The main road heading west from Helsinki, today known as Mannerheimintie street, began to take shape in the seventeenth century. It ran right through Töölö. In the beginning it was called the Turku or Espoo road but in the nineteenth century it became Läntinen (western) Viertotie street. In the 1920´s the name changed to Turuntie (the Turku road). On June 4, 1942, Turuntie and Heikinkatu streets were joined together to form Mannerheimintie

street in honour of Marshal Mannerheim´s 75th birthday.
     In the summer time it was possible to get to the centre of Helsinki by boat through the Töölönlahti or Taivallahti bays. Near the sugar factory, where today the streets of Hesperia (Hesperiankatu) are located, during winter time there was a road on the ice straight from the Taivallahti bay to Espoo. It was known as Edesviksvägen (Taivallahdentie in Finnish, 'waystage bay').