Hämeen Härkätie (Oxen Road of Tavastia) is an ancient road in Finland, connecting

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

in Finland Proper to

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...

Tavastia Proper Tavastia () or Tavastland may refer to: Regions * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province) Tavastia (; ; ; also called ''Yam'' (Ямь) or ''Yem'' (Емь) in Russian sources) is a historical prov ...

. The 162

kilometers The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American and Philippine English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is the preferred measu ...

long road has been in use at the latest in the 9th century and in many parts it has been in use since. Today, fulfills the same purpose as the connection between Turku and Hämeenlinna, but it follows the original route only near Turku.

History

The Oxen Road links two major

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

settlement areas in Finland, the valley of the Aurajoki river and the Lake Vanaja region of

Häme Tavastia (; ; ; also called ''Yam'' (Ямь) or ''Yem'' (Емь) in Russian sources) is a historical province in the south of Finland. It borders Finland Proper, Satakunta, Ostrobothnia, Savonia and Uusimaa. History The province has been ...

. Vanaja region was one of the main areas in Finland in prehistoric times to acquire articles for export, such as furs and hides. The Aurajoki river valley was the region where these exports passed through to the Baltic sea. The road was a joint institution of several ancient parishes in Western Finland. The road passes through two ancient provinces,

Lieto Lieto (; ) is a municipalities of Finland, city and municipality of Finland. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a populatio ...

in Turku and ancient Vanaja in Häme which has probably required some kind of agreeing upon on the rights of transit. The road was also probably used to link other prehistorical provinces together.

Etymology

The origin of the term "Hämeen härkätie" - the Oxen road of Tavastia is not known. The term occurs mainly in Häme at the far end of the road in folk poetry of the road-side parishes. The folk poetry in Finland proper exclude the term "Oxen road" with some exceptions in the environments of the Halikonlahti bay in present-day Salo. Halikonlahti bay has been traditionally seen as the ancient port of the

Tavastians The Tavastians (; ) were an ancient Finnish tribes, Finnish tribe that inhabited the historical province of Tavastia (historical province), Tavastia (). In Russian sources, they are called ''Yem'' (Емь) or ''Yam'' (Ямь), but the term later ...

Route

The first known description of the route of the road is made by Jaakko Teitti in 1556. At the time the road was 162 kilometers long and the route started from the Aura river valley and continued via villages of

, Tarvasjoki,

Marttila Marttila (; , i.e. " Saint Martin's") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. ...

, Koski,

Somero Somero () is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is part of the Southwest Finland regions of Finland, region in the provinces of Finland, province of Western Finland, located nort ...

, Tammelan Letku, Tammelan Porras and Renko continuing through sparsely populated uplands of Tammela to

Häme Castle Häme Castle or Tavastia Castle (, ) is a medieval castle in Tavastia Proper, Finland. It is located in Hämeenlinna, the city between Helsinki and Tampere. Originally located on an island, the castle now sits on the coast of lake Vanajavesi. ...

. Winter time

winter road A winter road is a seasonal road only usable during the winter, i.e. it has to be re-built every year. This road typically runs over land and over frozen lakes, rivers, swamps, and sea ice. Segments of a winter road that cross an expanse of flo ...

s were used and the route of the road varied on small degree. Journey from

took approximately 4–6 days. In 1938 the route was designated , but in 1962 a new road with a different route was built to replace Hämeen Härkätie as a new road 10. The route is currently scattered among multiple regional roads, private roads and streets. Parts have been designated as a

scenic route A scenic route, tourist road, tourist drive, scenic byway, or holiday road is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoints. The designation is usually de ...

for tourism purposes.

Gallery

File:Hämeen Härkätien matkailutien opaste.jpg, sign File:View_from_Vanhalinna_in_Lieto.jpg, Lieto File:Kosken_kellotapuli.jpg, Koski Tl. File:Savenvalajamuseo_Kultelassa.JPG, Kultela

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hameen Harkatie Hämeenlinna History of Turku Medieval Finland

History

Etymology

Route

See also

Gallery

References