Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of

Kanta-Häme Kanta-Häme (), sometimes referred to by the obsolete Tavastia Proper ( sv, Egentliga Tavastland) or as the Häme region, is a region ( / ) of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, Päijät-Häme, and Uusimaa. Hämeenli ...

in the south of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. Hämeenlinna is the oldest inland city of Finland and was one of the most important Finnish cities until the 19th century. It remains an important regional center. The

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Häme Castle Tavastia Castle or Häme Castle ( fi, Hämeen linna, sv, Tavastehus slott) is a medieval castle in Tavastia Proper, Finland. It is located in Hämeenlinna, the city between Helsinki and Tampere. Originally located on an island, the castle now sit ...

(also ''Tavastia Castle''; fi, Hämeen linna) is located in the city. Hämeenlinna is known as the birthplace of Finnish national composer

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...

. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), and before 2010 it was the residence city for the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the province of Southern Finland. Nearby cities include the capital

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

(),

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

() and

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

(), the regional center of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme). The neighboring municipalities of Hämeenlinna are

Akaa Akaa ( sv, Ackas) is a town and a municipality in Pirkanmaa, Finland. It was created on January 1, 2007 when the town of Toijala and the municipality of Viiala were united into a single town. The municipality of Kylmäkoski was consolidated with ...

Asikkala Asikkala () is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Vääksy, at the shores of the Lake Päijänne. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. Asikkala's neighboring municipalities are H ...

Hattula Hattula is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is part of the Tavastia Proper regions of Finland, region and until 2010 it was located in the provinces of Finland, province of Southern Finland. Hattula is almost completely surr ...

, Hausjärvi,

Hollola Hollola () is a municipality of Finland, located in the western part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. The municipality is unilingually Finnish and has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density Pop ...

Janakkala Janakkala () is a municipality of Finland. Its administrative centre is in Turenki, which is often erroneously shown on maps as being "Janakkala". Janakkala is located along the Highway 3 ( E12) in the province of Southern Finland and is part of ...

Loppi Loppi (; Swedish also ) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region, located about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) south of the city of Hämeenlinna. Loppi was founded ...

Padasjoki Padasjoki () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is from Padasjoki to Lahti and to Heinola. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area ...

Pälkäne Pälkäne () is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which . The population density is . Onkkaala is the administrative center of the municipality. Tamper ...

, Tammela,

Urjala Urjala (; sv, Urjala, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, near the town of Forssa. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring m ...

and

Valkeakoski Valkeakoski (; lit. "white rapids") is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located south of Tampere, north of Hämeenlinna and north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of wh ...

. The former municipalities,

Hauho Hauho is a former municipality of Finland. It was situated in the province of Southern Finland and is today a part of the region of Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme / Egentliga Tavastland). Hauho was amalgamated with the municipality of Hämeenlinna ...

, Kalvola,

Lammi Lammi ( sv, Lammi, also ) is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Hämeenlinna on 2009-01-01. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality had a population ...

Renko Renko is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Hämeenlinna on 2009-01-01. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality had a population of 2,378 (30 Novembe ...

and

Tuulos Tuulos ( sv, Tuulos, also ) is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Hämeenlinna on January 1, 2009. The administrative center of Tuulos was Syrjäntaka. Neighbouring municipalities were Hauho, Hämeenlinna, Janakkala a ...

, were consolidated with Hämeenlinna on 1 January 2009; with these municipal associations, the Hattula municipality is almost completely surrounded by Hämeenlinna. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of Hämeenlinna is based on the 17th-century town seal, which in turn refers to the Häme Castle built by the

Lake Vanajavesi Vanajavesi is a large lake in southern Finland, in the provinces of Pirkanmaa and Kanta-Häme. It is part of the Kokemäenjoki basin. The lake gathers waters from a wide area in the regions of Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper and parts of the Päijänn ...

in the Middle Ages, near which the city was founded. The current coat of arms was designed by

Gustaf von Numers Gustaf von Numers (31 July 1912 – 21 May 1978) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish civil servant and leading heraldic artist. Life Gustaf von Numers studied heraldry in the 1930s under Arvid Berghman and was considered one of the leading Fin ...

on the basis of the old coat of arms, and was confirmed on September 21, 1956.

Geography

There are a total of 339 lakes in whole or in part in the area of the city of Hämeenlinna. The largest of them are

Lake Kukkia Kukkia is a medium-sized lake in Finland. It is a part of a chain of lakes that begins from the lakes Lummene, Vehkajärvi and Vesijako at the drainage divide between the Kokemäenjoki and Kymijoki basins and flows westwards from there through the ...

and Lake Kuohijärvi. The main features of the Hämeenlinna landscape are the Häme Lake Plateau, the Vanajavesi Valley and the Kanta-Häme Grove Center. In many places, the landscapes are marked by the prosperous Tavastian agricultural culture.

