Lohja (; ) is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, located in the southern interior of the country. Lohja is situated in the western part of the
Uusimaa
Uusimaa (; , ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, alo ...
region. The population of Lohja is approximately . It is the most populous
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in Finland. Lohja is part of the
Helsinki sub-region
Helsinki sub-region is a subdivision of Uusimaa in Finland. It is the most populous Sub-regions of Finland, sub-region in Finland with about million inhabitants. The sub-regions are used for statistical purposes. Statistics Finland uses the term ...
, but not directly part of the
Helsinki metropolitan area
Helsinki metropolitan area (, ) or Greater Helsinki (, ) is the metropolitan area around Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It also includes the smaller Helsinki capital region, capital region. The terms Helsinki metropolitan area, Greater H ...
.
Lohja covers an area of of which , or 8.3 percent, is water.
The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
of Lohja is .
Lohja has the fourth most
summer cottages of any municipality in Finland, with 8,468 in the city as of June 2018. Lohja is close to the Helsinki metropolitan area and benefits from a good road network. It takes less than an hour to drive from Helsinki to Lohja on the
E18 motorway, which, along with
Hangonväylä
The Finnish national road 25 (, ''Hangonväylä''; , ''Hangöleden'') is the main route between the major cities of Hanko and Hyvinkää in southern Finland. It runs from Tulliniemi in Hanko to the Maisala in Mäntsälä, where it continues to P ...
, is one of Lohja's main road connections.
Lohja is a
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
municipality with
Finnish and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
as its official languages. The population consists of Finnish speakers, Swedish speakers, and speakers of other languages. City's bilingual slogan is: '' – '' which translates to "Lake city".
The landscape of Lohja is characterized by manors and gardens. Its area is divided by the Lohja ridge, which forms a watershed for the largest lake system in Uusimaa,
Lake Lohja (Lohjanjärvi); mostly that's why Lohja is also referred to as "Lake City" (''järvikaupunki''). The medieval
Church of St. Lawrence is the architectural highlight of downtown Lohja, which also includes a heterogeneous mix of buildings mostly dating from the 1960s onwards. The Lohja library, which was opened in 2005, is a distinctly modern building
Lohja has been a focal point for the population and economy of western Uusimaa since the early 14th century. The local inhabitants were among the pioneers of the Finnish mining and construction material industries. Lohja has long-established traditions in horticulture and especially in
market gardening
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...
. These traditions are represented by the
Politics
Local
Pasi Perämäki is the
city manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
of Lohja. The city manager oversees the city committee. In addition to the city committee, Lohja has a 51-seat municipal council. The parties represented in the council as well as their seat counts are listed below.
National
2015 parliamentary election
Culture
The most notable are the Lohja Summer Cultural Festival, the Apple Carnival organized by representatives of business and commerce, the retailers' Hurlumhei Carnival and the Old Time Christmas market continue the tradition of fairs dating back to the Middle Ages.
The
Doom Metal
Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
band
Reverend Bizarre
Reverend Bizarre was a doom metal band from Finland. Formed in 1995, they played slow and heavy traditional doom with dramatic vocals, following in the footsteps of bands such as Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Pentagram and Bl ...
hails from Lohja.
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish language, Finnish Oral literature, oral poetry. He is best k ...
, who wrote the ''
Kalevala
The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...
'', was both born and died in
Sammatti
Sammatti () is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the city of Lohja in the beginning of 2009.
It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality had a population of 1,36 ...
, which has been part of Lohja since 2009.
Sights
Museums

*
Lohja Museum
*
Paikkari Croft, the home of
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish language, Finnish Oral literature, oral poetry. He is best k ...
* Johannes Lohilampi museum
*
Tytyri Mine Museum
* Kaarre Military Museum
* Kovela Agricultural Museum
* Hyrsylän Mutka, the home of dancer
Aira Samulin
Aira Laila Suvio-Samulin (née Suvio; 27 February 1927 – 23 October 2023) was a Finnish dance teacher and businesswoman.
