Päijät-Häme (; ) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Southern Finland Southern Finland (, ) 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 On September 1, 1997 the Uusimaa Province, the Ky ...

south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions of

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 ...

Kanta-Häme Kanta-Häme (; ), sometimes referred to as Tavastia Proper, is a Regions of Finland, region (, ) of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, Päijänne Tavastia, Päijät-Häme, and Uusimaa (region), Uusimaa. Before the of ...

Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa (; ; ), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Southwest Finland. Most of the wate ...

Central Finland Central Finland (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, North Savo, and Southern Savonia, South S ...

South Savo South Savo (or Southern Savonia; ; ) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total area of South Savo is 18,768.33 km ...

and

Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso (; ; "Kymi River, Kymi/Kymmene Valley") is a Regions of Finland, region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, Southern Savonia, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia (Leningrad Oblast). Its name means lit ...

. The biggest city in the region is

Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...

. Päijät-Häme boasts a landscape shaped by two key features. Finland's second-largest,

Lake Päijänne Lake Päijänne () is the second largest lake in Finland (). The lake drains into the Gulf of Finland via the Kymi River. The major islands are from north to south Vuoritsalo, Muuratsalo, Onkisalo, Judinsalo, Edessalo, Taivassalo, Haukkas ...

, dominates the region, offering a vast

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

expanse and a vital

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

route. The Häme Ridge, a glacial remnant, adds a touch of elevation and scenic variation. Beyond these, Päijät-Häme features extensive

coniferous forest Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

s. Rolling hills provide scenic views, while numerous smaller lakes and rivers create a network of

waterway A waterway is any Navigability, navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is ...

History

Päijät-Häme's landscape reflects the dramatic retreat of

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s. The last Ice Age carved the land, leaving ridges (

Salpausselkä Salpausselkä (; "Bar Ridge") is an extensive ridge system left by the ice age in Southern Finland. It is a large terminal moraine formation that formed in front of the Baltic ice lake during the Younger Dryas period about 12,250–10,400 year ...

) and large lakes (

Finnish Lakeland Finnish Lakeland or the Finnish lake district ( , "Lake Finland", ) is a large landscape region in central eastern Finland. The hilly, forest-covered landscape of Lakeland Finland's lake plateau is dominated by drumlins and by long sinuous es ...

). As the ice melted, the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

went through various stages, dramatically changing shorelines. Land rose, creating islands and eventually dry land. Human settlement followed the receding water, with the Porvoo River valley being the oldest cultural landscape. Today, Päijät-Häme boasts a unique blend of lakes, ridges, and reminders of its glacial past. After glaciers retreated 11,000 years ago, the first settlers arrived in Päijät-Häme. Birch dominated the initially barren landscape. As the climate warmed, people lived near ancient lakes and bays. By 5100 BC, the

Comb Ceramic culture The Comb Ceramic culture or Pit-Comb Ware culture, often abbreviated as CCC or PCW, was a northeast European culture characterised by its Pit–Comb Ware. It existed from around 4200 BCE to around 2000 BCE. The bearers of the Comb Ceramic cultu ...

thrived. The arrival of the

Battle Axe culture The Battle Axe culture, also called Boat Axe culture, is a Chalcolithic culture that flourished in the coastal areas of the south of the Scandinavian Peninsula and southwest Finland, from . It was an offshoot of the Corded Ware culture, and repl ...

around 3200 BC brought new tools and pottery styles. During the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

(1900 BC), cremation burials and large stone cairns became common. In the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

, settlements shifted to better farming areas near waterways.

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

raids and unrest marked the later Iron Age. Christianity arrived during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

(1050-1300 AD). By the

Middle Age Middle age (or middle adulthood) is the age range of the years halfway between childhood and old age. The exact range is subject to public debate, but the term is commonly used to denote the age range from 45 to 65 years. Overall This time span ...

s, villages dotted the shores of waterways and lakes. The 16th century saw a solidification of village life, with the most prominent settlements around

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 is . ...

, and

Nastola Nastola is a former municipality of Finland. It was merged with the city of Lahti on 1 January 2016. In the province of Southern Finland, Nastola is part of the Päijät-Häme region. The municipality had a population of (30 June 2015) and cover ...

. The 1800s brought a boom in agriculture, with cultivated land tripling and industries like flax farming and cattle raising flourishing. Forests were mostly owned by farms, and improved transportation facilitated timber sales.

Manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

s played a crucial role in rural life until World War I, with some later being divided into new farms. Today, Päijät-Häme's settlement can be divided into three zones: the sparsely populated eastern area with smaller farms and estates, the more densely populated central region with a strong presence of independent farms, and the sparsely populated north with vast forests. As transportation networks evolved, settlement patterns shifted, with Lahti emerging as the dominant population center. Villages in Päijät-Häme have a long history intertwined with the landscape. Most likely arose around the 16th century, strategically placed near ridges and

s for easy access to water and fertile land. Water remained the primary mode of transportation for centuries, with some villages even shifting their centers to be closer to

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

routes. The arrival of

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s in the 19th century revolutionized transportation, and later road networks further influenced development.

Heinola Heinola () is a town and a municipality of inhabitants () located in the eastern part of the Päijänne Tavastia region, Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to t ...

, for example, benefitted from its location near the Kymijoki River, which facilitated industrial growth once railways arrived. This pattern likely mirrored itself across Päijät-Häme during the 1800s and 1900s. Heinola, founded in 1776, became the region's first city in 1839. Industrial areas grew around its center, particularly on the east and south sides. Lahti's story is tied to railways and lakeside industry. It gained market town rights in 1878 and city status in 1905. Factories like

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s, a

pulp mill A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber sources into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or ...

, and

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

factories fueled Lahti's expansion. Village churches (kirkonkylät) also saw growth from the 1860s onward, spurred by relaxed land ownership laws. However, rapid expansion in some villages obscured their older features. Lahti housed sawmills, pulp mills,

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

factories, and

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

producers. Heinola developed sawmills,

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

, and

fiberboard Fiberboard (American English) or fibreboard (Commonwealth English) is a type of engineered wood product that is made out of wood fibers. Types of fiberboard (in order of increasing density) include particle board or low-density fiberboard (LDF ...

factories alongside metalworking. Notably,

Hämeenkoski Hämeenkoski (; Koski Hl until 1995, see Koski Tl) is a former municipality of Finland. It was merged to the municipality of Hollola on 1 January 2016. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia regi ...

had Finland's first flax cleaning plant built in 1888. Worker housing districts accompanied industrial growth. The passage mentions both early examples and later, larger developments from the post-war period and the 1960s and 70s.

Historical provinces

Heraldry

Blazon: Azure, a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

and in dexter chief a

cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

close Or. In laymen's terms: The coat of arms sports a depiction of the ancient water goddess Vellamo as a mermaid, with a cuckoo.

Municipalities

The region of Päijät-Häme consists of 10

municipalities 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' ...

, two of which have city status (marked in bold).

Municipalities on the map

Sub-regions

Lahti sub-region Lahti sub-region is a subdivision of Päijänne Tavastia and one of the sub-regions of Finland since 2009. The Lahti region has a population of , making it the fifth largest region in Finland after Greater Helsinki, Helsinki, Tampere sub-region, T ...

Asikkala Asikkala () is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Vääksy, at the shores of the Lake Päijänne. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia regi ...

Hartola (''Gustav Adolfs'') * Heinola

Iitti Iitti (; ) 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 density ...

(''Itis'') *

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 ...

(''Lahtis'') *

Orimattila Orimattila () is a town in Päijänne Tavastia regions of Finland, region, Finland. The southern part of Lahti is connected to the village of Pennala, which is located in the northern part of the Orimattila municipality. Its neighboring municipali ...

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 a ...

Sysmä Sysmä () is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is situated in the Päijät-Häme regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Ne ...

Municipalities listed

Former municipalities

Artjärvi Artjärvi (; ) is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the town of Orimattila on January 1, 2011. The municipality was located in the Päijänne Tavastia region. It had a population of 1,412 (31 October 2010) and covered a ...

(''Artsjö'') ** Consolidated with the town of

in 2011. *

** Consolidated with the municipality of

in 2016. *

Heinolan maalaiskunta (''Heinola landskommun'') ** Consolidated with the town of

in 1997. * Nastola

** Consolidated with the city of

in 2016. * Until 2021,

was part of the Kymenlaakso region before it became part of Päijät-Häme.

Politics

Results of the

2019 Finnish parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 14 April 2019. For the first time, no party received more than 20% of the vote. The Centre Party, which had been the largest party following the 2015 Finnish parliamentary election, 2015 elections, ...

in Päijät-Häme: *

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

23.28% *

Finns Party The Finns Party ( , PS; , Sannf), formerly known as the True Finns, is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The party achieved its electoral breakthro ...