Cityscape

The center of Hämeenlinna is located on the Saarinen Hill on the shores of

, and is bordered on the west by

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

( E12), while Highway 10 bypasses the city to the south and east. The street network in the center is based on a

grid pattern In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogo ...

drawn up by

C. L. Engel Carl Ludvig Engel, or Johann Carl Ludwig Engel (3 July 1778 – 14 May 1840), was a German architect whose most noted work can be found in Helsinki, which he helped rebuild. His works include most of the buildings around the capital's monumental ...

in 1832 with the Market Square as its center. On the edge of the market square are the town hall, Hämeenlinna Church and the Häme County Government House. The city center is divided into four

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s, which are Linnanniemi, Koilliskulma, Hämeensaari and Saaristenmäki. Raatihuoneenkatu, which has been partially transformed into a pedestrian street, is the most significant shopping street in the city center; for example, at the western end of the street, the Goodman Shopping Center was completed in October 2014. There are plenty of buildings of different styles in the city center, and in proportion to the city’s population, it is quite large and densely built. The most significant expansion direction in the city center in the 2010s has been the Keinusaari district on the other side of Lake Vanajavesi, where, for example, the city's railway station is located. Supplementary construction has also been carried out in the city center on an ongoing basis. The center of Hämeenlinna has been ridiculed as the "Finland's largest lit cemetery".

History

Vanaja is the name of a settlement next to Vanajavesi that had been in existence since the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...

. The castle was built in the late 13th century to secure Swedish power in central Finland. A village was established near

to provide services and goods to its inhabitants. The village was granted city rights on January 19, 1639, but Hämeenlinna, which still after that looked more like a rural village, developed very slowly, which was a typical problem for inland cities in Finland compared to the most prosperous coastal cities. In 1777, King Gustav III of Sweden moved it one kilometre () south to the hill on which it still stands. The city is known for its schools and academies where many famous

Finns Finns or Finnish people ( fi, suomalaiset, ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these ...

have studied. Schools, government and the military have characterised the life of Hämeenlinna throughout history. Finland's first railway line, the ( fi, Suomen päärata, sv, Finlands stambanan), opened between Hämeenlinna and Helsinki on March 17, 1862. The current

Hämeenlinna railway station Hämeenlinna railway station ( fi, Hämeenlinnan rautatieasema, sv, Tavastehus järnvägsstation) is located in the town of Hämeenlinna, Finland. Hämeenlinna belongs to the oldest railway stations in Finland, because the first railway line in ...

(' in

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

) was built in 1921.

Demographics

Economy

The economic structure of Hämeenlinna is close to the national average. In 2015, there were 28,270 jobs in the city. Of these, 75% were in the service sector, 3% in primary production (

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and fisheries) and 21% in processing. The share of the unemployed was 13,6%.

Largest employers (by number of employees) , ''Taskutietoa Hämeenlinnasta'', a factbook published by the city of Hämeenlinna ( PDF download, in Finnish)

*City of Hämeenlinna: 2,490 *State of Finland: 2,480 *Kanta-Häme Hospital District: 1,460 *

Ruukki Ruukki is a former municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality had a population of 4,505 (31 December 2006) and covered an area of of which is water. The pop ...

(Rautaruukki Oyj): 1,030 *

Huhtamäki Huhtamäki Oyj (styled Huhtamaki) is a Finnish consumer packaging company whose production includes food packaging, disposable containers, as well as egg cartons and fruit packaging for quick service restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, cater ...

Oyj: 700 * HAMK University of Applied Sciences (an institution offering tertiary degree education): 510 *Kansanterveystyön ky: 490 * Patria Vehicles Oy: 430 * Konecranes Standard Lifting Oy: 330 *Koulutuskeskus Tavastia: 270 *Aina Group Oyj: 250 *Lindström Oy: 175

Education

Hämeenlinna is home to

HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences ( fi, Hämeen ammattikorkeakoulu) is an institution of higher education with seven locations in Finland. Its programmes are coordinated with industry and commerce. HAMK also offers research and developmen ...

' headquarters. Founded in 1873, Hämeenlinna Lyceum has many cultural influencers. The school is one of the most famous educational institutions in Finland, as many well-known Finns have graduated from the institution; examples include master composer

and president J. K. Paasikivi. Hämeenlinna Lyceum has a middle school (grades 7–9) and a high school. Another of the high schools in Hämeenlinna's inner city is Kauriala High School. Hämeenlinna's Lyceum and Kauriala High School were to be combined in the fall of 2018 to form a large high school with more than a thousand students on the Hattelmala campus of the Tavastia Education Consortium. However, the city council decided to cancel the high school project in the spring of 2018, and the high schools will continue to be separate.

