Jyväskylä is a university town in western Finland on the northern
shore of Lake Päijänne. It is the birthplace and workplace of Finland's
most famous architect: Alvar Aalto.
Jyväskylä is situated on the
shore of Lake Päijänne, the longest lake in Finland. This extends from
Jyväskylä in the north with numerous foothills over 120 km to Asikkala
in the south. The lake part directly in the city is the Jyväsjärvi and
the ridge of the city is called Harju, to the east flows the river
Tourujoki.
Kuokkala - Opposite the city center on the south bank with
multi-storey modern houses
Mäki-Matti – north of the city center,
mostly single-family houses
Kortepohja – north-west, about 2 km from
the center, primarily a student settlement
Kypärämäki – on the
western outskirts of the city, with mainly single-family and terraced
houses
Tourula – east of the city by the Tourujoki River, residential
and commercial
Lohikoski - a peninsula in the north of the city, with
mainly single-family and terraced houses
Nenäinniemi - Peninsula
south of the city by Lake Päijänne, with mainly single-family and
terraced houses
Keltinmäki – in the southwest, a prefabricated
housing estate
Myllyjärvi – in the southwest, with mostly
single-family houses and student residences
Huhtasuo – to the east, a
prefabricated housing estate
Keljonkangas – in the southwest, mainly
a commercial area
Seppälä – in the east, mainly an industrial area
Säynätsalo - located on the island of the same name in Lake Päijänne
Getting there is fairly easy, especially since the city of Jyväskylä
is located in central Finland. There are train connections from all
directions and from various airports you can get to the airport, which
is about 20 km away.
By plane
Jyväskylä lentoasema (Jyväskylä
Airport, IATA: JYV), Lentoasemantie 70, 41160 Tikkakoski (20 km north of
Jyväskylä on road 4). Tel.: +358 14 445 5711, Fax: +358 14 445 5799,
Email: efjy@finavia.fi. The airport is about 20 km north of the city and
is connected to the 4 road. It handles around 139,000 passengers per
year. Five flights arrive daily from Helsinki.
By train
Jyväskylä is very easy to get to by train. There are several daily
trains to Jyväskylä from the east from Joensuu, from the north from
Kuopio and Rovaniemi, from the west via Pieksämäki, Tampere and from the
south via Helsinki. However, it is worth checking the timetables. In the
travel center (fin. Matkakeskus) there are various shops and catering
options, some of which are also open on Sundays.
By bus
Buses
run from here to all major cities in Finland. The bus station is right
next to the train station. In the travel center (fin. Matkakeskus) all
arrival and departure times are also given and you can buy tickets.
By boat
There are regular boat connections from
Päijänne-Risteilyt Hilden Oy from mid-June to early August.
On
Lake Päijänne:
Tuesday from Lahti to Jyväskylä and Wednesday from
Jyväskylä to Lahti. The ride lasts from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and costs
€76.00 for adults (2013) and €38.00 for children under 12 years of age,
children under 4 years of age are free. Bicycle transport €10.00, car
transport €260.00
Timetable: Jyväskylä 9.00, Säynätsalo 9.55,
Kärkinen 11.00, Vaheri 12.30, Judinsalo 13.20, Tehinniemi 14.25,
Padasjoki 16.00, Suopelto -, Karisalmi 16.50, Vääksy canal 17.50, Lahti
19.30
On the Keitele-Päijänne Canal:
On Saturday we will
travel from Jyväskylä to Suolahti, about 40 km away. The journey takes
4.5 to 6 hours and costs €36.00 for adults (2013) and €18.00 for
children under 12 years old, children under 4 years old are free. Bike
transport €10.00 and buffet €21.00 for adults, €10.00 for children.
A dense bus network runs within the city and to the extensive suburbs. There are also night buses, but they cost a surcharge. The buses depart from Vapaudenkatu and are advertised there on screens. A tourist ticket costs €7 for adults and €3.50 for children up to 12 years of age. connection search
The core center
1 Kävelykatu (between Kilpisenkatu and Arenaukio).
In the center, a stretch of about 400 meters long from Kauppakatu is
blessed for pedestrians. There are cafes, shopping centers and smaller
individual stores along the street.
2 Toivolan Vanha Piha,
Cygnaeuskenkatu 2.