22.10% *

National Coalition Party The National Coalition Party (NCP; , Kok; , Saml) is a liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland. It is the current governing political party of Finland. Founded in 1918, the ...

19.43% * Centre Party 9.94% *

Green League The Green League, ( , Vihr; ; ; ; ) shortened to the Greens, (; ) is a green political party in Finland. Ideologically, the Green League is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a reformist party and it supports femi ...

8.82% * Left Alliance 6.12% *

Christian Democrats Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well a ...

6.12% *

Movement Now Movement Now (MN; , Liik; , RN) is an economic liberalism, economically liberal List of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland. It was founded by then-National Coalition Party (NCP) member of parliament Hjallis Harkimo, Harry ...

1.64% * Seven Star Movement 0.40% *

Blue Reform The Finnish Reform Movement (, Korj), previously known as Blue Reform (), was a Finnish conservative political party. It was founded by the 19 MPs who left the Finns Party on 13 June 2017 in protest against Jussi Halla-aho having been elected p ...

0.38% *

Swedish People's Party of Finland The Swedish People's Party of Finland (SPP; , SFP; , RKP) is a Finnish political party founded in 1906. Its primary aim is to represent the interests of the minority Swedish-speaking population of Finland. The party is currently a participant i ...

0.29% *Other parties 1.48%

Gallery

File:Hollola church interior.jpg, Medieval church in Hollola File:Lahti view 2.jpg, A view of Lahti centre File:Päijänne and päijätsalo.jpg, Lake Päijänne in Sysmä File:Heinola.jpg, Heinola town centre File:Lahti-kauppatori-kaupungintalo.jpg, Lahti Market Place with the City Hall by

Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish and American Architecture, architect known for his work with Art Nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Ee ...

in the background File:Vääksy - harbour.jpg, Harbour in

Vääksy Vääksy is a village and seat of the municipality of Asikkala in southern Finland. It is located on an isthmus between Päijänne and Vesijärvi, about north of Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-H ...

File:Virenoja koski.jpg, Virenoja Rapids and ruins of an old mill, Orimattila File:Hartola church.jpg, Hartola Church File:Radio masts.Lahti.1928.20060205 PM.jpg, The radio masts in Lahti, symbols for the city File:Vaaksynkanava.jpg, Vääksy Canal, Asikkala File:Heinamaa3.jpg, Rural landscape in Orimattila File:Nastola kirkko5.jpg, Nastola Church File:Field in Kärkölä.jpg, Rural landscape in Kärkölä File:Tähtiniemen silta.JPG, The Tähtiniemi Bridge in Heinola File:Lahti Sibelius Hall.JPG, The celebrated Sibelius Hall is the heart of Lahti's cultural life File:Salpausselkä 03.jpg, Ski jumping hills in Lahti; also a venue for Ski Jumping WC File:Pirunpesä rock cleft.jpg, A rock cleft in Hollola File:Kärkölä church.jpg, The Gothic Revival church in Kärkölä File:Vesijärvi from Asikkala.jpg, Lake Vesijärvi in Asikkala File:Windmill in Hartola.jpg, A windmill in Hartola File:Kakela1.jpg, A typical traditional Tavastian village view, Orimattila File:Municipal house.20051010 PM.hollola of finland.ojp.jpg, National romantic municipal house in Hollola File:Lahti - Harjukatu 2.jpg, Architecture in Lahti File:PyhäniemiManor.jpg, Pyhäniemi Manor, Hollola File:Vääksynjoki2.jpg, An old mill at River Vääksynjoki, Asikkala File:KymiRing_-_June_2018_-_04.jpg,

Kymi Ring The KymiRing is a motor racing circuit in Kausala of the Iitti municipality, Päijänne Tavastia, Finland, bordering the Kymenlaakso's regional capital Kouvola, and located north-east of the capital Helsinki. It was planned that it would be th ...

, a motor racing circuit in

Kausala Kausala is a village and administrative center in Iitti municipality in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. Kausala has a population of 3,775, which makes it the largest village of the municipality in terms of population. The significance of Kausala for ...

, Iitti

References

External links

The Regional Council of Päijät-Häme
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paijanne Tavastia Southern Finland Province

History

Historical provinces

Heraldry

Municipalities

Municipalities on the map

Sub-regions

Municipalities listed

Former municipalities

Politics

See also

Gallery

References

External links