kids encyclopedia robot

Kärkölä facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Kärkölä
Municipality
Kärkölän kunta
Kärkölä kommun
Kärkölä Church
Kärkölä Church
Coat of arms of Kärkölä
Coat of arms
Location of Kärkölä in Finland
Location of Kärkölä in Finland
Country  Finland
Region Päijänne Tavastia
Sub-region Lahti sub-region
Charter 1865
Seat Järvelä
Area
 (2018-01-01)
 • Total 259.30 km2 (100.12 sq mi)
 • Land 256.5 km2 (99.0 sq mi)
 • Water 2.84 km2 (1.10 sq mi)
Area rank 243rd largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-12-31)
 • Total 4,114
 • Rank 189th largest in Finland
 • Density 16.04/km2 (41.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish 94.9% (official)
 • Swedish 0.5%
 • Others 4.7%
Population by age
 • 0 to 14 13.3%
 • 15 to 64 58.5%
 • 65 or older 28.1%
Time zone UTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Climate Dfc

Kärkölä is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the Southern Finland province. Kärkölä is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region.

The municipality has a population of about 4,114 people. This number was recorded on 31 December 2023. Kärkölä covers an area of 259.30 square kilometres (100.12 sq mi). About 2.84 km2 (1.10 sq mi) of this area is water.

The population density in Kärkölä is about 16.04 inhabitants per square kilometre (41.5/sq mi). This means how many people live per square kilometer. The main town in Kärkölä is Järvelä. Järvelä is located along the railway line that connects Riihimäki and Lahti.

Field in Kärkölä
A field of Rapeseed flowers north of Kärkölä's church village.

Kärkölä shares borders with several other municipalities. These are Hausjärvi, Hollola, Hämeenlinna, Mäntsälä, and Orimattila. The city of Lahti is about 29 kilometres (18 mi) away from Kärkölä. The official language spoken in the municipality is Finnish.

History of Kärkölä

Early Beginnings

Kärkölä was once part of the larger Hollola parish. A parish is like a church district. In 1711, Kärkölä became a "chapel parish" of Hollola. This meant it had its own chapel but was still connected to Hollola.

Building Churches

The first church in Kärkölä was finished in 1754. Later, a second church was completed in 1889. Kärkölä officially became its own municipality in 1867. This means it gained its own local government.

Carl Constantin Collin's Influence

In the late 1800s, an engineer named Carl Constantin Collin lived in the area. He owned large parts of both Hollola and Kärkölä. He was known for being quite unique. Collin built big parks and groups of buildings in the Huovila area.

Villages in Kärkölä

Kärkölä is made up of several villages. Each village has its own history and community.

  • Hevonoja
  • Hongisto
  • Hähkäniemi
  • Iso-Sattiala
  • Järvelä
  • Karvala
  • Kärkölä (also known as Kirkonkylä, which means Church Village)
  • Lappila
  • Maavehmaa
  • Marttila
  • Nummenkulma
  • Uusikylä
  • Vähä-Sattiala

Notable People from Kärkölä

Many interesting people have come from Kärkölä. Here are a few:

  • Carl Niclas von Hellens (1745–1820), a botanist who studied plants.
  • Erik Gabriel Melartin (1780–1847), who became the Archbishop of Turku, a very important church leader.
  • Helvi Sipilä (1915–2009), a diplomat, lawyer, and politician. She worked to improve things for people.
  • Emil Väre (1885–1974), a wrestler who won gold medals at the Olympics.
kids search engine
Kärkölä Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.