3 Kirkkopuisto (in Keskusta). There is a church in
the middle of the park area.
4 Jyväskylä City Theatre, Vapaudenkatu
36. Theater and musical performances.
5 Nikolainkulma, Asemakatu 6.
Pink house next to Forum. The Jyväskylä counseling center is located in
the building.
6 Jyväskylä Main Library, Vapaudenkatu 39–41. The area
has WLAN and computers for customers to use.
Outside the core
7 Harju (north of the center). Harju hill is surrounded by jogging
terrain.
8 Vesilinna, Ihantolantie 5 (on top of Harju hill). Access
to the observation deck of the water tower is free and offers a view
over Jyväskylä. The building also houses a museum and a restaurant.
9
Lutakonaukio. A square located near the harbor, surrounded by e.g. Dance
hall Lutakko, Paviljonki and Innova. Events are organized in the square.
10 Jyväskylä port, Satamakatu 8 (at the north end of the Kuokkala
bridge).
11 Kangas (between Vapaaherrantie and Tourujoki). The fabric
factory stopped operating and now the area is being developed. Events
are held there.
University of Jyväskylä buildings. The university
consists of three campus areas
12 Seminarinmäki campus. the area
belongs to the nationally significant built cultural environments
classified by the Finnish Museum Agency
13 Mattlanniemi campus. There
is a small park and a beach in the area
14 Ylistö campus. Connects to
the Mattilanniemi campus via the Ylistö bridge
15 Vaajakoski canal,
Konttisentie 8 (Vaajanvirta river, 8 km east of the center of
Jyväskylä). There is a park, a cafe and a beach in the area.
16 Port
of Korpilahti, Korpilahdentie 8 (30 km south of Jyväskylä).
17
Squirrel Mountain. There are forest paths and a 10-meter observation
tower in the area.
Museums
18 Central Finland Aviation Museum,
Tikkakostentie 125 (Tikkakosi, 20 km north of the center of Jyväskylä.).
Admission: adults 8e, children/students/seniors 4e.
19 Alvar Aalto
Museum, Alvar Aalto katu 7. Admission: 6e, students/seniors 4e.
20
Nature Museum of Central Finland.
Outside the city
21 Pet of
Ysitie, Palvaniementie 2, Leppälahti. Open in summer. Admission: €10.
22 Nokkakivi amusement park, Ruuhimäentie 3, Lievestuore. Open in
summer. Bracelet over 100 cm: €24, bracelet under 100 cm: €17.
Outdoor activities
Jyväsjärvi beach trail. A 14 km long flat path
around Lake Jyväsjärvi that is popular with joggers, cyclists and roller
skaters.
Jyväsjärvi excursion skating rink (between Kuokkala bridge
and Ylistö bridge). A 3 km skating trail maintained in winter
Laajavuori. In winter, you can ski and snowboard at Laajavuori. In the
area, it is also possible to play frisbee golf or go hiking on the
Laajavuori nature trail that goes around the hill.
Adventure park
Laajavuori. Admission: adult (over 15 years old) 23e, child (under 15
years old) 19e.
Parkour park, Taimistontie 6.
Swimming beaches
There are more than 30 maintained swimming beaches in Jyväskylä (see
map).
Tuomiojärvi beach.
Köhniö beach, Erämiehenkatu.
Lutako
beach, Sorvaamo.
Nature trails
Tourujoki nature trail. A
700-meter-long nature trail along the Tourujoki River.
Nyrölä nature
trail (Nyrölä area). The path is 3.6 km long and along it there is a
small hand-operated castle and a campfire site.
Kangasvuori nature
trail (Huhtasuo district). There is Vuorilampi along Poru.
Indoor
activities
Boulderpaja, Ahjokatu 14 (behind the Jysk store), e-mail:
boulderpaja@gmail.com. Boulder workshop has climbing walls that do not
require a harness. Adults: one-time fee 10e + shoe rental 3e.
Uimahalli AaltoAlvari, Pitkäkatu 2, e-mail: lijaku.aaltoalvari@jkl.fi.
Several different pools (e.g. 50m pool, wave pool, whirlpool, and cold
pool) and diving boards. Adult: 9e. Child, student & pensioner: 6.5e.
