WELCOME TO HOSTEL AND APARTMENT DIANA PARK

While staying with us you will experience a little history of Helsinki. We are a personal and unique, small hostel in lively Punavuori / Kamppi neighbourhood full of stories.

Our building in Uudenmaankatu 9 was designed by Usko Nyström in 1899. He was specialized in art noveau / jugend type of architecture. It was built in 1900 and you can really see so many beautiful details here which you don’t see in new buildings any more.

In 1965 our hostel was licensed to provide accommodation and was registered as pension, named Erottajanpuisto. It was led by a woman who had other pensions in Helsinki as well. Her daughter-in-law took over when she inherited the place in 90’s. Before she had been doing some work at the pension but she really was an art teacher. She had to jump into unknown in 1994 but decided to make the pension glow. It was changed from pension to hostel and really started to focus on international backpackers.

When it was time for the owner to retire in 2012 the hostel had interested buyers. Company Refecta Ab sealed the deal by promising the hostel could continue as it is with its staff. At midnight on New Year’s Eve in 2012 sparkling wine classes were cheered and hostel changed its owners. From then the name has been changed from Hostel Erottajanpuisto to Hostel Diana Park and hostel expanded to rent one apartment as well.

You can only imagine how much has happened in these almost 60 years of accommodation. To tell you a few we’ve hosted a fashion shooting, have been a set for many movies and been part of very famous Finnish tv-series. For our unfortunate we’ve been robbed and had bank robbers staying with us (which we didn’t know at the time!). We have made life long friendships between staff and guests and one love story which still continues to grow. What stories our guests have, we can only imagine. Not long ago while renovating we found a local newspaper from 1963 between two walls.

We have had so much fun during these years of hosting people around the world!

We continue to cherish our history as going forward as well. We like our hostel to be unique, small and friendly place for travellers. We do our best for environment, we care and we are here for you!

From Helsinki with love,

Diana Park Staff