In January 2019, Hämeennlinna celebrated its 380 birthday. In Finland Hämeenlinna is the oldest Finland’s town and it was founded in 1639 by Peter Brahe. The old medieval town has been changed a lot since that time. Although initially there was a small settlement on the shores of local lake Vanajavesi.
A small, pretty town is situated in the region of Kant-Häme (Tavastia Proper), in southern Finland.
Today, the southern province is a contemporary tourist destination, where 180, 000 inhabitants live.
Kanta-Häme region consists of 11 communities, which includes Hämeenlinna:
Each community has own coat of arms, symbolism and history. Hämeenlinna got its name from the medieval castle, fortress built in the middle of the XIII century.
In the XI century, Sweden and Veliky Novgorod, Russia fought for the lands of Häme. The Swedes made a decision to found a castle. At that time, the fortress had several tasks: the defensive line, the strengthening of the administrative district of the province of Häme, the economic one – taxes.
Hämeenlinna is a music town, as it’s a birthplace of the famous Finnish composer Jan Sibelius.
Kant-Häme region also definitely belongs to the Lakeland. Aulanko urban park and Nature Reserve with wonderful lakes, whose history began from 1883. Today the park is a national treasure.
For Hämeenlinna’s birthday, the town has prepared a gift as for its residents as for guests also: delicious cakes with coffee/tea and
about 11 000 red LEDs for 60 hours were used for the outdoor walls lightning of the castle. The idea was developed by two Finnish professional lighting designers Henna Akkala and Panu Koskinen. In the evening, beautifully illuminated castle looked fabulous, and lovely view over Hämeenlinna was from the top of the hill.
Are you planning your vacation to Southern Finland? Then, it’s high time to explore our wonderful places of Kant-Hame region!