Life and career
Samulin was born on 27 February 1927 in Ignoila, Salmi (rural locality), Salmi, Finland (present-day Russ ...
* Nummi Local History Museum
* Pusula Local History Museum
Churches
* The medieval
St. Lawrence's Church
*
Karjalohja Church
*
Kärkölä Village Church
*
Nummi Church
Nummi Church ( Finnish: ''Nummen kirkko'', Swedish: ''Nummis kyrka'') is a Lutheran stone church in the former municipality of Nummi, situated in the Finnish city of Lohja in the Uusimaa region. Constructed of gray stone in 1822, the church was ...
*
Pusula Church
*
Sammatti Church
Other places of interest
* Surroundings of Lake
Lohjanjärvi
Lohjanjärvi (; also known as Lake Lohja) is a lake located in the Uusimaa region of Finland. The majority of the lake is located within the borders of the city of Lohja and smaller parts in the municipality of Karjalohja and in the city of Ras ...
* Alitalo vineyard
* Paavola Oak and nature trail
*
Karkali Nature Park
* Lohja Theatre
* Liessaari Nature Trail
* Torhola Cave
Manor Houses
*
Ojamo Manor
Ojamo Manor ( Finnish: ''Ojamon kartano'', Swedish: ''Ojamo herrgård'') is a manor house in Lohja in Uusimaa, Finland. The site is known for housing the remains of the oldest iron mine in Finland. The manor house has since 2023 been owned by the ...
* Kirkniemi Manor
* Kyrkstad Manor
* Laakspohja Manor
*
Sports
Lohjan Pallo
Lohjan Pallo (abbreviated LoPa) is a football club from Lohja, Finland. The club was formed in 1966 and their home ground is at the Harjun urheilukenttä. The men's first team currently plays in thNelonen(Fourth Division). The chairman is Mikko ...
is the football team of the city. Lohja also has an ice hockey team called
Lohjan Jääankat
Lohjan Jääankat (Lohja Iceducks), shorter Ankat (Ducks) were an ice hockey team which was founded in 1992 in Lohja. Jääankat played season 2008–2009 2. Divisioona south group, and was promoted at the end of the season to Suomi-sarja. Promoti ...
.
Kisakallio Sports Institute is located in Lohja. Other important sports venues in the town are Neidonkeidas Indoor Swimming Pool and Lohja Spa Resort in Karjalohja.
Municipal consolidations

The
municipality of Lohja was consolidated with the city of Lohja in 1997, and the municipality of
Sammatti
Sammatti () is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the city of Lohja in the beginning of 2009.
It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality had a population of 1,36 ...
in 2009. The municipalities of
Karjalohja
Karjalohja (; ) is a former municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. Before merging into Lohja, the municipality had a population of (31 December 2012) and covered an area of ...
and
Nummi-Pusula
Nummi-Pusula () is a former municipality of Finland. Its seat was in Nummi. Nummi-Pusula was formed in 1981 from the former municipalities Nummi and Pusula. With Karjalohja, it was merged with the town of Lohja on 1 January 2013.
It was located ...
were consolidated with Lohja in 2013.
Local subdivisions
A significant part of the city of Lohja is not yet part of any district, since after the 1997 municipal association with the former rural municipality of Lohja.
Neighborhoods
The official city districts within the city proper of the municipality of Lohja are:
*
Ahtsalmi,
Anttila,
Gruotila,
Gunnarla,
Hiidensalmi,
Immula,
Keskilohja,
Kirkniemi (), Kukkumäki (formerly Luttula,
Luttula
vesa.lib.helsinki.fi ), Kirkonkylä (), Lempola, Maksjoki, Metsola Metsola is a Finnish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Ilari Metsola (born 1992), Finnish ice hockey player
* Juha Metsola (born 1989), Finnish ice hockey player
* Jukka-Pekka Metsola (born 1954), Finnish judoka
* Roberta Metsola ...
