Luonnonmaa

Luonnonmaa, translated as “the land of the nature”, has plenty of uninhabited nature, and thus it lives up to its name. The island is located west from the center of Naantali, and its biggest neighborhoods are Viiala, Linnavuori, Kaivola and Kultaranta. Even though the island is quite big area-wise, only one tenth of Naantali’s population resides there. Majority of them are located along the Rymättyläntie road, where Turku region's public transport Föli operates between the center of Naantali and the archipelago. If you own a vehicle, you can also take the road to Turku center and be there in under half an hour.

Kultaranta is perhaps one of the most well-known neighborhoods in the country as the President’s summer residence is located here. The Presidential residence has already served all of Finland’s 12 presidents. Besides the Presidential residence, Kultaranta has a lovely detached house area and the Kultaranta primary school.

Most of the neighborhoods in Luonnonmaa are situated close to the Ukko-Pekka bridge, leading to the center of Naantali. The modern Porhonkallio neighborhood, however, is stretching further and is located opposite to Merimasku. Porhonkallio hosts a boat harbor, a beach, and a nature trail Kultaranta Kuru, which welcome residents and visitors alike to enjoy the beautiful shoreline.

In Luonnonmaa, you can also find sparsely populated villages that capture the natural island life. Haijainen is a neighborhood with less than one hundred residents and field landscapes of great natural value. In Haijainen, one can enjoy the outdoors on an illuminated ski track, a frisbee golf course or on a nature trail that has laavu to delight the active hikers. Laavu is a traditional, Finnish lean-to, a small place to have a break during hiking or wishing trips in the wild. For those fancying to dip in the waters, there’s a Villa beach nearby. Another village, Käkölä, represents one of the 17 medieval villages in Luonnonmaa. This sparsely populated village in the southeastern part of the island hosts a boat harbor for the ferries that kindly connect the surrounding islands.

While staying true to its origins, Luonnonmaa is seeing several developments. A residential area of several lots was built in Kaivola in the late 2010s and by 2023, a community center with a kindergarten, school and other services will be finished to attract families with children. The center will act as a hub for a new residential area, where plans have been made for hundreds of new apartments, a grocery store, a gas station, and for new recreational patches. Also the public transport will run in the area even more swiftly in the future.

These impressive developments were boosted by the 2022 Housing Fair, hosted by Luonnonmaa. For example, a new marine neighborhood Lounatuuli was completed for the Fair, with an adjoining boat harbor, a school, and a kindergarten. We might also see other ventures on the bountiful shoreline.