Riihimäki

Riihimäki (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈriːhiˌmæki]; lit. '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, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to Helsinki, Tampere and Lahti. Several businesses also operate in Riihimäki. Notably, Würth Oy has its Finnish headquarters and logistics center in Riihimäki. Valio has a major dairy in the Herajoki part of Riihimäki. The famous Sako rifles are also produced in Riihimäki. Riihimäki also has the second-highest flagpole in Finland.

Travel Centre
"Riihimaki" redirects here. For the Canadian YouTuber, see Lauren Riihimaki.
Riihimäki
Town
Riihimäen kaupunki
Riihimäki stad
Riihimäki railway station
Riihimäki railway station
Coat of arms of Riihimäki
Coat of arms
Location of Riihimäki in Finland
Location of Riihimäki in Finland
Coordinates: 60°44′N 024°46′E
Country Finland
RegionKanta-Häme
Sub-regionRiihimäki sub-region
Charter1922
City rights1960
Government
 • City managerJouni Eho [1]
Area
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total125.56 km2 (48.48 sq mi)
 • Land121.01 km2 (46.72 sq mi)
 • Water4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi)
 • Rank290th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-12-31)[3]
 • Total28,483
 • Rank38th largest in Finland
 • Density235.38/km2 (609.6/sq mi)
Population by native language
[4]
 • Finnish92.8% (official)
 • Swedish0.4%
 • Others6.8%
Population by age
[5]
 • 0 to 1415.4%
 • 15 to 6461.8%
 • 65 or older22.8%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.riihimaki.fi/en/

The town is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. Its neighboring municipalities are Janakkala in the north, Hausjärvi in the east, Hyvinkää in the south and Loppi in the west. The town has a population of 28,483 (31 December 2023)[3] and covers an area of 125.56 square kilometres (48.48 sq mi) of which 4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi) is water.[2] The population density is 235.38 inhabitants per square kilometre (609.6/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Riihimäki is home to the Riihimäki Prison, which is, alongside Turku Prison, one of the prisons in the country with the highest security rating (A+), and is home to the country's most dangerous prisoners.[6][7]

History

Riihimäki was established around the Riihimäki railway station by the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway, and is one of the original stations on Finland's first railway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, which opened in 1862. 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. In 1907-1952 a narrow-gauge railway also operated between Riihimäki and Loppi. Today, the quickest way to travel between Riihimäki and Loppi is by car along the national road 54, which runs between Tammela and Hollola.

In 1910, a cavalry regiment was also established in the city.

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.

The Finnish Glass Museum with its permanent display created by famous designer Tapio Wirkkala was opened in 1981.

A VR Class Hv1 steam locomotive#554 'Heikki' near Riihimäki Railway Station

Sports

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
  • Liisa Akimof, musician
  • Pekka Autiovuori, actor
  • Torsten Brander, music contributor
  • Tommi Hakala, singer
  • Renny Harlin, film director and film producer
  • Aku Hirviniemi, actor
  • Anita Hirvonen, pop singer
  • Maija Isola, designer
  • Erkki Junkkarinen, singer
  • Janne Kataja, actor
  • Jukka Koskinen, musician
  • Niina Lahtinen, actor
  • Sinikka Laine, writer
  • Emilia Linnavuori, visual artist
  • Nest, music group
  • Lauren Okadigbo, actress
  • Samuli Paronen, writer
  • Veikko Sinisalo, actor
  • Skepticism, music group
  • Seppo Tamminen, artist
  • Jann Wilde, musician and songwriter

Other

Twin towns – sister cities

Riihimäki is twinned with:

References
Notes
  2. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  3. "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  4. "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  5. "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. YLE: Huumeita ujutetaan vankiloihin yllätyssuklaamunien muovikoteloissa (in Finnish)
  7. IL: Tältä näyttää Suomen korkeimman turvaluokituksen vankila - elinkautisvanki: ”Kai sitä ihminen tottuu joka paikkaan” (in Finnish)
  8. "Aalborg Twin Towns". Europeprize.net. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.

Media related to Riihimäki at Wikimedia Commons Riihimäki travel guide from Wikivoyage

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