VR warehouses
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The VR warehouses (VR:n makasiinit in Finnish) were a group of old red brick warehouses in the centre of Helsinki, Finland, located at Mannerheimintie 13 or , near the Parliament building, the Helsinki Central railway station and the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art.
The oldest parts of the warehouses were built in 1898–1899, when they served as the cargo terminal for the Helsinki Central railway station. The warehouses were extended in 1908 and 1917, and the most recent additions are from the 1950s. They were used by VR Group as cargo warehouses until the 1980s when they were abandoned and gradually fell into disrepair. The warehouses were without a permanent specific purpose but could be hired by anyone wishing to organize some sort of public event.
The warehouses had been under a threat of demolition to make way for a new Helsinki Music Centre for almost a decade. In early 2006, a decision was finally made to construct the Music Hall on the site. The demolition began on May 6, 2006
On Friday May 5, 2006, the older southern warehouse was badly damaged by a blazing fire that was probably arson. The building was totally gutted, the fire leaving just the brick walls standing.
This event was preceded by the May Day riots just a few days earlier. Some people decided to set up a bonfire between the warehouses in the night of May 1. The fire almost got to the warehouses, and when the fire department tried to put it out it was attacked by a group of people. Riot police was dispatched to protect the firemen and they also got stones thrown at them.
A small section at the end of the southern warehouse damaged by fire was planned to be preserved and used as an extension to the Music Hall. This was contrary to many Helsinkians' wishes to preserve the warehouses due to their perceived historical and communal value.
Various music concerts, including the Tuska heavy metal festival during years 1999 and 2000, were often held at the warehouses, and in 2004 and 2005 they hosted Perv Park, Helsinki's biggest BDSM convention. They included also couple of ecological shops and band rehearsal studios.
External links
- [Helsingin Sanomat International Edition: Riot police battle crowds throwing stones and lighting fires on May Day Eve]
- [YLE news: Another Fire at Helsinki Railway Warehouses]
- [NewsRoom Finland: Finnish Railways warehouses in central Helsinki ravaged by fire]
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