Kirjurinluoto Webcam – Pori’s River Island Park

The Kirjurinluoto Webcam looks over Pori’s central park, an island in the Kokemaki River on the west coast of Finland. Mounted high on a building in the park, with the edge of its metal roof in some shots, the camera tours a ring of views and rarely holds one for long. It swings from a large playground built around a wooden pirate ship to a lawn lined with red benches and a tall spruce, then on to reed-edged ponds, a footbridge with blue railings, a netted aviary and birch groves. The widest views reach past the trees to apartment blocks beyond the park. The birches are the best calendar here: bare in early spring, deep green in summer, yellow by mid-October and often white with snow in winter.

About Kirjurinluoto

Kirjurinluoto is a 25 hectare (62 acre) island between two channels of the Kokemaki River, the Luotsinmaenjuopa and the Hevosluodonjuopa, right beside the center of Pori. It is young land. The islets began to form in the early 1700s and do not appear on a 1696 map of the town. The name comes from the town scribe, or kirjuri, who held the island as part of his benefits in the 1800s. A park plan was finished in 1891, and the English-style park was completed in 1897. A permanent bridge has linked it to the city since 1973, replacing a pontoon bridge used from 1968.

Pori Jazz has been held on the island since the festival began in 1966, and the concert park now known as Kirjurinluoto Arena was completed in 2002. The island also has a summer theater, whose current stage and stand date from 2008, a swimming beach that opened in the 1930s and reopened in 1994 once the river water had improved, a mini golf course running since 1952 and a children’s traffic park. Since 6 May 2002 Kirjurinluoto has been part of the Pori National Urban Park, a protected zone of about 9.5 square kilometers (3.7 square miles) that runs 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from the river delta through the city center to the Isomaki sports grounds.

The camera covers the family side of the island. Its playground views take in the pirate ship with its tall masts, red and yellow climbing frames, tire swings and spring riders on a sand floor. The ship appears to belong to the Pelle Hermanni playground, which spreads over up to 3 hectares (7.4 acres). Elsewhere on the tour, mown lawns run down to small ponds, and fenced paddocks sit beside the aviary. In summer the island keeps alpacas, goats and birds ranging from peacocks to chickens, according to the camera’s operator.

Weather and Climate in Pori

Winters are cold and long. At Pori Airport, January averages minus 4 C (25 F), with daytime highs just below freezing at minus 1.2 C (30 F) and nights near minus 7 C (19 F). Snow can cover the lawns and benches for weeks, and the ponds on camera can freeze over. Spring arrives slowly: April averages 4 C (39 F), with highs near 8.7 C (48 F), and the birches stay bare until well into the season.

Summer is short and mild. July averages 17.1 C (63 F), with highs around 21.8 C (71 F) and nights near 12.1 C (54 F), and the long light evenings are when the island fills with picnics, swimmers and festival crowds. October, when the birches in frame turn yellow and leaves drift onto the paths, averages 5.4 C (42 F) with highs of 8.5 C (47 F). Pori gets about 586 millimeters (23.1 inches) of precipitation a year, so wet gravel and gray skies are a common autumn picture.

Things to Do Near Kirjurinluoto

On the island itself, the Pelle Hermanni playground has no entry fee and holds play areas, slides and climbing frames for different ages. Rauha Sauna stands just west of the swimming beach, and Cafe Viksu and the restaurant Cafe Pori Jazz serve food. Paths loop around the island for walking, jogging and cycling, with grill spots and open lawns for picnics. In summer the theater stage and the mini golf course open, and besides Pori Jazz the island hosts events such as the Aito Iskelma Festival, Kirvatsin Jyta and Porispere.

Across the river channels, the rest of the National Urban Park continues into the city. The neo-Gothic Central Pori Church, the neo-Renaissance Junnelius Palace that now serves as City Hall and the Pori Bridge stand along tree-lined avenues laid out after the fire of 1852. The Juselius Mausoleum in Kappara Cemetery was completed in 1903 to designs by Josef Stenback, built by the industrialist F. A. Juselius for his daughter Sigrid, who died of tuberculosis. Akseli Gallen-Kallela painted its frescoes, and after a fire in 1931 his son Jorma repainted them between 1933 and 1939. For the open coast, Yyteri beach is 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) out of the center.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

The same operator’s Etelaranta camera looks along the river to central Pori, and two more city park and capital views are close in spirit:

• Pori Webcam
• Helsinki Webcam
• Bryant Park Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kirjurinluoto located?

Kirjurinluoto is an island in the Kokemaki River in Pori, a city of about 83,000 people in the Satakunta region of western Finland. It sits right beside the city center, 241 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Helsinki and 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Turku.

What can you see on the Kirjurinluoto Webcam?

The camera turns through several views around its building: a large playground with a wooden pirate ship, a lawn edged with red benches and a tall spruce, reed-edged ponds, a footbridge, fenced paddocks and an aviary, and birch groves. The widest views look past the trees to apartment blocks beyond the park.

Can you watch Pori Jazz on the Kirjurinluoto Webcam?

No. The tour stays on the playground, lawns and ponds around the camera, and none of the views checked for this page shows the Kirjurinluoto Arena stage. The island has hosted Pori Jazz since 1966, and the arena was completed in 2002.

Is the Pelle Hermanni park in Kirjurinluoto free?

Yes. The Pelle Hermanni playground has no entry fee. It covers up to 3 hectares (7.4 acres), with play areas, slides and climbing frames for children of different ages.

Are there animals at Kirjurinluoto?

In summer, yes. The camera’s operator says alpacas, goats and birds ranging from peacocks to chickens live on the island during the season. The camera’s tour passes a netted aviary and small fenced paddocks.

Is there a sauna on Kirjurinluoto?

Yes. Rauha Sauna stands on the island, just west of the swimming beach. Cafe Viksu and the restaurant Cafe Pori Jazz also operate on Kirjurinluoto.

What is the weather like in Pori?

Pori has cold winters and mild summers. January averages minus 4 C (25 F) and July 17.1 C (63 F), with July highs around 21.8 C (71 F). The city gets about 586 millimeters (23.1 inches) of precipitation a year.

Source: Pori webcam