Jyvaskyla is a city and municipality located in Central Finland, 147 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near the lakes Paijanne and Keitele. It is the center of the Jyväskylä Region. The site of many education-related firsts in Finland, Jyväskylä is known as a city of schools, the Athens of Finland, and is also famous for its many buildings designed by Alvar Aalto and for hosting Neste Oil Rally Finland, which is part of the World Rally Championship. The city is home of the annual Jyväskylä Arts Festival.
At the end of 2004, Jyvaskyla had a population of 83,582, while the Region of Jyväskylä had 163,420 inhabitants. Jyvaskylan maalaiskunta (the rural municipality of Jyväskylä), which has its town hall, graveyard and the beautiful church Taulumäen kirkko all conveniently located in central Jyväskylä, will be united with the city in 2009. After the unification there will be over 126 000 inhabitants in Jyväskylä. The Jyväskylä region includes Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän maalaiskunta, Laukaa, Muurame and Toivakka.
Jyväskylä was founded on 22 March 1837 by Czar Nicholas I of Russia and built essentially from scratch. The original town was built between Lake Jyväsjärvi (which is connected to Lake Päijänne) and the Jyväskylä ridge (Harju), and consisted of most of the current grid-style city centre. In the early 20th century, the town expanded several times. Most of today's Jyväskylä was built after the Continuation war, when refugees from Karelia and other parts of the country moved to the city and housing was badly needed. Today, Jyväskylä is growing by approx. 1,000 inhabitants/year. Interestingly, only about a third of the people living in Jyväskylä were born in Jyväskylä, which makes the city vibrant and culturally ever-changing.
PLACE TO VISIT
There is a nature preservation area just a few hundred meters off the city center. The area is located on the bank of the Tourujoki-river. There are also six other recreational 'nature paths' in Jyväskylä.
Exhibitions and art museums: Admission is free for all on Fridays to Jyväskylä Art Museum, Craft Museum of Finland and Museum of Central Finland. Ask for a student discount in the museums and galleries.
Jyväskylä has many buildings by the famous architect Alvar Aalto. These include kaupunginteatteri (the town theater), some buildings in the main campus of the universty and the Alvar Aalto Museum.
Harju A ridge just next to the center of the town has a park on its slopes. Good for picnics and such. Vesilinna (water tower) is a building on top of the ridge that acts as an observation tower, restaurant and a museum of natural science in addition to dispensing water to the town. The building can be seen from many parts of Jyväskylä.
WHAT TO DO
Ice skating on Lake Jyväsjärvi in the winter once the ice is thick enough.
Skiing and snowboarding When there is snow. A small ski centre for downhill skiing and snowboarding with an extensive network of crosscountry skiing tracks in the vicinity.
yväskylä has plenty of lakes and these provide nice opportunities for swimming and general beach activities during the warm summer months. Some of them offer ice swimming during the winter.
Vuorilampi, Laajavuori, close by to the ski centre. A small pond with usually relatively warm water. Swimming is possible also during the winter.
Tuomijärvi, north from the centre. Maybe the most popular beach in town and has two beach volleyball fields.
Alban ranta, next to Hotel Alba and one of the university campuses.
Kolmisoppinen, (or Korloppinen on Google Maps) couple of kilometers southwest from the town, off Ronsuntaipaleentie road. Relatively small lake with a beach somewhat secluded compared to those nearer the town centre.
Köhnionjärvi, a popular beach among the inhabitants of Köhnio and the nearby neighbourhoods. Buses 1 and 2 stop here.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Jyväskylä has a small airport which is mostly served by the FinnComm (Finnish Commuter Airline) . From the airport you can reach the city in about 20 minutes with a Finnair bus (6 Euros) that leaves a few minutes after the arrival of the flight. The same bus goes from the city to the airport 50 minutes (at the train station stop) before the flight leaves.
By train - Jyväskylä is quite well connected with railroads to the other Finnish cities, and getting in by train is rather effortless. One way Helsinki-Jyväskylä train ticket costs a bit under 50 euros for adults (November 2008).
By bus - Buses travel between Jyväskylä and other Finnish cities, as well as smaller destinations. When traveling between cities, using trains is typically faster. Express Bus ticket for adults from Jyväskylä to Helsinki airport costs about 50 euros (November 2008).
