Riihimäki (literally "Drying barn hill") is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to Helsinki, Tampere and Lahti. Several businesses also operate in Riihimäki. Notably, Würth Oy has its Finnish headquarters and logistics center in Riihimäki. Valio has a major dairy in the Herajoki part of Riihimäki. The famous Sako rifles are also produced in Riihimäki. Riihimäki also has the second-highest flagpole in Finland. Riihimäen matkakeskus

The town is located in the province of

Southern Finland Southern Finland ( fi, Etelä-Suomen lääni, sv, Södra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia. History O ...

and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Riihimäki is home to the Riihimäki Prison, which is, alongside Turku Prison, one of the prisons in the country with the highest security rating (A+), and is home to the country's most dangerous prisoners.IL: Tältä näyttää Suomen korkeimman turvaluokituksen vankila - elinkautisvanki: ”Kai sitä ihminen tottuu joka paikkaan”
(in Finnish)

History

Riihimäki was established around the Riihimäki railway station by the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway, and is one of the original stations on Finland's first railway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, which opened in 1862. It became the first railway junction in Finland when the Riihimäki – Saint Petersburg track's first section from Riihimäki to Lahti was opened in 1869. In 1907-1952 a narrow-gauge railway also operated between Riihimäki and Loppi. Today, the quickest way to travel between Riihimäki and Loppi is by car along the national road 54, which runs between Tammela and Hollola. In 1910, a cavalry regiment was also established in the city. In 1922, Riihimäki separated from

Hausjärvi Hausjärvi is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Oitti. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The po ...

and became an independent

market-town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

. Riihimäki got its city rights in 1960. It was home to the reputed Riihimäki Glass company that remained in business from 1910 through 1990. The Finnish Glass Museum with its permanent display created by famous designer Tapio Wirkkala was opened in 1981. Höyryveturi Hv-1 nro 554 IM6229 C

Sports

* Peltosaaren Nikkarit & Kiekko-Nikkarit ( Ice hockey) * Riihimäen Taitoluistelijat ( Figure skating) * Riihimäen Jäätaiturit ( Synchronized skating) * Kolmoskori ( Basketball) * Riihimäen Ilves, formerly

RIPS Rips may refer to: Places * Rips, Sarandë, location in Albania on the border with Greece * De Rips, a village in the Netherlands People * Eliyahu Rips (born 1948), Israeli mathematician * Lance Rips (born 1948), American psychologist * Nicolaia ...

(

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

) * SC Top (

Floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...

) * Cocks (

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

) * Riihi-Pesis, formerly RPL (

Finnish baseball 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 ...

) * Riihimäen Kisko ( Athletics) * Riihimäen Uimaseura ( Swimming)

Notable individuals

Athletes

Aki Seitsonen Aki Seitsonen (born February 5, 1986) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the 4th round (108th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Seitsonen played in the SM-liiga with both HPK and Lukk ...

, ice hockey player *

Arri Munnukka The Arri Group () is a German manufacturer of motion picture film equipment. Based in Munich, the company was founded in 1917. It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production equipment. Hermann Simon ment ...

, football player *

Daniel O'Shaughnessy Daniel Michael O'Shaughnessy (born 14 September 1994) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays for Karlsruher SC and the Finland national team as a defender. O'Shaughnessy began his career in the youth systems at Honka, HJK and Metz a ...

, football player *

Janne Lahti Janne Lahti (born 20 July 1982) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He most recently played with HPK of the Finnish Liiga during the 2018–19 season. On 1 June 2007, Lahti signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens ...

, SM-Liiga ice hockey player * Jukka Jalonen, national ice hockey coach and ice hockey player * Jukka Vanninen, football player * Jussi Veikkanen, professional road racing cyclist *

Kari Tiainen Kari Tiainen (born 26 August 1966 in Riihimäki) is a Finnish former professional enduro rider. He competed in the World Enduro Championships from 1989 to 2003. Tiainen is notable for being a seven-time World Enduro Champion and held the record for ...

, motorcycle enduro world champion * Kasper Kenig, ice hockey player *

Lauri Toivonen Lauri may refer to: * Lauri (given name), including a list of people with the name * Lauri (surname), including a list of people with the name * Lauri, Põlva County, a village in Estonia * Lauri, Rapla County, a village in Estonia * Lauri, V� ...

, basketball player * Max Kenig, ice hockey player * Olli Korkeavuori, ice hockey player * Patrick O'Shaughnessy, football player * Pekka Vasala, middle and long-distance runner; Olympic champion (1972) in the 1,500 metres *

Sami Lähteenmäki Sami Lähteenmäki (born 19 September 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey player currently playing for Lukko of the Finnish Liiga. Lähteenmäki made his SM-liiga debut playing with HPK during the 2007–08 SM-liiga season The 2007–08 SM-liiga seaso ...

