Lapinlahden Lähde

Lapinlahden Lähde on mental health and cultural event venue in Helsinki, located in the old Lapinlahti hospital. Lähde provides spaces and organizes events, seminars, and occasions related to well-being and culture. The activities of Lapinlahden Lähde are managed by the local association PRO LAPINLAHTI MIELENTERVEYSSEURA RY, and LAPINLAHDEN LÄHDE OY, societal enterprise which operates under MIELI ry .

Lapinlahden Lähde is an open and friendly meeting place where everyone can feel welcome, regardless of gender, age, religion, belief, sexual orientation, disability, health condition, or ethnic and national origin. Lapinlahti belongs to everyone, and we condemn all forms of discrimination and bullying.

Lapinlahden Lähde activities

• Art exhibitions at Galleria Lapinlahti, Käytävägalleria, Omenapuutalo, Venetsia Building, etc. See more information about our current exhibitions here.
• Meeting place Café Lähde for those with a sweet and savory tooth.
• The old sauna offers historic steam for sauna enthusiasts by the seaside.
• Lähteen Puoti sells products from artisanal artists, and Lähteen Patina is a secondhand boutique for vintage items.
• Lapinlahden Lähteen Urban Nature Center organizes events and workshops and spreads information about the diverse urban nature in the area.
• The resident space at Lähde is open to everyone and available for community, citizen, and cultural activities.
• The MIITTI project promotes the well-being of both immigrants and the local population.

The core themes of Lapinlahden Lähde

• Business and Innovation. New ideas and new ventures in the experimentation culture scene in Helsinki are welcome in our center. Lähde encourages trying out new things.
• Work and Meaningfulness. Lähde offers volunteer opportunities, as well as jobs and paths from unemployment to working life, workplace learning, and networking with educational institutions.
• Mind and Wellbeing. Lähde organizes relaxing, refreshing, and calming services and events. There are many free events, and some are paid.
• Art and Everyday Life. Lähde has a wide range of art practitioners and events, including participatory community art, art workshops, and events.
• Community and Inclusion. Visitors, volunteers, and tenants are part of the Lapinlahti community, and everyone can participate in some way.

Brief history of Lapinlahden Lähde

The OSALLISTU LAPINLAHDEN LÄHTEELLÄ project, funded by the European Social Fund and carried out by MIELI ry, developed a community for well-being and culture on the Lapinlahti hospital grounds from 2015 to 2017. The project enabled the leasing of former hospital buildings from the city of Helsinki from the beginning of 2016. A WELLBEING CONCEPT was created within the project. Participants in the project were individuals facing challenging labor market situations, including women over 54, young people, mental health rehabilitation participants, and partially disabled individuals. Paths to prevent social exclusion and facilitate employment were constructed for long-term unemployed and rehabilitation participants in the café and hospital renovation works. The project’s three workshops included an event workshop to promote mental wellbeing, Café Lähde’s workshop, and the hospital’s workshop.

The ESR-funded “ONNISTU OSALLISUUDEN LÄHTEELLÄ” project from 2017-2019 targeted working-age individuals outside the labor market, promoting participants’ work and functional capacity, social inclusion, and employment through Lapinlahden Lähde’s volunteer activities and comprehensive service guidance and coaching in LIVE SERVICES. The project developed a low-threshold service guidance model for all organizational actors working with clients in challenging life situations. Watch the explanatory video about the model HERE.

Since 2019, the City of Helsinki has been supporting Lapinlahden Lähde’s resident space and URBAN NATURE CENTER with grants.

Lapinlahti Today and in the Future

After the hospital operations ceased, Lapinlahti stood vacant for five years until Pro Lapinlahti ry decided to take action. The vision of a thriving Lapinlahti, a center for mental well-being and culture for everyone, was born! Several mental health organizations and other stakeholders embarked on realizing this vision, and in 2013, Lapinlahden Lähde was established.

The operation has been purposefully built, and in addition to various entities and projects, volunteer activities have been particularly active.

For years, Lapinlahti has embraced a culture of experimentation, entrepreneurship, community, appreciation of nature, and cultural heritage preservation. The “Spirit of Lapinlahti” still prevails strongly.

Culture has flourished, and artists have been visible in the house in many ways. Lapinlahti has received numerous awards, made headlines, and been featured in world news, including being on the candidate list for the Europa Nostra cultural heritage award and mentioned in The New York Times.

Lapinlahti has become an important place for Helsinki residents actively involved in Lapinlahti-related matters, contributing to the development of its activities. We diligently listen to the wishes of the city’s residents and respond to their realization.

In 2019, the city organized an idea competition, with the winning proposal intending to buy Lapinlahti out of public ownership and build a hotel and two buildings in the park. The proposal faced resistance from Helsinki residents. Through civic activism, both the Urban Environment Committee and the City Council rejected the competition proposal.

In the fall of 2020, the City of Helsinki appointed an investigative group to assess the future of Lapinlahti. In the group’s report (2021), the establishment of a property company was presented: the city can remain its majority shareholder, own the property company entirely, or sell the buildings to market-based investors. The fate of Lapinlahti will be determined by the City of Helsinki in the coming years.

Welcome to Lapinlahti Center for Arts, Culture and Mental wellbeing!