Culture

Food

In the 1980s, the following dishes were named Hämeenlinna's traditional cuisine: as a daily meal, smoked

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

and sourdough; as a festive meal, the herring wrapped in rye dough, i.e. "fish bread",

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mod ...

and

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

, and the ''riistansylttääjän lintupaisti'', which means

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

stuffed almonds with potato and apple slices.

Sport

*Elite level ice hockey teams

HPK Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK) is a professional ice hockey team in the Liiga, the top men's ice hockey league in Finland. Their home ice is the Ritari-areena in Hämeenlinna. HPK was established in 1929. The parent club of the team is HPK Edu ...

of the

Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

and

HPK Kiekkonaiset HPK Kiekkonaiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga (NSML), the premier women's ice hockey league in Finland. They are the representative women’s team of Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK), a multi-sport club in Hämeenlinna, Kanta-Häm ...

of the

Naisten Liiga The Kansallinen Liiga ('National League') is the premier division of women's football in Finland. It was previously called the Jalkapallon naisten SM-sarja ('Women's Football Finnish Championship Series') during 1974 to 2006 and the Naisten Lii ...

*Football teams FC Hämeenlinna and the men's representative team of Hämeenlinnan Härmä, which play in the third-tier

Kakkonen Kakkonen or II divisioona is the third level in the Finnish football league system, league system of Finnish football and comprises 36 Finland, Finnish football (soccer), football teams. The II divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mid-1 ...

, and the women's representative team of Hämeenlinnan Härmä of the second-tier

Naisten Ykkönen Naisten Ykkönen ( sv, Damettan, Women's First/One) is the second highest division of women's football in Finland. It is overseen by the Suomen Palloliitto (Football Association of Finland). Teams in Naisten Ykkönen can gain promotion to the t ...

*The city hosted the modern pentathlon competition for the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

. *Hämeenlinna hosted the first round of the Underwater Rugby Euroleague in October 2012 and again in 2015. *The

Ahvenisto Race Circuit Ahvenisto Race Circuit ( fi, Ahveniston moottorirata) is a motor racing circuit located in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The circuit is long. It features a total elevation change of , its main straight is in length and its width varies between . Its ...

, opened in 1967, hosts many motorsport happenings. Track has Fia Grade 4 license. *Steelers Sailbandy(Floorball) Club which play in the

F-liiga The F-liiga is the top men’s floorball league in Finland. The league was founded as Salibandyn SM-sarja (English: Floorball Finnish Champions-Series) in 1986 by the Finnish Floorball Federation (SSBL). It was renamed to Salibandyliiga for the ...

Notable natives or residents

Jouko Ahola Jouko Ahola (born December 1, 1970) is a Finnish former strongman, powerlifter and actor. He is a two time World's Strongest Man winner, a two time Europe's Strongest Man winner, and is regarded as on ...

(strongman/actor) *

Antony Hämäläinen Antony Hämäläinen (born August 28, 1980) is a Finnish metal vocalist living in the United States. Biography In the early 1990s, he started playing bass, drums, and singing for multiple bands based both in the US and Finland. September 2007, ...

(vocalist) *

Eino Leino Eino Leino (born Armas Einar Leopold Lönnbohm; 6 July 1878 – 10 January 1926) was a Finnish poet and journalist who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish poetry and a national poet of Finland. His poems combine modern and Finnish fo ...

(poet) * Antti Miettinen (NHL player); won a bronze medal with Finland in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics * Victorine Nordenswan (painter) * J. K. Paasikivi (7th

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

) * Kimi Räikkönen (

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

driver) and

Jenni Dahlman Jenni is a feminine given name, sometimes a modern diminutive or short form of Jennifer. The etymology is actually that of a diminutive of Jane, however. A separate name, with the same spelling, serves as a Finnish language diminutive of Johan ...

(married in 2004 in Hämeenlinna) *

Juuse Saros Juuse Saros (born 19 April 1995) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saros was selected by the Predators in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. ...

(

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

goaltender) *

(composer) *

Turisas Turisas is a Finnish metal band from Hämeenlinna. They were founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström, and named after an ancient Finnish god of war. Turisas are a folk metal band, incorporating elements of power metal and sym ...

(metal band)

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Hämeenlinna is twinned with:

References

External links

*
1952 Summer Olympics official report (pp. 60–62)City of Hämeenlinna
– Official site
Häme Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hameenlinna Venues of the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic modern pentathlon venues Cities and towns in Finland Municipalities of Kanta-Häme Grand Duchy of Finland Populated places established in 1639 1639 establishments in Sweden