Jyväskylä Keilahalli, Pupuhuhdantie 4.
Wayout, Puistokatu 4, e-mail:
info@wayout.fi. Room Escape game
HopLop, Sorastajantie 1. Indoor
sports adventure park for children
Superpark, Uno Savola katu 8
(Pavilion building). €17.
Activities in the surrounding areas of
Jyväskylä
Himos, skiing resort in Jämsä (50 km southwest of
Jyväskylä)
Riihivuori, skiing place in Muurame
Affordable
In Jyväskylä, you can eat inexpensively in Sonat's
student restaurants, which are located next to the university buildings.
A meal for a student (student card must be presented) is around 2.6
euros, depending on the restaurant/day, and around 5.6 euros for a
non-student. Jyväskylä's lunch restaurants and menus are listed on the
Lounaat.info website.
1 Safkamestarit lunch restaurant,
Alasinkatu 1-3 (in the Gummerus building, ground floor). Mon-Fri from
10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Simple home-cooked food at an affordable price.
Lunch 8.5e, soup lunch 6.5e. The price includes salad, coffee and
dessert.
2 Lunch restaurant Rosmari, Ahjokatu 13. Mon-Fri from 10:30
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Many different dishes are available. Lunch 9e, soup
lunch 7.2e. The price includes salad, coffee and dessert.
3 Rax ,
Kauppakatu 20 (in the Forum shopping center). The food is
self-portioned. Junk food, salads and soup are available. Buffet lunch
9.95e.
4 Soppabaari, Väinönkatu 26.
Mid-priced
5 Restaurant
Harald, Kauppakatu 33 (Keskusta), ☎ 044 766 8205, e-mail:
jyvaskyla@ravintolaharald.fi. For years, residents of nearby villages
and those from far away, even across the seas, have been able to enjoy
Harald's dining experience. The viking milieu with the smell of tar,
makes the customer go back in time to the time when the happy Valkyries
served their mouth-watering delicacies. The restaurant's menu consists
of tasty foods from the forest, water, air and earth prepared in the
Viking spirit. Especially the delicacies offered from Harald's sword or
shield have won friends from home villains to the ends of the earth.
Even the emperors who have come from Rome fall silent at Harald's
delicacies, swooning over their bad words. In addition to delicacies,
you can also experience Viking baptism at Harald.
6 Amarillo,
Puistokatu 2, ☎ 010 76 75510, e-mail: amarillo.jyvaskyla@sok.fi.
7
Sohwi, Vaasankatu 21.
Expensive ones
8 Figaro, Asemakatu 2/4.
9 Restaurant Pöllövaari, Yliopistonkatu 23.
10 Restaurant Hotel Alba,
Ahlmaninkatu 4.
Affordable
1 Laajavuori Caravan, Laajavuorentie 15 (next to the
Ski Center).
2 Kesähotelli Rentukka, Taitoniekantie 9, ☎ 010 2792006,
e-mail: rentukka@hotelrentukka.fi. Open only in summer: 17.5 - 31.8..
Located in the student village of Jyväskylä, 3 km from the center.
Single room from €55, double room from €66.
3 Summer Hotel Harju,
Sepänkatu 3. Right in the center of Jyväskylä. Single room from €55,
double room from €66.
Mid-priced
4 Hotel Pension Kampus,
Kauppakatu 11 A 4 (3rd floor), ☎ +358 10 279 2002. Single room from €67,
double room from €82.
5 Omena Hotel, Vapaudenkatu 57.
6 Hotel
Cumulus Jyväskylä, Väinönkatu 3, ☎ (014) 653 211, e-mail:
jyvaskyla.cumulus@restel.fi. 2hh: €120.
7 Sokos Hotel Alexandra,
Hannikaisenkatu 35, ☎ 020 1234 642, e-mail:
alexandra.jyvaskyla@sokoshotels.fi.
8 Hotel Alba, Ahlmaninkatu 4, ☎
+358 14 636311, e-mail: info@hotellialba.fi. 24/7. from 70e/day
Expensive
Cumulus Resort Laajavuori , Laajavuorentie 30, ☎ (014) 628
211, e-mail: laajavuori.cumulus@restel.fi.
9 Hotel Milton,
Hannikaisenkatu 29, ☎ (014) 3377 900, e-mail: info@hotellimilton.com.
