Hyvinkää

Hyvinkää
—  Municipality and town  —
Hyvinkään kaupunki
Ahjo building from 1935 in central Hyvinkää. The church of Hyvinkää in the background.

Coat of arms
Location of Hyvinkää in Finland
Coordinates:
Country Finland
Region Uusimaa
Sub-region Helsinki sub-region
Charter 1917
City rights 1960
Government
 • Town manager Raimo Lahti
Area(2011-01-01)[1]
 • Total 336.76 km2 (130 sq mi)
 • Land 322.62 km2 (124.6 sq mi)
 • Water 14.14 km2 (5.5 sq mi)
Area rank 269th largest in Finland
Population (2011-01-31)[2]
 • Total 45,518
 • Rank 23rd largest in Finland
 • Density 141.09/km2 (365.4/sq mi)
Population by native language[3]
 • Finnish 95.9% (official)
 • Swedish 0.8%
 • Others 3.4%
Population by age[4]
 • 0 to 14 17.8%
 • 15 to 64 66.9%
 • 65 or older 15.3%
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate[5] 19.25%
Website www.hyvinkaa.fi

Hyvinkää (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhyʋiŋkæː]; Swedish: Hyvinge) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Uusimaa region, approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital Helsinki. The town was chartered in 1960. Hyvinkää belongs to the Province of Southern Finland. The population of Hyvinkää is 45,518 (31 January 2011).[2]

Highways and rail connections make it one of the suburban commuter centers of Greater Helsinki. The city planning has had an emphasis on recreational facilities, acknowledging the fact that the modest city center cannot compete with the shops and boutiques of the capital.

Some of the more well-known buildings in Hyvinkää are, among others, the Church (1961, Aarno Ruusuvuori) of Hyvinkää and the manor house of Kytäjä. The Finnish Railway Museum is located in Hyvinkää.

Hyvinkää is also home to Konecranes, which specializes in the manufacture and service of cranes and KONE Elevators, the world's third-largest elevator company who manufacture, install and service elevators and escalators.

The workshop of Ruokangas Guitars, the leading Finnish electric guitar maker, is located at Wanha Villatehdas, Hyvinkää.

Hyvinkää is known among Scandinavian golf enthusiasts due to Kytäjä golf, located at the countryside of Hyvinkää. It offers two courses designed by Tom McBroom: South East Course opened in the August 2003, and North West Course in August 2004.

Contents

History

In the 16th century there was a tavern in the area now known as Hyvinkäänkylä, which lies approximately half-way between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. The first tax catalogues also marked the existence of some houses in the area around the same time.

Hyvinkää village gradually grew in the latter half of the 19th century, though it was the construction of the railway network through Finland, beginning in 1861, that marked the starting point for the town's rapid growth.

The construction of Finland's first stretch of railroad, the Helsinki–Hämeenlinna line, determined the location of the present city centre and the railway station of Hyvinkää is one of the few original stations still in use. From Hyvinkää the railway also branches off to the port of Hanko. The Hanko–Hyvinkää Railroad was the first private railroad in Finland, founded in 1872, and acquired by the Finnish State RR Co. in 1875. In the early 1900s the station village in Hyvinkää was an intermediate stopping point for many emigrants leaving by ship from Hanko for a new life in North America.

The air quality of Hyvinkää was considered healthy due to dense pine forests, and in the 1880s a group of physicians from Helsinki opened a sanatorium for patients seeking rest and recuperation.

Industrialization brought a wool factory to Hyvinkää in 1892 – the Donner family's Hyvinge Yllespinneri. The factory ceased operation in the 1990s, but the red-brick halls still remain. The building has found several new uses, including an exhibition centre and a theater.

Hyvinkää airfield served as the country's main airport for a short time after the second World War while the airport at Malmi, Helsinki in Helsinki was under the control of the Allied Powers. There is now a motorsports centre near the airfield.

Politics

Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Hyvinkää:

People from Hyvinkää

Festivals

In the Summer, there is an annual beer festival which attracts rock bands from Scandinavia and about 10,000 visitors.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Hyvinkää is twinned with:

Projects

The educational department takes part in Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland.

References

External links