Mankkaa

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Mankkaa (Mankans in Swedish) is a suburb of Espoo, located between Tapiola and Kauniainen, with the population of 7861 (2004), of which 704 are Swedish-speakers (2005). The postal code of Mankkaa is 02180, and 02630 in the northern parts near the Helsinki-Turku motorway.

The main thoroughfare of Mankkaa is Mankkaantie, which, until 2000 when Kehä II was completed, was heavily congested with traffic during rush hours. The second major road is Sinimäentie, by the sides of which there are large office buildings and stores. The first Lidl in Finland was opened in Mankkaa in 2003.

Teatteri Hevosenkenkä, a theater aimed at a child and pre-teen audience, is located in Mankkaa. The theater was founded in 1975 by Kristiina Aropaltio and Sara Sirén. The building itself dates back to 1899 and was previously used as a school. The theater also houses an art gallery with changing exhibitions.

[edit] History

Earlier, Mankkaa has been a rural area, but it has transformed after the 1960s to a higher income suburban area, today packed with town houses. The estate of Old Mankkaa was established in the 17th century and originally encompassed 350 hectares of land. However, through time, the estate lost its lands, most notably in 1944 when the owner had to give land for soldiers coming back from the war and refugees from Karelia. Today only two buildings survive from the estate, both dating back to the 18th century.