Price on weekdays/weekends: 1 hh €85/€70, 2 hh €120/€90 and 3 hh
€135/120 €.
10 Hotelli Yöpuu, Yliopistonkatu 23, ☎ (014) 333 900,
e-mail: myynttipalvelu@hotelliyopuu.fi.
Jyväskylä is a very safe and peaceful city. Neighborhoods considered to be restless include e.g. Pupuhuhta, Keltinmäki, Kuokkala and Kangaslampi. There are a lot of drunks in the city center at night.
University Pharmacy, Kauppakatu 39 (Located in the center of
Jyväskylä). Open every day from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
New Apteekki os.
Yliopistonkatu 32, open weekdays 8:30-17:30 and Saturday 9-15.
Jyväskylä is located in the border region of
southern and central Finland and has been a significant traffic
junction throughout its history. The nearest large cities are Kuopio
(144 km), Tampere (149 km) and Lahti (169 km). The distance from
Jyväskylä to the Finnish capital Helsinki is 272 km by road, and 342
km by rail. A few other larger cities travel by road as follows:
Mikkeli 113 km, Hämeenlinna 188 km, Kouvola 192 km, Seinäjoki 216
km, Pori 273 km, Vaasa 282 km, Turku 304 km and Oulu 339 km.
The city of Jyväskylä is located at the northern end of Päijänne.
The main town is on the isthmus between Jyväsjärvi and Tuomio- and
Palokkajärvi, which is connected to the northern end of Päijänne via
Äijälänsalmi and is crossed by the Tourujoki. After Päijänne, the
largest lakes in the area are Muuratjärvi and Leppävesi. The largest
islands belonging to Jyväskylä are Päijänne Muuratsalo (part),
Vuoritsalo, Kumina, Lehtisaari, Lehtissaari and Iso-Poro and
Leppävesi island, some of which are known as Manunsaari, some as
Oravasaari. Despite its name, the village of Oravasaari is not
mainly located on this island.
Jyväskylä and its surroundings
are hilly terrain. The highest hill in Jyväskylä is Uutelanmäki, 258
meters high, located in the village of Moks, Korpilahti. Before the
2009 Association of Municipalities, the highest point in Jyväskylä
was the 249-meter-high Pirttimäki. The best-known ridges are
Laajavuori, which houses the ski resort and Matti Nykänen Hill, and
Harju (formerly known as Jyväsharju and Syrjänharju), which, despite
its name, is not part of Harju but part of the Inner Finland edge
formation. At its top is the Water Castle, a combined water and
observation tower, which also has a nature museum and a restaurant.
The city center is between Harju and Jyväsjärvi.
Jyväskylä
Districts
The city of Jyväskylä is divided into 14 metropolitan
areas and a further 86 districts.
Archaeological
finds have been known in the Jyväskylä region since the Stone Age.
In the Middle Ages, Central Finland was a hunting and fishing area
for Häme people moving along the Päijänne and waterways, but at the
same time the Sámi population also moved in the area. The area of
present-day Jyväskylä belonged to the economic enjoyment rights of
Saario, Hauho and Sääksmäki. An analysis of pollen from Laukoju Lake
Vuojärvi shows that birch cultivation has already started in the
area in the 5th and 7th centuries, as rye pollen in particular is
present in the sediments of that time. The earliest known inhabitant
of the area was Heikki Ihanninpoika Jyväsjoki, who is mentioned in
documents from 1506 in Äijälä.
Jyväskylä was the beginning of
a new period of Laukaa, but the south side of Korpilahti, Säynätsalo
and Muurame include Jämsä. According to the oldest (1593) land
register, there were eight houses in the Jyväskylä area at that
time, and in addition there were 5 houses in Paloka and 2 in Keljo.
Of these, Mattila's house alone ruled the lands of the later
Jyväskylä subdivision from the border of Keljo village to the border
of Vesanga and Paloka villages. The oldest estate in Jyväskylä that
has been in the possession of the same family is the Lahti House,
which was separated from Mattila in 1600. The history of Lahti House
and the Lahti family that ruled it are significantly intertwined
with the area of the city of Jyväskylä. However, in the later
stages, the Lahti family has branched and scattered largely around
Finland, and today the family is known to live in Lapland.
