Hämeenlinna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hämeenlinna
Tavastehus
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City
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| Hämeenlinnan kaupunki Tavastehus stad City of Hämeenlinna |
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Aerial view of the Häme Castle.
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Location of Hämeenlinna in Finland
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OpenStreetMap
Interactive map outlining Hämeenlinna.
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region |  Kanta-Häme |
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| Sub-region | Hämeenlinna sub-region | |
| Charter | 1639 | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 2,031.53 km2 (784.38 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 1,785.35 km2 (689.33 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 245.79 km2 (94.90 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 34th largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 68,319 | |
| • Rank | 15th largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 38.27/km2 (99.1/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 92.8% (official) | |
| • Swedish | 0.4% | |
| • Others | 6.8% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 14.5% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 59.3% | |
| • 65 or older | 26.2% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
Hämeenlinna is a city in Finland. It is the capital of the Kanta-Häme region. The city is located in southern Finland, right by Lake Vanajavesi. About 68,000 people live in Hämeenlinna. It is one of Finland's most populated cities.
Hämeenlinna is the oldest city in Finland that is not on the coast. It was a very important city until the 1800s. The city is in the historical area of Tavastia. The old Häme Castle is a famous landmark in the city.
Hämeenlinna is also known as the birthplace of Jean Sibelius. He was a famous Finnish composer. The city is close to other big cities like Helsinki (about 98 km away), Tampere (73 km away), and Lahti (72 km away).
Hämeenlinna shares borders with many other towns. These include Akaa, Hattula, and Janakkala. In 2009, several smaller towns joined Hämeenlinna. This made the city much larger.
The city's coat of arms shows a castle. This design comes from an old town seal from the 1600s. It represents the Häme Castle by Lake Vanajavesi. The current design was made in 1956.
Contents
History of Hämeenlinna
The area around Vanaja has been settled since the Viking Age. Häme Castle was built in the late 1200s. It helped Sweden control central Finland. A village grew near the castle to serve its people.
Hämeenlinna officially became a city on January 19, 1639. However, it grew slowly compared to coastal cities. In 1777, King Gustav III of Sweden moved the city about one kilometer south. It is still in that spot today.
The city is famous for its schools. Many well-known Finns have studied here. Schools, government, and the military have always been important to Hämeenlinna. Finland's first railway line opened here in 1862. It connected Hämeenlinna to Helsinki. The current Hämeenlinna railway station was built in 1921.
During the Finnish Civil War in 1918, Hämeenlinna was first controlled by the Reds. Later, the Whites captured the city with German help. After the war, a prison camp was set up for Red prisoners.
Geography and Nature
There are 339 lakes in and around Hämeenlinna. The biggest ones are Lake Vanajavesi, Lake Kukkia, and Lake Kuohijärvi. The landscape includes the Häme Lake Plateau and the Vanajavesi Valley. Much of the area shows signs of rich farming culture.
The city has many nature reserves. The largest are in popular areas like Aulanko and Ahvenisto. Hämeenlinna also has Finland's first national urban park. It was created in 2001.
Climate in Hämeenlinna
| Climate data for Hämeenlinna Lammi Pappila (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
29.0 (84.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.6 (90.7) |
25.9 (78.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
10.2 (50.4) |
33.2 (91.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.1 (26.4) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
1.6 (34.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
20.5 (68.9) |
14.8 (58.6) |
7.5 (45.5) |
2.1 (35.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
8.7 (47.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.8 (21.6) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.9 (62.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
10.2 (50.4) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
4.7 (40.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.6 (16.5) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
3.9 (39.0) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.6 (52.9) |
10.5 (50.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
1.9 (35.4) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
0.9 (33.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −37.4 (−35.3) |
−36.2 (−33.2) |
−28.5 (−19.3) |
−15.9 (3.4) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−15.7 (3.7) |
−22.1 (−7.8) |
−34.2 (−29.6) |
−37.4 (−35.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 49 (1.9) |
37 (1.5) |
34 (1.3) |
32 (1.3) |
41 (1.6) |
64 (2.5) |
79 (3.1) |
72 (2.8) |
54 (2.1) |
66 (2.6) |
58 (2.3) |
53 (2.1) |
639 (25.2) |
| Average precipitation days | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 118 |
| Source 1: FMI climatological normals for Finland 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Record highs and lows 1963–present | |||||||||||||
City Layout and Landmarks
Hämeenlinna's center is on Saarinen Hill, by Lake Vanajavesi. Major roads like Highway 3 and Highway 10 pass near the city. The streets in the center follow a grid pattern. This design was made in 1832. The Market Square is at the heart of the city.