, Moisio, Muijala, Myllylampi, Neitsytlinna, Ojamo, Ojamonkangas, Paloniemi (Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: ''Fagernäs''), Pappila (Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: ''Prästgården''), Pappilankorpi, Perttilä (Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: ''Bertbacka''), Pitkäniemi, Routio (Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: ''Routiobacka''), Röylä
Röylä (; , ) is a district of Espoo, Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothni ...
, Sammatti
Sammatti () is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the city of Lohja in the beginning of 2009.
It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality had a population of 1,36 ...
, Vappula (), Ventelä (), Vienola and Virkkala
Virkkala (; ) is a district of Lohja, Finland, located about 8 kilometers southwest of the center of Lohja along Hanko Highway (Vt 25). Lake Lohja (Finland), Lake Lohja is located right next to Virkkala on its western side. The urban center of Vir ...
().
Villages
The villages and hamlets of the municipality of Lohja are:
Lohja rural
* Ahtiala, Askola, Hermala, Hietainen, Hiittinen, Hongisto, Iso-Teutari (), Jalassaari, Jantoniemi, Kaijola, Karjalohjan Ahtiala, Karjalohjan Pappila, Karkalniemi, Karnainen, Kittilä (), Koikkala, Kokkila, Korkenoja, Koski, Kouvola, Kunnarla (), Kutsila, Laakspohja (), Lehmijärvi, Lieviö (), Lohjankylä, Lylyinen, Maksjoki, Mynterlä* (), Niemi, Nummenkylä, Näätälä (), Osuniemi (), Outamo, Paavola, Paksalo, Pauni, Pietilä, Piispala (), Pulli, Seräjärvi, Skraatila, Suittila, Särkijärvi, Talpela, Torhola, Vaanila, Valla, Vanhakylä, Varola, Vasarla, Veijola (), Virkkala (), Vohloinen, Vähä-Teutari () and Yli-Immola.
Sammatti
* Haarijärvi (Haarjärvi), Karstu, Kaukola, Kiikala, Leikkilä, Lohilampi, Luskala, Myllykylä, Niemenkylä and Sammatti
Karjalohja
* Härjänvatsa, Ilmoniemi, Immola, Karkali, Kattelus, Kourjoki, Kuusia, Kärkelä, Lohjantaipale, Lönnhammar (Linhamari), Maila, Makkarjoki, Murto, Mustlahti, Nummijärvi, Pappila, Pellonkylä, Pipola, Pitkälahti (Långvik), Puujärvi, Pyöli, Saarenpää, Sakkola, Suurniemi, Särkjärvi, Tallaa and Tammisto
Nummi
* Haarla, Hakula, Heijala, Heimola, Huhti, Hyrsylä, Hyvelä, Immola, Jakova, Järvenpää
Järvenpää (; , ; ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Järvenpää is situated in the centre of the Uusimaa region in the immediate vicinity of Lake Tuusula. The population of Järvenpää is approximately ...
, Jättölä, Korkianoja, Kovela, Leppäkorpi, Luttula, Maikkala, Maskila, Mettula, Miemola, Millola, Mommola, Mäntsälä
Mäntsälä () is a municipality in the province of Southern Finland, and is part of the Uusimaa region. It has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. The municipality is unilingually Finni ...
, Nummi Church Village, Näkkilä, Oinola, Oittila, Pakkala
Pakkala () is a city district in Vantaa, Finland. It is the most populated district in the Aviapolis major region, and is named after the Backas estate situated there. Pakkala is notable for the suburb of Kartanonkoski and the business park o ...
, Pälölä, Raatti, Remala, Retlahti, Röhkölä, Salo Salo or Salò may refer to:
Places Finland
*Salo, Finland, a town in Western Finland
**Salo sub-region, a subdivision of Finland Proper and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009
*An old name of Saloinen, a former municipality in Ostroboth ...