Lahdenrinne In the southwest corner of Jyväsjärvi is the old core
area of Lahti House.
By 1593, in the area of present-day
Jyväskylä, Oravasaari (in the direction of Vaajakoski), Haapaniemi,
Mankola (in the direction of Paloka), Rutala, Mikkola, (in the
direction of Tikkakoski) Tikkamannila, Puuppola, Kuika, Nyrölä and
(Vesanga) Siekkilä, Soikkala . There were many houses in the Old
Korpilahti area: Maahi, Kurkela, Ekonen, Tissola, Hurttia,
Härkölahti, Åland, Puolakka, Leustu, Oittila, Putkilahti, Könnö,
Raidanlahti, Moksi, Kopiseva, Lehtimäki, Rutalahti, Särkijoki,
Saukko, Maaja and Uittime as well as houses in the current Muurame
area.
Of the houses, for example, the names of Kekkola,
Kuokkala, Äijälä, Mattila and Tourula have survived to the present
day as the names of the city's residential areas. However, the
current Kekkola is located in a slightly different place than the
Kekkola house on the shores of Lake Päijänne in Kuokkala at that
time. Taavettila, later separated from Mattila, was located on the
site of the present city center. Huikko and Tourula were on the east
bank of the Tourujoki River. Houses were created in the coming
centuries so that Jyväskylä became the largest village in Laukaa
parish. Due to good water connections and roads, Jyväskylä developed
into a small trading place. In 1801 it was granted market rights.
When Jyväskylä was asked for city rights in the 1820s, the
"liveliness" of the chapel church village was invoked; for there was
a dye, a tanner, a goldsmith, and a brasserie and a medic, and there
was always a place to eat.
City rights
Jyväskylä seceded from Laukaa by applying for city
rights. The project was started by Major Carl Christian Rosenbröijer
by presenting it at the 1823 Laukaa Parish Conference. City rights
were granted in 1837, and the owners of the Taavettila and Mattila
houses, located in the core area of the present-day city district,
had to sell their lands for the city. They were threatened with
expropriation. Only a small part of the area received for the city
was zoned, but the area had to be much larger so that there was
enough pasture for the city's cows - even at that time it was not
uncommon in Finnish cities for residents to own cows.
The
area of the old church in Jyväskylä (market place) would have been
the most natural place for the city. However, that was not the only
option. The Finnish Senate sent Jakob Leonard Boringh, an engineer
at the main measurement office, to look for the most suitable city
location. He also found suitable places in Kuokkala and Keljo, but
in the end a market place was chosen, where the city was planned.
Today, two other proposed sites also belong to the city area.
Almost all of the city's first residents came from outside the
Jyväskylä region. The town plan for the new city was first designed
by Boringh. It had fifteen blocks, each with eight plots, except for
the middle block, which was the market square. C. L. Engel changed
the formula by adding smaller plots at each end of the formula,
enlarging the plots around the square and removing the transverse
fire streets, i.e. the rows of hardwoods to prevent fires. The
center of the current city is that area of the Engel town plan. In
1838, the city had only 189 inhabitants.
19th century traffic
Regular steamship traffic began in the 1850s. The fact that the town
was built in a chapel village that was not on the shores of Lake
Päijänne was a bad solution for water transport, as large inland
waterway vessels did not get directly into the city, but ships were
left in the outer harbor on Lake At that time, a ship connection
suitable for large inland waterway vessels was opened between
Jyväsjärvi and Päijänne. When the Vääksy Canal was completed in
1871, another significant settlement center (the present city) was
reached as far as Lahti. Soon another canal was completed, the
Kalkkinen canal, which enabled shipping to Heinola. The channels
significantly improved connections in Jyväskylä, Heinola and Lahti.
The Haapamäki – Jyväskylä line (1897) significantly promoted the
development of Jyväskylä's economic life and the industrialization
of Central Finland as a whole.
Promoting Finnishness
In
the 19th century, the most notable influencer in the Jyväskylä
region was Wolmar Schildt, a district doctor, one of the most
notable supporters of Finnish affairs. Thanks in large part to him,
Jyväskylä developed into a pioneer of Finnish-language culture. A
Finnish-language lyceum (now Jyväskylä Lyceum High School) was
established in Jyväskylä in 1858, the first nationwide teacher
seminar in 1863, from which the first primary school teachers
graduated three years later, and a Finnish girls' school in 1864.
