story and history

Hanaholmen- The meeting place between Sweden and Finland

About us

Hanaholmen is an inspiring and unique meeting place that brings together Nordic culture, art, and current discussions. We are located in Espoo, just outside Helsinki, on our own small peninsula. Here you will find a Swedish-Finnish cooperation and cultural center, a hotel with modern meeting facilities, Nordic gastronomy, as well as the Swedish- Finnish Cultural Foundation - Hanaholmen’s administrative principal, which holds ultimate responsibility for our operations.

Within the framework of the bilateral cooperation, Hanaholmen offers a diverse program, ranging from cultural events and art exhibitions to timely seminars addressing both crisis preparedness and other pressing societal issues. Our programme division works by bringing people and organizations together, initiating new collaborations, organizing constructive dialogues, and seeking solutions to the most challenging questions of our time. The ultimate goal of Hanaholmen's activities is to create added value through collaboration between Sweden and Finland and to foster a ripple effect for the greater benefit of our societies.

A visit to Hanaholmen is enhanced by our atmospheric hotel, which offers a relaxing stay in an archipelago setting surrounded by Nordic art and design. Good food is a central part of the overall experience. Our award-winning restaurant, PLATS, takes you on a culinary journey through the delicious and innovative flavors of Nordic cuisine. Local ingredients and sustainability are key here.

Hanaholmen’s values – trust, openness and integrity, joy, and sustainable development – permeate all of our activities. We work to promote cultural understanding and Swedish-Finnish cooperation on a concrete level. Hanaholmen offers a space where everyone can be inspired and find new perspectives by reflecting on the reality and experiences of the other country.

The Swedish-Finnish cooperation has deep roots but also a clear direction forward. Hanaholmen shows that when we listen, learn, and trust one another, we can face the great challenges of our time together with both strength and hope.
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf

Hanaholmen is a cultural treasure. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of participating in about ten events at Hanaholmen. Internationalism, culture, tolerance and dialogue at top level.
The president of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb

Funding

Hanaholmen is a non-profit organisation financed through revenues from the conference hotel, state grants from Sweden and Finland, operational grants from the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation and through contributions from partners, foundations, funds and sponsors. The property is owned by the Finnish state and has been handed over to the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, which oversees Hanaholmen.

Hanaholmen in numbers

1975

founded

64

number of employees

7,9 m

turnover in euros

100 000

annual visitors

History

The Hanaholmen Cultural Centre was inaugurated on 1 June 1975 by King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and the President of Finland, Urho Kekkonen. When Hanaholmen celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 2, 2025, the cultural center was once again visited by King Carl XVI Gustav, accompanied by Queen Silvia and Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

Discussions about building a cultural centre for Sweden and Finland began as long ago as 1967, when Sweden decided to cancel SEK 100 million of Finland’s wartime debt in conjunction with Finland’s 50th anniversary. Finland lacked an equivalent to the cultural centres found elsewhere in the Nordic region: Lysebu, Voksenåsen and Schaeffergården. Architect Veikko Malmio was commissioned to design the building, while Professor Yrjö Sotamaa planned the interior design. Construction began in 1973 and was completed two years later.

The decision to build the cultural centre on Hanaholmen was not a matter of course but was the subject of a lengthy domestic and cultural policy debate. President Urho Kekkonen was among those who supported the idea that the cultural centre should be set up at Sveaborg instead of Hanaholmen. The decision was finally made in the Finnish parliament, with 93 versus 67 in favour of Hanaholmen.

The site at Hanaholmen was owned by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation, inherited from brewer’s son Nicholas Sinebrychoff. The Finnish Government negotiated an agreement and bought the plot. Even before the house was ready, the centre started its work in an office in central Helsinki.

In May 2025, a book about Hanaholmen's history, written by historian Stefan Nygård, was released. The book explores Hanaholmen’s journey from the founding in 1975 to the present, highlighting events, people, and societal changes that have shaped our mission over five decades.

Experience the Hanaholmen 50th anniversary virtual exhibition

Galleri Hanaholmen

This virtual 3D-exhibition is an interactive experience, where you may tour at your own pace while getting to know the history of Hanaholmen and Swedish-Finnish cooperation. The virtual exhibition consists of two parts:

Timeline Get to know Hanaholmen’s 50 year journey through pictures and stories. The timeline presents some of the most important moments, significant events and the people that have influenced Hanaholmen’s growth through the decades.

Interactive discussion table Sit down by the virtual banquet and get to know the themes central to both Hanaholmen, as well as the collaboration between Sweden and Finland. By the table you can familiarize yourself with the questions for each topic, and the 3D animations visualizing them.

The virtual exhibition planning and production: MeMo, 3D-studio, Aalto. 3D-artists: Eevi Karjalainen, Fosa Kettunen, May Nevanlinna, Saana Heikelä. 3D survey ja audio design: Toni Rantanen, Hannu Handolin, Leo Virolainen. Executive producer: Hannu Hyyppä. Science producer: Marika Ahlavuo.

Manuscript and planning: Håkan Forsgård & Aino Kostiainen. Exhibition Architecture and Graphic Design: Kombo/Johannes Nieminen, Tuomas Siitonen & Panu Heikkilä. Table setting: Karla Muuri.

To the 3D-exhibition

Photos from Hanaholmen

Hanaholmen’s strategy

In Hanaholmen’s strategy for 2030, Hanaholmen is emphasised as a meeting place that links Sweden and Finland on a broad social and cultural level. The strategy is based on the tense security and geopolitical situation, which means that there is exceptionally strong demand for deeper Swedish-Finnish cooperation and increased mutual exchange of experience.

The strategy emphasises the following guidelines for Hanaholmen’s work

Strengthen democracy
Enhance safety
Enliven the arts and communities

impact report

Are you interested in learning more about Hanaholmen? Please, have a look at our Impact Report. It offers interesting information about an organization that is run jointly by Finland and Sweden, and which develops cooperation between the countries in all areas of society. Hanaholmen combines private and public funding, and the surplus income from the conference hotel and restaurant activities is used to fund the different seminars, long-term projects and other bilateral activities.

Impact Report 2024

Management

Day-to-day operations at Hanaholmen are managed by CEO Gunvor Kronman, whose CV you can download here. The hotel and restaurant business are supervised by Hotel Manager Kai Mattsson. Hanaholmen’s Management Team consists of six members.

Hanaholmen’s executive board consists of five members from Finland and five from Sweden. The chairman is appointed by the Finnish Government.

From Finland:

Ambassador Maimo Henriksson (Chair)
Dean Timo Korkeamäki (Vice Chair)
Vice chair of Lappset Group Johanna Ikäheimo
Professor Johan Strang
Ambassador Helena Tuuri

Fom Sweden:

Fmr CEO John Brattmyhr
Opposition Vice Mayor, Stockholm, Christofer Fjellner
Fmr Governor Elisabeth Nilsson (Vice Chair)
Fmr Municipal Commissioner Claes Nordmark (currently not participating in the Board´s activities)
Professor, Executive Director Astrid Söderbergh Widding