, Saukkola
Saukkola () is an urban area and Districts of Lohja, district in the city of Lohja and the former administrative center, administrative centre of the Nummi-Pusula municipality. Old Turku Road between Turku and Helsinki (Finnish regional road 110, ...
, Sierla, Sitarla
is a Japanese musician, known primarily for his work with Flower Travellin' Band and for creating the sitarla instrument. A guitarist and sitar player for nearly forty years, he now exclusively plays the sitarla, an instrument he invented in ...
, Tavola, Varttila and Vivola
Pusula
* Ahonpää, Hattula
Hattula () is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Tavastia Proper region and until 2010 it was located in the province of Southern Finland. Hattula is almost completely surrounded by Hämeenlinna, only in the north it shares the border w ...
, Hauhula, Herrala
Hilda Gustaava Herrala (8 April 1881 - 16 July 1956) was a Finnish seamstress and politician, born in Kuivaniemi. She was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1908 to 1913, from 1916 to 1918 and from 1933 to 1936, representing the Social ...
, Hirvijoki, Hyrkkölä, Hyönölä, Ikkala, Karisjärvi, Kaukela, Koisjärvi, Kärkölä
Kärkölä () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population densit ...
, Marttila
Marttila (; , i.e. " Saint Martin's") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. ...
, Mäkkylä, Pusula, Radus, Seppälä, Suomela, Uusikylä, Viiala
Viiala is a former municipality of Finland. On 1 January 2007, it was consolidated with Toijala to form the town of Akaa.
Viiala is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality had a populatio ...
and Vörlö
Twin towns
Lohja is twinned with:
* Växjö
Växjö () is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 71,282 inhabitants (2020) out of a Municipalities of Sweden, municipal population of 97,349 (2024). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial ce ...
, Sweden
* Ringerike, Norway
* Aabenraa
Aabenraa (; , ; South Jutlandic: ''Affenråe'', also known as Åbenrå) is a town in Southern Denmark, at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, north of the Denmark–Germany border and north of German town of Flensburg. It ...
, Denmark
* Skagaströnd
Skagaströnd (), previously Höfðakaupstaður (), is a Municipalities of Iceland, municipality and village in the Northwestern Region (Iceland), Northwestern Region of Iceland. It is situated on the western side of the Skagi peninsula, along ...
, Iceland
* Sátoraljaújhely
Sátoraljaújhely (German language, German: ''Neustadt am Zeltberg''; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Nové Mesto pod Šiatrom;'' Yiddish: ''איהעל'') is a border town located in Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén County, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hu ...
, Hungary
See also
Districts of Lohja
* Saukkola
Saukkola () is an urban area and Districts of Lohja, district in the city of Lohja and the former administrative center, administrative centre of the Nummi-Pusula municipality. Old Turku Road between Turku and Helsinki (Finnish regional road 110, ...
* Virkkala
Virkkala (; ) is a district of Lohja, Finland, located about 8 kilometers southwest of the center of Lohja along Hanko Highway (Vt 25). Lake Lohja (Finland), Lake Lohja is located right next to Virkkala on its western side. The urban center of Vir ...
Neighbourhooding municipalities
* Ingå
Ingå (; , ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Ingå is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Ingå is approximately , while the Raseborg sub-region, sub-region has a popul ...
* Siuntio
Siuntio (; ) is a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Southern Finland. Its neighboring municipalities are Ingå to the west, Kirkkonummi to the east, Lohja to the north-west, and Vihti to the north. It is west of Helsinki.
As of 2021, the p ...
* Vihti
Vihti (; ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Vihti is situated in the Uusimaa region. The population of Vihti is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Fin ...
References
External links
Town of Lohja
– Official site
Visit Lohja
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Finland
Municipalities of Uusimaa
Populated places established in 1926
Populated lakeshore places in Finland