Hyvinkää

Hyvinkää (Finnish: [ˈhyʋiŋkæː] ⓘ; Swedish: Hyvinge, Finland Swedish: [ˈhyviŋe]) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region, approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital Helsinki. The city was chartered in 1960. The population of Hyvinkää is 46,889 (19 September 2023).[2] Its neighboring municipalities are Riihimäki and Hausjärvi in the north, Mäntsälä in the east, Tuusula and Nurmijärvi in the south, and Vihti and Loppi in the west.[5]

For other uses, see Hyvinkää (disambiguation).

Hyvinkää
Hyvinge
Municipality and town
Hyvinkään kaupunki
Hyvinge stad
Ahjo building from 1935 in central Hyvinkää. The church of Hyvinkää in the background.
Ahjo building from 1935 in central Hyvinkää. The church of Hyvinkää in the background.
Flag of Hyvinkää
Flag
Coat of arms of Hyvinkää
Coat of arms
Location of Hyvinkää in Finland
Location of Hyvinkää in Finland
Coordinates: 60°38′N 024°51′E
Country Finland
RegionUusimaa
Sub-regionHelsinki sub-region
Charter1917
City rights1960
Government
 • Town managerJohanna Luukkonen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total336.77 km2 (130.03 sq mi)
 • Land322.62 km2 (124.56 sq mi)
 • Water14.14 km2 (5.46 sq mi)
 • Rank229th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-09-19)[2]
 • Total46,889
 • Rank23rd largest in Finland
 • Density145.34/km2 (376.4/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish91.9% (official)
 • Swedish0.9%
 • Others7.2%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 1415.1%
 • 15 to 6462.2%
 • 65 or older22.7%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
ClimateDfc
Websitewww.hyvinkaa.fi

Highways (such as Tampere Highway (E12) and Hanko Highway) and rail connections make it one of the suburban commuter centers of Greater Helsinki. The city planning has had an emphasis on recreational facilities.

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, was located at Wanha Villatehdas, Hyvinkää until 2011.

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

History
A painstakingly restored British "Neilson and Company" engine, used in Finland from 1869 well into the 1920s, preserved at the Finnish Railway Museum

In the 16th century there was a tavern in the area now known as Hyvinkäänkylä (literally "the village of Hyvinkää"), which lies approximately halfway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. It was mentioned the first time in 1495 as Höffinga. The first tax catalogues also marked the existence of some houses in the area around the same time. During the 16th century there was also a mine close to current-day Kytäjä village.

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. Hyvinkää, who still belonged to the Nurmijärvi parish at that time, resigned in 1917 as its own parishioner.[6]

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 1862, and acquired by the Finnish State RR Co. in 1875. In the early 20th century, 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 Helsinki-Malmi Airport was under the control of the Allied Powers. There is now a motorsports centre near the airfield.

Hyvinkää's population grew quickly following the Second World War. It became home to many Finnish Karelian refugees after Karelia was handed out to Soviet Union by the Moscow Peace Treaty. Nowadays Hyvinkää is the sixth biggest town by inhabitants of Uusimaa.

Demographics

Population

The city of Hyvinkää has 46,889 inhabitants, making it the 23rd most populous municipality in Finland. The city of Hyvinkää is part of the Helsinki region, which is the largest urban area in Finland with 1,573,728 inhabitants. In Hyvinkää, 7.2% of the population has a foreign background, which is below the national average.[7]

Population size of Hyvinkää 1990–2020[7]
Year Population
1990
40,194
1995
41,203
2000
42,545
2005
43,848
2010
45,489
2015
46,463
2020
46,576

Languages

Population by mother tongue (2022)[7]

  Finnish (91.9%)
  Estonian (1.2%)
  Russian (1.0%)
  Swedish (0.9%)
  Albanian (0.6%)
  Arabic (0.5%)
  Farsi (0.4%)
  Other (3.5%)

Hyvinkää is a monolingual Finnish-speaking municipality. The majority of the population - 42,989 people or 91.9% - speak Finnish as their first language. In Hyvinkää, 429 people, or 0.9% of the population, speak Swedish.[7] 7.2% of the population of Hyvinkää have a mother tongue other than Finnish or Swedish.[7] As English and Swedish are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon.

At least 30 different languages are spoken in Hyvinkää. The most common foreign languages are Estonian (1.2%), Russian (1.0%), Albanian (0.6%) and Arabic (0.5%).[7]

Immigration
Population by country of birth (2022)[7]
NationalityPopulation %
 Finland43,65593.3
 Estonia4771.0
 Soviet Union3680.8
 Sweden1890.4
 Yugoslavia1400.3
 Syria1340.3
 Thailand1260.3
 Afghanistan1120.2
 India1080.2
 Philippines1060.2
 China890.2
Other1,2932.8

In 2022, there were 3,389 persons with a migrant background living in Hyvinkää, or 7.2% of the population.[note 1] The number of residents who were born abroad was 3,142, or 6.7% of the population. The number of persons with foreign citizenship living in Hyvinkää was 2,202.[9] Most foreign-born citizens came from Estonia, the former Soviet Union, Sweden and the former Yugoslavia.[7]

The relative share of immigrants in Hyvinkää's population is below the national average. Moreover, the city's new residents are increasingly of foreign origin. This will increase the proportion of foreign residents in the coming years.

Religion

In 2022, the Evangelical Lutheran Church was the largest religious group with 63.5% of the population of Hyvinkää. Other religious groups accounted for 2.2% of the population. 34.3% of the population had no religious affiliation.[7]

Politics

Results of the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election in Hyvinkää:

Public services

Health care

There are three health care centers in Hyvinkää. Hyvinkää hospital is one of largest general hospitals in Finland. The emergency unit services 24 hours in day.

Education
A student dormitory of the Hyria Vocational School in Hyvinkää[10][11]

There are twenty primary schools in Hyvinkää: Anttila school (grades 1–2), Asema school (and the English classes of Hyvinkää), Hakala school, Hyvinkäänkylä school, Hämeenkatu school, Härkävehmas school (grades 3–9), Kaukas school, Kytäjä school, Martti school, Noppo school, Paavola school, Pohjoispuisto school (grades 7–9), Puolimatka school (grades 1–9), Ridasjärvi school, Svenska skolan i Hyvinge (Grades 1–6), Talvisilta school (Grades 1–2), Tapainlinna school (Grades 1–9), Uusikylä school and Vehkoja school (grades 3–9).

As of 2021 there is only high school in Hyvinkää following the merger of Hyvinkään yhteiskoulun lukio and Hyvinkään Sveitsin lukio.

Transportation

Railway
Hyvinkää railway station, the oldest building in the city centre.

Hyvinkää is an important railway city, located on the primary rail route in southern Finland. Station building is one of the original Helsinki-Hämeenlinna railway stations in original use. The city is also home to the Finnish Railway Museum and a VR maintenance area. Hyvinkää also has another railway line, the Hyvinkää-Karis railway towards Hanko (founded on 8 October 1873). Passenger traffic between Hyvinkää and Karis ended in September 1983, but the railway is still in use by VR Cargo.

Airfield
Main article: Hyvinkää Airfield

Hyvinkää airfield was the main airport of Finland in 1944–1947, when Helsinki-Malmi Airport was in use by the Allied Commission. Finnair used Hyvinkää as a major hub. Finnair's DC-3-pilots trained to fly at Hyvinkää airfield in 1948.

Since the 1950s, the airfield has mainly been in use by general aviation. Aviation clubs including Jukolan Pilotit, Mäntsälän Ilmailukerho and Hyvinkään Ilmailukerho operate from the airfield as of 2020.

Buses

The Local bus service is operated by Hyvinkään Liikenne. There are six local bus lines.

Sports

Hyvinkää has a large variety of sports. Hyvinkään Tahko plays pesäpallo at men's top league, Superpesis. Hyvinkää Falcons plays american football in nation's second level in both men's and women's league system. Hyvinkään Palloseura or HyPS plays association football in the fourth division in men's and in the fifth division in women's football. Hyvinkää has three men's ice hockey teams of which Hoki Klupi Hyvinkää plays in the fourth division and Hyvinkää Bruins and Hyvinkää Storm in the fifth division. In basketball Hyvinkään Ponteva plays in men's first division and in women's top league.

Festivals
The modern church of Hyvinkää, Aarno Ruusuvuori 1961.

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

Notable residents
Helene Schjerfbeck

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland

Twin towns – Sister cities

Hyvinkää is twinned with:[12]

Projects

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

See also

Notes
  1. Statistics Finland classifies a person as having a "foreign background" if both parents or the only known parent were born abroad.[8]

References
  1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,587,841 at the end of August 2023". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  3. "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  4. "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.
  5. Aino – Suuri Suomen kartasto (in Finnish). Genimap. 2005. p. 114–115.
  6. Korjus, Olli (2014). Kuusi kuolemaantuomittua. Atena Kustannus Oy. ISBN 978-952-30002-4-7.
  7. "Number of foreign-language speakers grew by nearly 38,000 persons". Statistics Finland. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. "Persons with foreign background". Statistics Finland. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  9. "Population structure 2000-2022, urban-rural classification". Statistics Finland. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  10. Hyria Hyvinkää, Uudenmaankatu 249 (in Finnish)
  11. About Hyria (in English)
  12. "Ystävyyskaupungit" (in Finnish). City of Hyvinkää. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
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