Kärkölä facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kärkölä
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Municipality
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Kärkölän kunta Kärkölä kommun |
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![]() Kärkölä Church
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![]() Location of Kärkölä in Finland
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Country | ![]() |
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Region | Päijänne Tavastia | |
Sub-region | Lahti sub-region | |
Charter | 1865 | |
Seat | Järvelä | |
Area
(2018-01-01)
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• 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)
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• 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.

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.
Contents
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.