These schools brought a large number of civilized Teachers from
Jyväskylä included, for example, Kaarle Jaakko Gummerus, Karl Gustav
Göös and Alexander Georg Weilin, who have become book publishers.
The beginning of the industry
In the late 19th century, the
city and its surroundings prospered due to, among other things, the
increase in the value of forests. During this time, many
significant, still in use public buildings were built in the city.
Gradually, industry rose in Jyväskylä; the first major mills were
the Lohikoski paper mill and the Schauman plywood mill, which was
established in 1912. Later, in the 1920s and 1930s, the Armed Forces
arms industry was located in the Jyväskylä region, out of reach of
enemy aircraft, the largest being the State Rifle Mill and the State
Artillery Mill.
Athens, Finland
Jyväskylä's reputation as
an educational and school city once gave rise to the city's
nickname, Athens of Finland. Already at the time the first schools
were founded, the city had dreamed of getting a university in the
city. The first sign of the dream came true when Finland's first
summer university was founded in the city in 1912. The teacher
seminary was transformed in 1934 into the College of Education,
which already had the right to award doctoral degrees. The actual
university could be expected until 1966, when the University of
Education became multidisciplinary and its name was changed to the
University of Jyväskylä. Jyväskylä is still a major study city and
its inhabitants are more educated than average. However, Jyväskylä
lost its special status at the beginning of independence due to the
progress of education and book education throughout Finland.
Building a city
Jyväskylä has become one of the largest city
centers in Finland relatively late. Grown up by the Jyväskylä
Lyceum, Alvar Aalto founded his architectural firm in Jyväskylä in
the autumn of 1923 and has since designed numerous buildings for the
city and its surroundings. Jyväskylä remained a fairly quiet school
town until the early years of the 20th century, but it gradually
began to grow and industrialize. OY Wilh. The completion of Schauman
AB and defense institutions in Jyväskylä industrialized the city
even before the Second World War, but it was only after the wars
that the city began to grow rapidly and was no longer just Athens in
Finland. Jyväskylä became one of Finland's most important industrial
centers. In 40 years, the city’s population increased sixfold,
extensive regional unions were made in the city (the most important
in 1941 and 1965), and new residential suburbs were zoned. At the
same time, almost all of the historic wooden houses in the center
gave way to new buildings. This demolition frenzy was a nationwide
phenomenon, but in Jyväskylä it was particularly devastating, and it
was caused, at least in part, by a shortage of land.
After
the Winter and Continuation Wars, settlers from the Sortavala
countryside came to Jyväskylä.
In the 1960s, the cultural
events Jyväskylä Summer and Jyväskylä Winter began. In 1951, the
first major races in Jyväskylä were held, now called the Neste
Rally.
Central Finland
Jyväskylä was the capital of the
province of Central Finland during the county's existence in
1960–1997. In previous centuries, Jyväskylä, as part of the rest of
Laukaa municipality, first belonged to Häme County until 1775, after
which it belonged to Vaasa County until the establishment of the
Province of Central Finland in 1960. In the 1997 county reform,
Central Finland, together with the provinces of Turku and Pori and
Vaasa, as well as the northern parts of Häme County, became part of
the Province of Western Finland, whose capital was Turku.
When the city of Jyväskylä was founded in 1837, its territory was
small and impractically shaped due to land ownership disputes. Its
surface area was only 6.2 km², and it comprised two areas connected to
each other through a narrow corridor, one of which was on the shore of
Lake Jyväsjärvi and the other on the shore of Lake Köhniönjärvi, and in
addition a small separate part in Jyväsjärvi's Korkeakoskenlahti area.
The area of the city of Jyväskylä was expanded for the first time in
1860, when the so-called part of Ramoisen was added to it, a small area
located at the mouth of Tourujoki, which had been part of Taavettila's
estate and which the city had long claimed for itself. Its area was 0.2
km².
In 1908, the city bought the farms of Syrjälä and Mustamäki,
and in 1914 their areas were annexed from Jyväskylä county to the city.
