Riihimäki
Riihimäki | ||
---|---|---|
Town | ||
Riihimäen kaupunki | ||
Riihimäki railway station | ||
| ||
Location of Riihimäki in Finland | ||
Coordinates: 60°44′N 024°46′E / 60.733°N 24.767°ECoordinates: 60°44′N 024°46′E / 60.733°N 24.767°E | ||
Country | Finland | |
Region | Tavastia Proper | |
Sub-region | Riihimäki sub-region | |
Charter | 1922 | |
City rights | 1960 | |
Government | ||
• City manager | Seppo Keskiruokanen | |
Area (2011-01-01)[1] | ||
• Total | 125.56 km2 (48.48 sq mi) | |
• Land | 121.02 km2 (46.73 sq mi) | |
• Water | 4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 325th largest in Finland | |
Population (2016-03-31)[2] | ||
• Total | 29,292 | |
• Rank | 37th largest in Finland | |
• Density | 242.04/km2 (626.9/sq mi) | |
Population by native language[3] | ||
• Finnish | 97% (official) | |
• Swedish | 0.4% | |
• Others | 2.6% | |
Population by age[4] | ||
• 0 to 14 | 17.2% | |
• 15 to 64 | 66.8% | |
• 65 or older | 16% | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
Municipal tax rate[5] | 19.75% | |
Website | www.riihimaki.fi |
Riihimäki (literally "Drying barn hill") is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about 69 kilometres (43 mi) north of Helsinki and 109 kilometres (68 miles) southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, railway tracks go to Helsinki, Tampere and Lahti from there. Würth Oy has its Finnish Headquarters and logistics center in Riihimäki. Valio has a major dairy in Herajoki part of Riihimäki. The famous Sako rifles are produced in Riihimäki.
Finland's highest flagpole is located in Riihimäki.
The town is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The town has a population of 29,292 (31 March 2016)[2] and covers an area of 125.56 square kilometres (48.48 sq mi) of which 4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 242.04 inhabitants per square kilometre (626.9/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
History
Riihimäki was established around the Riihimäki railway station, one of the original stations on the Helsinki–Hämeenlinna track (main railway track of Finland). It became the first railway junction in Finland when the Riihimäki – Saint Petersburg track's first section from Riihimäki to Lahti was opened in 1869. Gradually, the town grew around the station.
In 1922, Riihimäki separated from Hausjärvi and became an independent market-town. Riihimäki got its city rights in 1960. It was home to the reputed Riihimäki Glass company that remained in business from 1910 through 1990.
Sports
- Peltosaaren Nikkarit & Kiekko-Nikkarit (Ice hockey)
- Kolmoskori (Basketball)
- Riihimäen Ilves, formerly RIPS (Soccer)
- SC Top (Floorball)
- Cocks (Handball)
- Riihi-Pesis, formerly RPL (Pesäpallo)
- Riihimäen Kisko (Athletics)
- Riihimäen Uimaseura (Swimming)
Notable individuals
Athletes
- Aki Seitsonen, ice hockey player
- Arri Munnukka, football player
- Daniel O'Shaughnessy, football player
- Janne Lahti, SM-Liiga ice hockey player
- Jukka Jalonen, national ice hockey coach and ice hockey player
- Jukka Vanninen, football player
- Jussi Veikkanen, professional road racing cyclist
- Kari Tiainen, motorcycle enduro world champion
- Kasper Kenig, ice hockey player
- Lauri Toivonen, basketball player
- Max Kenig, ice hockey player
- Olli Korkeavuori, ice hockey player
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy, football player
- Pekka Vasala, middle and long-distance runner; Olympic champion (1972) in the 1,500 metres
- Sami Lähteenmäki, SM-Liiga ice hockey player
- Tero Arkiomaa, ice hockey player
- Tuomas Viertola, basketball player
Politicians
- Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, Member of Parliament
- Arto Lapiolahti, Member of Parliament
- Efraim Kronqvist, politician and Riihimäki Red Guard leader in 1918
- Helge Sirén, Member of Parliament
- Iiro Viinanen, politician
- Päivi Räsänen, politician
The Arts
- Aku Hirviniemi, actor
- Anita Hirvonen, pop singer
- Erkki Junkkarinen, singer
- Jann Wilde, musician and songwriter
- Liisa Akimof, musician
- Maija Isola, designer
- Nest, musical group
- Niina Lahtinen, actor
- Pekka Autiovuori, actor
- Renny Harlin, film director and film producer
- Samuli Paronen, writer
- Seppo Tamminen, artist
- Sinikka Laine, writer
- Skepticism, music group
- Tommi Hakala, singer
- Torsten Brander, music contributor
- Veikko Sinisalo, actor
Other
- Arvi Paloheimo, industrialist
- Olli Paloheimo, forester, minister and Jäger
- Ragnar Granit, physician who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine
- Veikko Löyttyniemi, journalist
Twin towns – Sister cities
Riihimäki is twinned with:
- Szolnok, Hungary
- Skedsmo, Norway
- Húsavik, Iceland
- Gus-Khrustalny, Russia
- Karlskoga, Sweden
- Aalborg, Denmark[6]
- Bad Segeberg, Germany
References
- Notes
- 1 2 "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (PDF) (in Finnish and Swedish). Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- 1 2 "Ennakkoväkiluku sukupuolen mukaan alueittain, maaliskuu.2016" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ↑ "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
- ↑ "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ↑ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ "Aalborg Twin Towns". Europeprize.net. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
External links
Media related to Riihimäki at Wikimedia Commons
- Town of Riihimäki – Official website
- Hyrinet – Hyvinkää–Riihimäki area portal
- Finnish Glass Museum - Riihimäki