Meet Lapinlahti people: Kristian Wahlbeck
Kristian Wahlbeck has been following the development of Lapinlahti in different roles for over 40 years. His first time in Lapinlahti was on a lecture as a young medical student in August of 1979. The Lapinlahti hospital area and park looked beautiful, but back then, Lapinlahti was its own, separate world. There was a sign on the gates: ”Hospital area. No entry,” and the area was not open for all people living in Helsinki.
In the 1990s Kristian worked in Lapinlahti as a teacher of psychiatry, as well as a ward doctor in ward 1, which was the ward for patients with eating disorders. In the beginning of the 21st century he also worked in a Swedish-speaking professorship and the senior doctor tasks relating to it.
When the hospital stopped functioning in Lapinlahti in 2008, Kristian had to witness the degradation of the place. ”It was sad to see how it had been abandoned to decay”. Illegal residents, vandalism, broken windows, leaky eaves. A common vision of saving the area was strengthened among the Pro Lapinlahti activists. The idea behind it was that mental health is built on culture, a beautiful environment, and beautiful buildings.
Kristian Wahlbeck was not in Pro Lapinlahti activities when it was established, but he was part of the group of actives that birthed the idea of Lapinlahden Lähde. In 2013, he and actor Jussi Lehtonen went to present the plan to Mayor Jussi Pajunen. The city was initially sceptic about the idea, but a couple of years later, in 2016, a lease agreement was signed for Lapinlahden Lähde. At the same time, Kristian returned to Lapinlahti, and has had an office there ever since.
With Lapinlahden Lähde, Lapinlahti became a space for culture. Kristian remembers the 2016 Night of the Arts, when around 3,000 people came to Lapinlahti. That time, the hospital building was hosting the sound installation ”Ääniä sielujen huoneista” (Sounds from the Rooms of Souls) by Yle’s Swedish-language radio theatre, where scenes planned for different spaces transported guests through time through the history of Lapinlahti. Kristian is also impressed by the civic activism carried out on behalf of Lapinlahti. In 2000 and 2018, the human walls formed to protect Lapinlahti were empowering experiences.
Kristian is currently overseeing Lapinlahti as the development director of Mieli ry and a board member of Pro Lapinlahti. He no longer sees a future for Lapinlahti as a hospital. Instead, he thinks the area is currently in absolutely wonderful use. It combines civic activism, mental health work, culture, and sustainable development. Kristian is quite optimistic about the future of Lapinlahti. A political decision on the matter is expected in spring 2022, and he does not believe that the failed sales plan will be returned to. Kristin has held up the Lapinlahti Foundation as a model for the future. The state should be involved in the renovation and maintenance of Lapinlahti, because the place has such an important significance in Finland’s cultural history.
Kristian hopes that in 10 years, Lapinlahti would still be a tolerant place open to everyone, where you can come regardless of your wallet size. The necessary renovations should be done with respect for the history. In his vision, Lapinlahti does not need to be a world-famous, cutting-edge destination. The most important thing is that Lapinlahti is an easily accessible, safe place for Helsinki residents and everyone else who wants to refresh themselves and nurture their mental well-being through culture, the environment, and community.
As Christmas is approaching, Kristian has memories of celebrating Christmas in Lapinlahti. In the early 1990s, he worked a couple of Christmases in Lapinlahti as an assistant physician. Christmases in Lapinlahti were beautiful and atmospheric in his memories. The park was covered in snow. Kristian remembers the Christmas carpet spread out in the corridor of Ward 1, tens of meters long. The patients participated in the decoration of the hospital and the Christmas party in the auditorium, where the Bishop of Helsinki declared Christmas peace in Lapinlahti.
Kristian plans to spend this Christmas at home in Helsinki and with relatives in Lohja. However, he has always made a habit of coming to Lapinlahti for the Christmas glögg. The important thing is that Lapinlahti is open on Christmas, and those who spend Christmas alone have the opportunity to experience the spirit of Lapinlahti.
Original text: Juhana Heikkilä