, SM-Liiga ice hockey player * Tero Arkiomaa, ice hockey player * Tuomas Viertola, basketball player

Politicians

Aino-Kaisa Pekonen Aino-Kaisa Ilona Pekonen (born 24 January 1979 in Riihimäki) is a Finnish politician of the Left Alliance. Pekonen is Finland's incumbent Minister of Social Affairs and Health. She has been a member of the Parliament of Finland since the 2011 ...

, Member of Parliament * Arto Lapiolahti, Member of Parliament * Efraim Kronqvist, politician and Riihimäki Red Guard leader in 1918 *

Helge Sirén Helge or Helgi is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch mostly male name. The name is derived from Proto-Norse ''Hailaga'' with its original meaning being ''dedicated to the gods''. For its Slavic version, see Oleg. Its feminine equivalent is Olg ...

, Member of Parliament * Iiro Viinanen, politician * Päivi Räsänen, politician

The arts

* Liisa Akimof, musician *

Pekka Autiovuori Pekka is a Finnish male given name. It was most popular around the middle of the 20th century. As of 2013 there were more than 100,000 people registered with this name in Finland. The nameday is the 29th of June in the Finnish tradition and the 25th ...

, actor * Torsten Brander, music contributor * Tommi Hakala, singer * Renny Harlin, film director and film producer * Aku Hirviniemi, actor *

Anita Hirvonen Anita or ANITA may refer to: Arts * ''Anita'' (1967 film), an Indian film * ''Anita'' (2009 film), an Argentine film * ''Anita'' (2021 film), a Hong Kong film *'' Anita: Swedish Nymphet'', a 1973 erotic film People * Anita (given name), people ...

, pop singer * Maija Isola, designer *

Erkki Junkkarinen Erkki Aukusti Junkkarinen (22 April 1929 in Suonenjoki – 9 April 2008 in Hämeenlinna) was a Finnish singer. Junkkarinen established his musical career in 1950 with his successful single ''Yksinäinen harmonikka'', though in the following y ...

, singer *

Janne Kataja Janne Kataja (born 5 April 1980) is a Finnish entertainer. As well as working as a magician, he also works as a stand up comedian, an actor and a host.Saastamoinen, Salli: ''Pingviinitanssi muutti elämän''. ''Pirkanmaan Sanomat'' 29 November 20 ...

, actor *

Jukka Koskinen Jukka Koskinen is a Finnish musician, who is the bassist for the Finnish band Wintersun. He was also the bassist for Norther from 2000 until their disbandment in 2012, for Amberian Dawn from 2010 until 2013, for Cain's Offering from 2009 until ...

, musician *

Niina Lahtinen Niina is a Finnish feminine given name, the Finnish version of Nina; it is also used in Japanese to transliterate the name Nina. Niina may refer to the following notable people: * Niina Kelo (born 1980), Finnish pentathlete *Niina Koskela Niin ...

, actor *

Sinikka Laine Sinikka Laine-Törmänen (born 17 October 1945) is a Finnish author primarily of young adult fiction. Her first novel ''Ohari'' was published in 1982. Laine has won many literary awards and her novel ''Tyttö tuulesta, poika pimeästä'' (1986) ...

, writer * Emilia Linnavuori, visual artist * Nest, music group *

Lauren Okadigbo Lauren may be a given name or surname.The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius. ...

, actress * Samuli Paronen, writer * Veikko Sinisalo, actor * Skepticism, music group * Seppo Tamminen, artist * Jann Wilde, musician and songwriter

Other

* Arvi Paloheimo, industrialist * Olli Paloheimo, forester, minister and Jäger * Ragnar Granit, physician who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine *

Veikko Löyttyniemi Veikko is a male Finnish given name. Notable people with the name include: * Veikko Aaltonen (born 1955), Finnish director, editor, sound editor, and production manager * Veikko Asikainen (1918–2002), Finnish footballer * Veikko Ennala (1922-199 ...

, journalist

Twin towns – sister cities

Riihimäki is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Szolnok, Hungary * Skedsmo, Norway * Húsavík, Iceland * Gus-Khrustalny, Russia * Karlskoga, Sweden *

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

, Denmark *

Bad Segeberg Bad Segeberg (; Low German: Sebarg) is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district (Kreis) Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck. It is famo ...

, Germany

References

;Notes

External links

Town of Riihimäki
– Official website
Hyrinet – Hyvinkää–Riihimäki area portal

Finnish Glass Museum - Riihimäki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riihimaki Cities and towns in Finland Municipalities of Kanta-Häme Populated places established in 1922 1922 establishments in Finland