Hyvinkää facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hyvinkää
Hyvinge
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City
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| Hyvinkään kaupunki Hyvinge stad |
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Ahjo building from 1935 in central Hyvinkää. The church of Hyvinkää in the background.
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Location of Hyvinkää in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region |  Uusimaa |
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| Sub-region | Helsinki sub-region | ||
| Metropolitan area | Helsinki metropolitan area | ||
| Charter | 1917 | ||
| City rights | 1960 | ||
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 336.77 km2 (130.03 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 322.69 km2 (124.59 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 14.14 km2 (5.46 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 229th largest in Finland | ||
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 46,901 | ||
| • Rank | 23rd largest in Finland | ||
| • Density | 145.34/km2 (376.4/sq mi) | ||
| Population by native language | |||
| • Finnish | 91.2% (official) | ||
| • Swedish | 0.9% | ||
| • Others | 7.8% | ||
| Population by age | |||
| • 0 to 14 | 15.1% | ||
| • 15 to 64 | 62.2% | ||
| • 65 or older | 22.7% | ||
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | ||
| Climate | Dfc | ||
Hyvinkää (pronounced HY-vin-kaa) is a lively town in Finland. It's located in the southern part of the country, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the capital city, Helsinki. Hyvinkää is part of the Uusimaa region.
The town has a population of around 47,000. It's the 23rd largest municipality in Finland by population. Hyvinkää is also part of the larger Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which is home to about 1.58 million people.
Hyvinkää became an official town in 1917 and gained city rights in 1960. It's well-connected by major roads like the Tampere Highway and Hanko Highway, as well as by train lines. This makes it a popular place for people who work in Helsinki but prefer to live outside the busy city center.
The city is known for its green spaces and places to relax. You can find interesting buildings here, like the modern Church of Hyvinkää (built in 1961) and the historic Kytäjä manor house. If you love trains, you'll enjoy the Finnish Railway Museum located in Hyvinkää. Golf fans can visit Kytäjä Golf in the nearby countryside.
Hyvinkää is also home to important companies. Konecranes makes and services large cranes, while KONE Elevators is one of the world's biggest companies for elevators and escalators.
Contents
History of Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää has a long history, dating back to the 16th century. In 1495, a tavern was first mentioned in the area now called Hyvinkäänkylä. This spot was roughly halfway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. Tax records from that time also show a few houses in the area. There was even a mine near the current Kytäjä village.
The village of Hyvinkää started to grow more in the late 1800s. However, the biggest change came with the construction of Finland's railway network, which began in 1861. This railway was key to the town's fast growth. Hyvinkää became its own parish (a church district) in 1917, separating from Nurmijärvi.
The Railway's Impact
The first railway line in Finland, connecting Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, was built right through Hyvinkää. The Hyvinkää railway station is one of the original stations that is still in use today. Another important railway line from Hyvinkää goes to the port of Hanko. This Hanko–Hyvinkää Railroad was Finland's first private railway, started in 1862. It was later bought by the Finnish State Railway Company in 1875. In the early 1900s, many emigrants (people leaving their home country) stopped at Hyvinkää station. They were on their way to board ships in Hanko to start new lives in North America.
Health and Industry Growth
Because of its many pine forests, Hyvinkää was thought to have very clean air. In the 1880s, doctors from Helsinki opened a special hospital called a sanatorium here. People came to rest and get better.
Industry also came to Hyvinkää. In 1892, the Donner family opened a wool factory called Hyvinge Yllespinneri. The factory stopped working in the 1990s, but its old red-brick buildings are still there. They are now used for art shows and theater performances.
After World War II
After the Second World War, Hyvinkää Airfield became Finland's main airport for a short time (1944–1947). This happened because Helsinki-Malmi Airport was being used by the Allied Powers. Today, there's a motorsports center near the airfield.
Hyvinkää's population grew quickly after the war. Many Finnish refugees from Karelia moved here after that region was given to the Soviet Union. Today, Hyvinkää is the sixth largest town in Uusimaa by population.
Population and Languages
Understanding Hyvinkää's Population
The city of Hyvinkää has 46,901 residents. This makes it the 23rd most populated municipality in Finland. Hyvinkää is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area, which is the largest urban area in Finland. It has a total of 1,582,452 people. About 7.9% of the people in Hyvinkää have a foreign background, which is a bit lower than the average for all of Finland.
| Year | Population |
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| 1990 |
40,194
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| 1995 |
41,203
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| 2000 |
42,545
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| 2005 |
43,848
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| 2010 |
45,489
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| 2015 |
46,463
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| 2020 |
46,576
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Languages Spoken in Hyvinkää
Population by mother tongue (2023) Finnish (91.2%) Estonian (1.2%) Russian (1.1%) Swedish (0.9%) Albanian (0.6%) Arabic (0.5%) Farsi (0.4%) Other (4.0%)
Hyvinkää is mainly a Finnish-speaking municipality. Most people, about 42,782 or 91.2% of the population, speak Finnish as their first language. A smaller number of people, 438 or 0.9% of the population, speak Swedish.
About 7.8% of the people in Hyvinkää speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish as their first language. Because English and Swedish are required subjects in school, many people in Hyvinkää can speak two or even three languages. At least 30 different languages are spoken in the town. The most common foreign languages include Estonian (1.2%), Russian (1.1%), Albanian (0.6%), and Arabic (0.5%).
