist map of Helsinki from 1859

Guide map of Helsinki in Swedish and Russian from 1859. The quarter numbers were omitted from the map, and the street names were translated into Russian. The map refers to the railway under construction in Töölönlahti and the new theatre building at the western end of Esplanadi. The image resolution is 500 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file.

Map of Helsinki 1870–1907

A composite map of the area of Helsinki from 1870-1907 (the so-called Senate Map). In 1870-1907, the Russian General Staff mapped the southern coastal area of Finland at a scale of 1:21 000. The Senate cartography and the Senate maps are copies of the original 1:21 000 Russian topographic maps produced between 1870 and 1907 and handed over to the Finnish Senate by the Russian General Staff. In Finland, the map copies were coloured and updated between 1885 and 1915, and are now in two different sets in the National Archives. The map can be used through WMS-API.

Addresses and travel map of Helsinki from 1876

C. H. Nummelin’s small address and travel map of Helsinki from 1876 In the north, the map extends to the “alpine pavilion” and the “water tank”. The map contains the names and numbers of the quarters and the public buildings. The map scale is approximately 1:13,000 and the image resolution is 200 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file.

Tourist map of Helsinki in 1900

Guide map of the City of Helsinki 1900. Described in the map: nomenclature, streets, tramways and railways, public buildings, blocks and lots. In addition, the map shows some attractions and public services, as well as topography. The map also shows planned destinations that have not necessarily been implemented. The scale of the map is 1:12,000. The image resolution is 400 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file or used through WMS-API.

Map of Helsinki and its areas from 1909

Map of the City of Helsinki and its areas from 1909 prepared by the City of Helsinki construction office. The map covers the entire urban area at the time and the city-owned land nearby. The map scale is approximately 1:8,000 and the image resolution is 300 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file and used through WMS API.

Map of Kulosaari and its villas 1917

Detailed plan map of the Kulosaari villa town from 1917. The new plan shown on the map shows the proposed connections to the mainland, i.e. bridges over Vanhankaupunginselkä and Kulosaarensalmi. The street network has been completely reorganised. The plan was prepared by the architect Bertel Jung. The map scale is 1:4,000 and the image resolution is 300 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file.

Map of the districts of Helsinki from 1917-18

A bilingual map of the City of Helsinki from 1917–18. The map shows the districts, quarters, factory quarters and address numbers, as well as railways, tram lines and ship routes. In addition, the map shows the locations of fire bells, fire stations and mailboxes. The map scale is 1:8,000 (?) and the image resolution is 300 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF file and it can also be used via WMS API.

Map of the City of Helsinki from 1925

Map of the City of Helsinki from 1925. The map shows the city districts and quarters, public buildings, built and non-built areas, parks and plantings. The railway and the city’s 12 tram lines can also be seen on the map. The map scale is 1:8,000 (?) and the image resolution is 300 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file and used through WMS API.

Munkkiniemi community and Haaga kauppala 1929

The unimplemented plan for the Munkkiniemi community and Haaga kauppala from 1929. The map shows the plots sold and rented, as well as the built and non-built plots. The map scale is 1:8000 and the image resolution is 300 dpi. The map can be downloaded as TIFF-file.

Travel map of Helsinki from 1940

Tourist map prepared for the 1940 Helsinki Olympics (file Helsingin matkailijakartta 1940.TIF). The map shows the venues for the Olympic Games, for example. The reverse side of the map contains location and attraction indexes (file Helsingin matkailijakartta 1940a.TIF). The map scale is 1:15000 and the image resolution is 300 dpi. The map can be downloaded as a zip package of two TIFF image files.

About WMS API

Coordinate systems:

• Maintained in ETRS-GK25 (EPSG:3879), can be projected to other coordinate systems. See GetCapabilities query for other possible coordinate systems.

API addresses:

• WMS API: https://kartta.hel.fi/ws/geoserver/avoindata/wms

Layers:

• Pitajakuvauskartta_1749
• Rekognosointikartta_1780_1782
• Senaatinkartta_1870
• Plan_af_Helsingfors_1900
• Kartta_Helsingin_kaupungista_ja_sen_alueista_1909
• Helsingin_kaupunki_1917_1918
• Helsingin_kaupungin_kartta_1925 (Map of Helsinki in 1925)