Riihimäki (literally "Drying barn hill") is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the south of Finland, about north of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and southeast of

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population ...

. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to Helsinki, Tampere and

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

. 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 Sako or SAKO may refer to: People with the surname * Bakary Sako (born 1988), French-born Malian footballer * Hygerta Sako, Albanian beauty pageant contestant * Louis Raphaël I Sako (born 1948), Iraqi cleric, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church * ...

rifles are also produced in Riihimäki. Riihimäki also has the second-highest flagpole in Finland. Riihimäen matkakeskus

The town is located in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Southern Finland Southern Finland ( fi, Etelä-Suomen lääni, sv, Södra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia. History ...

and is part of the

Tavastia Proper Tavastia or Tavastland may refer to: * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province), a historical province of the kingdom of Sweden, located in modern-day Finland * Tavastia (constituency), formerly Tavas ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Riihimäki is home to the

Riihimäki Prison Riihimäki Prison ( Finnish: ''Riihimäen vankila'') is the main correctional facility in southern Finland, located in Riihimäki. It is a closed prison, with capacity for 223 inmates. Along with Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and ...

, 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.IL: Tältä näyttää Suomen korkeimman turvaluokituksen vankila - elinkautisvanki: ”Kai sitä ihminen tottuu joka paikkaan”
(in Finnish)

History

Riihimäki was established around the

Riihimäki railway station Riihimäki railway station (, ) is a railway station located in the town of Riihimäki, Finland. History The Riihimäki railway station is one of the original stations on the main railway track from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna, opened in 1862 (see ...

by the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway, and is one of the original stations on Finland's first railway between

and

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of ...

, which opened in 1862. It became the first railway junction in Finland when the Riihimäki – Saint Petersburg track's first section from Riihimäki to

was opened in 1869. In 1907-1952 a narrow-gauge railway also operated between Riihimäki and

Loppi Loppi (; Swedish also ) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region, located about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) south of the city of Hämeenlinna. Loppi was founded ...

. Today, the quickest way to travel between Riihimäki and Loppi is by car along the national road 54, which runs between Tammela and

Hollola Hollola () is a municipality of Finland, located in the western part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. The municipality is unilingually Finnish and has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density Pop ...

. In 1910, a cavalry regiment was also established in the city. In 1922, Riihimäki separated from

Hausjärvi Hausjärvi is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Oitti. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The ...

and became an independent market-town. Riihimäki got its city rights in 1960. It was home to the reputed

Riihimäki Glass Riihimäki glass ( fi, Riihimäen lasi) was a reputed glass company in Riihimäki, Finland, in operation from 1910, when it was founded by Mikko Adolf Kolehmainen, to 1990. Their production ranged from basic to high quality glass ornaments, which ...

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. Höyryveturi Hv-1 nro 554 IM6229 C

Sports

* Peltosaaren Nikkarit & Kiekko-Nikkarit (

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

) * Riihimäen Taitoluistelijat (

Figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

) * Riihimäen Jäätaiturit ( Synchronized skating) * Kolmoskori (

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

) * Riihimäen Ilves, formerly RIPS (

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

) * SC Top (

Floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...

) * Cocks (

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

) * Riihi-Pesis, formerly RPL ( Finnish baseball) * Riihimäen Kisko (

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

) * Riihimäen Uimaseura (

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

)

Notable individuals

Athletes

Aki Seitsonen Aki Seitsonen (born February 5, 1986) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the 4th round (108th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Seitsonen played in the SM-liiga with both HPK ...

, ice hockey player * Arri Munnukka, football player * Daniel O'Shaughnessy, football player * Janne Lahti,

SM-Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

ice hockey player * Jukka Jalonen, national ice hockey coach and ice hockey player * Jukka Vanninen, football player *

Jussi Veikkanen Jussi Veikkanen (born 29 March 1981) is a Finnish former road racing cyclist, who rode as a professional between 2005 and 2015 for the and teams. He won the Finnish National Road Race Championships seven times between 2003 and 2014. Career B ...

, professional road racing cyclist *

Kari Tiainen Kari Tiainen (born 26 August 1966 in Riihimäki) is a Finnish former professional enduro rider. He competed in the World Enduro Championships from 1989 to 2003. Tiainen is notable for being a seven-time World Enduro Champion and held the record for ...

, 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,

ice hockey player * Tero Arkiomaa, ice hockey player * Tuomas Viertola, basketball player

Politicians

Aino-Kaisa Pekonen Aino-Kaisa Ilona Pekonen (born 24 January 1979 in Riihimäki) is a Finnish politician of the Left Alliance. Pekonen is Finland's incumbent Minister of Social Affairs and Health. She has been a member of the Parliament of Finland since the 2011 ...