The connection area included the suburb of Mäki-Mati and the strip of
land stretching from Köhniönjärvi to Ruokepuolinen. Mäki-Matti was added
at the last minute to the new site plan of the city of Jyväskylä,
confirmed in 1910, as the sixth district.
In 1941, the suburbs of Tourula, Nisula and Halssila, part of Keljo
and Viitaniemi were added to the city of Jyväskylä. The union was
supposed to take place as early as 1940, but it was postponed due to the
outbreak of the Winter War. At that time, it was generally very
difficult for rural municipalities to take care of urban areas, e.g.
their municipal technology. The rural municipality of Jyväskylä was
willing to hand over the suburbs to the city of Jyväskylä, but the
preparation for the merger did not go smoothly, because the city wanted
other areas for itself and the rural municipality did not want to hand
them over. The city would have wanted, among other things, Kuokkala,
which was the most important farming area in the countryside at that
time. It wasn't even connected to the city yet. Initially, the
suburbanites themselves asked for the union, but later they opposed it.
The matter had been pending for years, and the population of the suburbs
had grown rapidly while the matter was being prepared.
The
regional union of 1941 resulted in a municipal and parish speciality, as
the rural municipality's town hall and the church of the rural parish
were located on Taulumäki, which was connected to the city and the urban
parish area, until the 2009 municipal and parish union. In the parish
union, that rural parish church became the main church of the new
Jyväskylä parish.
In 1948, Lahjaharju was added to the city. The
rural community was also mostly in favor of the union. The rural
community even proposed a wider connection area than the one proposed by
the city, in order to make the border more natural. At the same time,
the Tyyppälänpohja meadow plot was moved back from the city to the rural
municipality, because it had been moved to the city by mistake. In the
same year, the city presented a very broad union from the rural
municipality to the city, but it did not materialize due to the delay of
liquidator Kalle Tarka.
In 1965, a merger was made, which more than tripled the area of the
city of Jyväskylä: Kuokkala, Äijälä, almost the entire rural
municipality part of Keljo, Seppälänkangas, Mannila and a strip of land
stretching from Tuomiojärvi to Ruokepuolien were transferred to the
city. In the regional union, the area of the city increased from 36
square kilometers to 116 square kilometers. The regional union was
largely the same as presented in 1948; however, Ritoniemi and Jyskä,
which had been included in the 1948 declaration of union and were
dreamed about in the 1960s, remained in the rural municipality. Almost
all residents of the union area were initially against the union, but
soon, when the union took place, they realized that the union was not as
bad as they thought. The first issue of Keskisuomainen in 1965 tells
about this. In the merger, Jyväskylä overtook Kuopio in terms of
population, but Kuopio overtook Jyväskylä at the beginning of 1969, when
the main part of the rural municipality of Kuopio was merged with
Kuopio.
In 1968, a small merger was carried out, which was due to
the fact that one of the northern borders created in the merger of 1965
came to an impractical place at one point. In 1978, a small area located
in Heinälammi was added to the city. The last partial annexation from
the rural municipality to the city was made in 1990, when a small area
in Väinölä or Äijälä was transferred to the city.
In connection with the national municipal reform project in 1968,
municipal reform plans were drawn up for each county. In this case, the
project of joining the rural municipality and the city also came up,
which failed. The union was discussed both officially and unofficially
in the 1970s, but no practical measures were taken. 1982 The Jyväskylä
city council submitted a municipal amalgamation initiative to the State
Council, but it fell through the opposition of the rural community. In
1988, the city submitted a compulsory annexation initiative to the
Ministry of the Interior, which was also supported by the county
government. In addition to that, the city presented 1,991 voluntary
municipal unions. A municipal amalgamation report was made in 1990, but
the village council voted against the amalgamation in 1992 and the
Government Council decided that a forced amalgamation would not be
carried out.
In 1994, a new initiative was taken in the Rural
Council to start merger negotiations, and the Jyväskylä City Council
approved the proposal. In that case, Kalevi Kivistö acted as the
liquidator. However, disagreements arose between the municipalities and
the village council stopped the process with a majority of a few votes.