Important buildings around the market square include the town hall and Hämeenlinna Church. The city center has different building styles. It is quite large and busy for a city of its size. The Keinusaari district, across Lake Vanajavesi, has been growing. The city's railway station is located there.
People and Languages
Population Size
Hämeenlinna has about 68,319 residents. This makes it the 15th most populated city in Finland. The wider Hämeenlinna region has a population of about 93,813. A small part of the population, 6.0%, comes from other countries. This is less than the national average for Finland.
| Year | Population |
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| 1990 |
61,222
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| 1995 |
62,080
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| 2000 |
63,033
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| 2005 |
64,271
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| 2010 |
66,829
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| 2015 |
68,011
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| 2020 |
67,848
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Languages Spoken
Population by mother tongue (2023) Finnish (92.8%) Estonian (0.7%) Russian (0.7%) Arabic (0.7%) Persian (0.5%) Swedish (0.4%) English (0.4%) Other (3.9%)
Most people in Hämeenlinna speak Finnish. About 92.8% of the population speaks Finnish as their first language. A small number of people, about 0.4%, speak Swedish. Many people also speak other languages.
At least 40 different languages are spoken in Hämeenlinna. The most common foreign languages are Estonian, Russian, Arabic, and Farsi. Because English and Swedish are taught in schools, many residents can speak more than one language.
People from Other Countries
| Population by country of birth (2022) | ||
| Nationality | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Finland |
64,094 | 94.2 |
 Estonia |
424 | 0.6 |
 Soviet Union |
380 | 0.6 |
 Iraq |
277 | 0.4 |
 Poland |
207 | 0.3 |
 Turkey |
183 | 0.3 |
 Afghanistan |
177 | 0.3 |
 Thailand |
160 | 0.2 |
 Somalia |
157 | 0.2 |
 Syria |
111 | 0.2 |
 Russia |
110 | 0.2 |
| Other | 1,571 | 2.3 |
In 2023, about 6.8% of Hämeenlinna's population had a background from another country. Most foreign-born residents came from Estonia, the former Soviet Union, Iraq, and Poland. The number of new residents from other countries is growing. This means the city will become more diverse in the future.
Religion in Hämeenlinna
In 2023, the largest religious group was the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. About 67.8% of people in Hämeenlinna belonged to this church. Other religious groups made up 2.5% of the population. Nearly 30% of the population did not belong to any religious group.
Economy and Jobs
Hämeenlinna's economy is similar to Finland's overall economy. In 2015, there were over 28,000 jobs in the city. Most jobs (75%) were in the service industry. About 3% were in farming and fishing. The remaining 21% were in manufacturing.
Education in Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna is home to the main campus of HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences. The city also has famous schools like the Hämeenlinna Lyceum. This school was founded in 1873. Many important Finns, like composer Jean Sibelius and president J. K. Paasikivi, studied there.
Hämeenlinna Lyceum has both a middle school (grades 7–9) and a high school. Another high school in the city is Kauriala High School. There were plans to combine these two schools, but the city decided to keep them separate.
Culture and Sports
Traditional Food
In the 1980s, Hämeenlinna had some traditional dishes. For everyday meals, people ate smoked ham and sourdough bread. For special occasions, they might have herring wrapped in rye dough, also called "fish bread." Other festive foods included buttermilk and beer. A special dish was riistansylttääjän lintupaisti. This was pheasant stuffed with almonds, served with potato and apple slices.
Sports Activities
Hämeenlinna has several sports teams:
- Ice Hockey: HPK plays in the top Finnish league (SM-liiga). The women's team, HPK Kiekkonaiset, plays in the Naisten Liiga.
- Football: FC Hämeenlinna and Hämeenlinnan Härmä (men's team) play in the third-tier league. The women's team of Hämeenlinnan Härmä plays in the second-tier league.
- Olympics: The city hosted the modern pentathlon event for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
- Motorsport: The Ahvenisto Race Circuit opened in 1967. It hosts many motorsport events.
- Floorball: The Steelers Sailbandy Club plays in the F-liiga.
Famous People from Hämeenlinna
Many notable people were born or lived in Hämeenlinna:
- Jouko Ahola (strongman and actor)
- Antony Hämäläinen (vocalist)
- Eino Leino (poet)
- Marko Mäkilaakso (film director)
- Antti Miettinen (NHL ice hockey player)
- Victorine Nordenswan (painter)
- J. K. Paasikivi (7th President of Finland)
- Kimi Räikkönen (Formula One driver)
- Juuse Saros (NHL ice hockey goaltender)
- Jean Sibelius (composer)
- Turisas (metal band)
International Connections
Hämeenlinna is connected with other cities around the world. These are called twin towns or sister cities. They work together on cultural and other projects.
Twin Towns and Sister Cities
Hämeenlinna is twinned with:
