Riihimäki
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Template:Infobox Finnish Municipality Riihimäki (literally "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, railway tracks go to Helsinki, Tampere and Lahti from there. Würth Oy has its Finnish Headquarters and logistics center in Riihimäki. Valio has a major dairy in Herajoki part of Riihimäki. The famous Sako rifles are produced in Riihimäki.
Finland's 2nd highest flagpole is located in Riihimäki.
The town is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The town has a population of Template:Infobox Finnish Municipality/population count (Error: Invalid time.)[1] and covers an area of [convert: invalid number] of which [convert: invalid number] is water.[2] The population density is [convert: invalid number]. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
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.
Sports
- Peltosaaren Nikkarit & Kiekko-Nikkarit (Ice hockey)
- Riihimäen Taitoluistelijat (Figure skating)
- Riihimäen Jäätaiturit (Synchronized skating)
- Kolmoskori (Basketball)
- Riihimäen Ilves, formerly RIPS (Soccer)
- SC Top (Floorball)
- Cocks (Handball)
- Riihi-Pesis, formerly RPL (Finnish baseball)
- Riihimäen Kisko (Athletics)
- Riihimäen Uimaseura (Swimming)
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
- Aku Hirviniemi, actor
- Anita Hirvonen, pop singer
- Erkki Junkkarinen, singer
- Emilia Linnavuori, visual artist
- Janne Kataja, entertainer
- Jann Wilde, musician and songwriter
- Liisa Akimof, musician
- Maija Isola, designer
- Nest, musical group
- Niina Lahtinen, actor
- Pekka Autiovuori, actor
- Renny Harlin, film director and film producer
- Samuli Paronen, writer
- Seppo Tamminen, artist
- Sinikka Laine, writer
- Skepticism, music group
- Tommi Hakala, singer
- Torsten Brander, music contributor
- Veikko Sinisalo, actor
Other
- Arvi Paloheimo, industrialist
- Olli Paloheimo, forester, minister and Jäger
- Ragnar Granit, physician who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine
- Veikko Löyttyniemi, journalist
Twin towns – sister cities
Riihimäki is twinned with:
Szolnok, Hungary
Skedsmo, Norway
Húsavik, Iceland
Gus-Khrustalny, Russia
Karlskoga, Sweden
Aalborg, Denmark[3]
Bad Segeberg, Germany
References
- Notes
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
population_count
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
total_area
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Aalborg Twin Towns". Europeprize.net. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
External links
Media related to Riihimäki at Wikimedia Commons