, Member of Parliament * Arto Lapiolahti, Member of Parliament *

Efraim Kronqvist Efraim Kronqvist (2 August 1874, Sortavala - 22 May 1918, Hausjärvi) was a Finnish house painter and politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1909 to 1913, representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP). In 1918 ...

, politician and Riihimäki Red Guard leader in 1918 * Helge Sirén, Member of Parliament *

Iiro Viinanen Iiro Viinanen (born 27 September 1944, in Kuopio, Finland) is a Finnish politician. Viinanen graduated as an engineer from a Tampere institute in 1967 and as a M.Sc. Tech. from Helsinki University of Technology in 1974 . He was a Member of the ...

, politician * Päivi Räsänen, politician

The arts

* Liisa Akimof, musician *

Pekka Autiovuori Pekka is a Finnish male given name. It was most popular around the middle of the 20th century. As of 2013 there were more than 100,000 people registered with this name in Finland. The nameday is the 29th of June in the Finnish tradition and the 25 ...

, actor * Torsten Brander, music contributor * Tommi Hakala, singer *

Renny Harlin Renny Harlin (born 15 March 1959) is a Finnish film director, producer, and screenwriter who has made his career in Hollywood and China. His best-known films include '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'', ''The Adventures of Ford Fai ...

, film director and film producer *

Aku Hirviniemi Aku-Heikki Ilmari Hirviniemi (born 5 December 1983, in Riihimäki) is a Finnish actor. Theatre and television Hirviniemi has worked for several theatres around Finland, including Helsinki, Riihimäki, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Hämeenlinna, whi ...

, actor * Anita Hirvonen, pop singer *

Maija Isola Maija Sofia Isola (15 March 1927 – 3 March 2001) was a Finland, Finnish designer of printed textiles, and the creator of over 500 patterns, including ''Unikko'' ("Poppy"). The bold, colourful prints she created as the head designer of Marimekk ...

, designer *

Erkki Junkkarinen Erkki Aukusti Junkkarinen (22 April 1929 in Suonenjoki – 9 April 2008 in Hämeenlinna) was a Finnish singer. Junkkarinen established his musical career in 1950 with his successful single ''Yksinäinen harmonikka'', though in the following y ...

, singer * Janne Kataja, actor *

Jukka Koskinen Jukka Koskinen is a Finnish musician, who is the bassist for the Finnish band Wintersun. He was also the bassist for Norther from 2000 until their disbandment in 2012, for Amberian Dawn from 2010 until 2013, for Cain's Offering from 2009 un ...

, musician * Niina Lahtinen, actor * Sinikka Laine, writer * Emilia Linnavuori, visual artist *

Nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

, music group *

Lauren Okadigbo Lauren may be a given name or surname.The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius. ...

, actress * Samuli Paronen, writer * Veikko Sinisalo, actor *

Skepticism Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

, music group * Seppo Tamminen, artist * Jann Wilde, musician and songwriter

Other

* Arvi Paloheimo, industrialist * Olli Paloheimo, forester, minister and Jäger *

Ragnar Granit Ragnar Arthur Granit (30 October 1900 – 12 March 1991) was a Finnish-Swedish scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1967 along with Haldan Keffer Hartline and George Wald "for their discoveries concerning the ...

, physician who won the 1967

Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according ...

* Veikko Löyttyniemi, journalist

Twin towns – sister cities

Riihimäki is twinned with: *

Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by other #Name and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A City with county rights, city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, i ...

, Hungary *

Skedsmo Skedsmo was a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality was the town of Lillestrøm. About one third of the municipal population lived in Lillestr� ...

, Norway *

Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík is ...

, Iceland * Gus-Khrustalny, Russia *

Karlskoga Karlskoga () is a locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality, Sweden. Located within Örebro County, 45 km (28 mi) west of Örebro, and 10 km (6 mi) north of Degerfors. With a 2020 population of 27,386 distributed over 10.55 square miles (2 ...

, Sweden *

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's List of cities in Denmark by population, fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban population of 143,598 (1 July ...

, Denmark *

Bad Segeberg Bad Segeberg (; Low German: Sebarg) is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district (Kreis) Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck. It is famo ...

, Germany

References

;Notes

External links

Town of Riihimäki
– Official website
Hyrinet – Hyvinkää–Riihimäki area portal

Finnish Glass Museum - Riihimäki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riihimaki Cities and towns in Finland Municipalities of Kanta-Häme Populated places established in 1922 1922 establishments in Finland