Immigration and Diversity
| Population by country of birth (2022) | ||
| Nationality | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Finland |
43,655 | 93.3 |
 Estonia |
477 | 1.0 |
 Soviet Union |
368 | 0.8 |
 Sweden |
189 | 0.4 |
 Yugoslavia |
140 | 0.3 |
 Syria |
134 | 0.3 |
 Thailand |
126 | 0.3 |
 Afghanistan |
112 | 0.2 |
 India |
108 | 0.2 |
 Philippines |
106 | 0.2 |
 China |
89 | 0.2 |
| Other | 1,293 | 2.8 |
As of 2023, there were 3,709 people with a migrant background living in Hyvinkää. This is about 7.9% of the total population. Out of these, 3,418 people were born outside Finland, making up 7.3% of the population. The number of people with foreign citizenship living in Hyvinkää was 2,421. Most foreign-born residents came from Estonia, the former Soviet Union, Sweden, and the former Yugoslavia.
The percentage of immigrants in Hyvinkää is currently lower than the national average for Finland. However, more and more new residents in the city are from other countries. This means the number of foreign residents is expected to grow in the future.
Religious Groups in Hyvinkää
In 2023, the largest religious group in Hyvinkää was the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which included 62.5% of the population. Other religious groups made up 2.3% of the population. A significant portion, 35.2% of the population, did not belong to any religious group.
Education in Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää has many schools for students of all ages. There are twenty primary schools in the town. These include schools like Anttila school, Asema school (which also has English classes), Hakala school, and many others across different neighborhoods. Some schools, like Härkävehmas school, teach grades 3–9, while others, like Puolimatka school, teach grades 1–9. There's also a Swedish-speaking school called Svenska skolan i Hyvinge for grades 1–6.
As of 2021, Hyvinkää has one main high school. This happened after Hyvinkään yhteiskoulun lukio and Hyvinkään Sveitsin lukio joined together.
Getting Around Hyvinkää
Train Travel
Hyvinkää is a very important city for trains, as it's located on the main railway line in southern Finland. The Hyvinkää railway station building is one of the original stations from the Helsinki-Hämeenlinna railway line that is still in use. The city is also home to the Finnish Railway Museum and a special area where VR (the Finnish state railway company) maintains trains.
There's another railway line from Hyvinkää that goes towards Hanko (started in 1873). Passenger trains stopped running on this line between Hyvinkää and Karis in 1983, but it's still used by VR Cargo trains for moving goods.
Hyvinkää Airfield
Hyvinkää airfield played a big role in Finland's history. It was the country's main airport from 1944 to 1947. This was because Helsinki-Malmi Airport was being used by the Allied Commission after World War II. Finnair, a major Finnish airline, even used Hyvinkää as a main hub during this time. Their DC-3 pilots trained at Hyvinkää airfield in 1948.
Since the 1950s, the airfield has mostly been used for general aviation, which means smaller planes and private flights. Aviation clubs like Jukolan Pilotit, Mäntsälän Ilmailukerho, and Hyvinkään Ilmailukerho still operate from the airfield today.
Bus Services
Local bus services in Hyvinkää are run by Hyvinkään Liikenne. There are six different local bus lines that help people get around the town.
Sports in Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää offers a wide variety of sports for everyone to enjoy.
- Hyvinkään Tahko is a well-known team that plays pesäpallo, which is a Finnish version of baseball. They compete in the men's top league, Superpesis.
- The Hyvinkää Falcons play american football in the nation's second-highest league for both men's and women's teams.
- Hyvinkään Palloseura, also known as HyPS, has association football (soccer) teams. The men's team plays in the fourth division, and the women's team plays in the fifth division.
- For ice hockey fans, Hyvinkää has three men's teams: Hoki Klupi Hyvinkää (fourth division), and Hyvinkää Bruins and Hyvinkää Storm (both in the fifth division).
- In basketball, Hyvinkään Ponteva has a men's team in the 1st Division B and a women's team in the second division.
Vauhtipuisto, the Hyvinkää Speedway track, is a popular place for motorcycle speedway racing. It's part of a larger motor sport complex near the Hyvinkää Airfield. This complex also has tracks for motocross and other races. The speedway track has hosted the final of the Finnish Individual Speedway Championship four times (in 1992, 2013, 2016, and 2021).
Festivals and Events
In the summer, Hyvinkää hosts an annual beer festival. This event brings together rock bands from Scandinavia and attracts about 10,000 visitors, making it a lively gathering for music and fun.
Famous People from Hyvinkää
Many talented people have come from Hyvinkää, including:
- Niko Kari, a racing driver
- Heikki Mikkola, a motocross racer and four-time world champion
- Peetu Piiroinen, an Olympic silver medalist in men's halfpipe snowboarding
- Helene Schjerfbeck, a famous painter
- Esa Saarinen, a well-known philosopher
- Tyko Sallinen, another notable painter
- Lauri Tukonen, a professional ice hockey player
- Markku Uusipaavalniemi, a curler and politician
- Sanna Valkonen, a professional football (soccer) player
- Petteri Wirtanen, a professional ice hockey player
Hyvinkää's Global Connections
Hyvinkää has special partnerships with other towns and cities around the world. These are called "twin towns" or "sister cities." These partnerships help promote cultural exchange and friendship between different places.
Hyvinkää is twinned with:
Eigersund, Norway
Kecskemét, Hungary
Kostroma, Russia
Motala, Sweden
Hersfeld-Rotenburg district, Germany
Kunshan, China
Educational Projects
The education department in Hyvinkää also takes part in international programs, such as the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland. These programs help students and teachers connect with others across Europe.
See also
In Spanish: Hyvinkää para niños