After the last failed merger attempt, the Jyväskylä region started
talking about a network city instead of a merger. For that purpose, the
regional municipal governments made an agreement guiding the regional
center program. From the beginning of 2004 to the end of 2008, the
Jyväskylä region consisted of nine municipalities and its population was
161,500. The region's municipalities were Hankasalmi, Jyväskylä city,
Jyväskylä rural municipality, Korpilahti, Laukaa, Muurame, Petäjävesi,
Toivakka and Uurainen.
In the spring of 2007, the discussions
about merging the municipalities started again, this time despite the
opposition of the leading officials from the rural municipality council.
The council of Jyväskylä Rural Municipality decided on 18 June 2007 and
the council of Jyväskylä on 25 June 2007 to propose to the Ministry of
the Interior a special report on the establishment of a new
municipality. On 14 August 2007, the Minister of Administration and
Municipalities appointed Jarmo Asikainen as a municipal auditor. He
submitted his report and the proposal for a merger agreement on 15
December 2007 to the councils.
In the middle of the 2000s, the
rural community generally had a negative attitude towards merger plans,
but the opinion changed quickly. In the 21st century, the rural
municipality justified its critical position mainly with the city's
indebtedness. However, according to the municipal surveyor's report,
there was not much difference in wealth: the city's net assets per
inhabitant were 4,936 euros at the start of the merger survey, and the
rural municipality's were 4,870 euros. In terms of current asset values,
the city was more prosperous than the rural municipality thanks to,
among other things, land assets and the water and energy company
Jyväskylän Energia Oy, which it wholly owns.
The councils decided on the merger on February 18, 2008. The city
council of Jyväskylä supported the union with votes of 57–2, the
municipal council of Korpilahti 19–7 and the municipal council of the
countryside 32–19. With the decision, the city of Jyväskylä as a
municipality and the rural municipality of Jyväskylä were abolished and
a new municipality of Jyväskylä was established at the beginning of
2009. At the same time, the municipality of Korpilahti with 5,000
inhabitants also joined the new Jyväskylä; The merger of Korpilahti and
the city of Jyväskylä was already decided before the start of the survey
on the merger of the rural municipality in the Korpilahti municipal
council on November 13, 2006 and in the Jyväskylä city council on
November 27, 2006.
The coat of arms of the city of Jyväskylä and
the name Jyväskylä were still chosen as the coat of arms of the new
municipality. Likewise, Markku Andersson, who had been the mayor of
Jyväskylä since 2004, became the first mayor of the new Jyväskylä. In
the merger, the city's population increased to approximately 128,000 and
the area to 1,100 square kilometers, it surpassed Kuopio and Lahti in
terms of population and became the seventh largest municipality in
Finland in terms of population and the largest such municipality that
does not have a separate Swedish name.
The first council of the
new Jyväskylä was elected in the October 2008 municipal elections. 75
councilors were elected to the council, i.e. 62 less than there were in
three separate councils. The first meeting of the council was already
held on November 3, 2008, even though the new municipality did not yet
exist. SDP was the largest party in the council with 21 seats. The
coalition had 16 councilors and the center had 15 councilors. The Greens
got nine seats in the council, the Left Alliance six, the Christian
Democrats four, the Fundamental Finns three and SKP one.
According to the 2018 regional distribution, Jyväskylä has the
following parishes:
Jyväskylä parish is a parish of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Finland, whose regional parishes are Huhtasuo,
Keskusta, Keltinmäki, Korpilahti, Kuokkala, Paloka, Säynätsalo,
Tikkakoski and Vaajakoski.
The Jyväskylä Orthodox Church is a
congregation of the Finnish Orthodox Church in the Jyväskylä region.
Among the member congregations of the Pentecostal Church of Finland,
Jyväskylä Pentecostal Congregation operates in Jyväskylä. The Tikkakoski
Pentecostal congregation operates as an independent Pentecostal
congregation in Jyväskylä.
The Jyväskylä Reformed Baptist Church is a
reformed church operating in the Jyväskylä region.
In historical
time, the parishes in the current area of the city of Jyväskylä are:
Jyväskylä City Parish (combined with Jyväskylä Country Parish and
Korpilahti Parish into Jyväskylä Parish in 2009)
Jyväskylä Country
Parish (combined with Jyväskylä City Parish and Korpilahti Parish as
Jyväskylä Parish in 2009)
Korpilahti parish (combined with Jyväskylä
city parish and country parish to form Jyväskylä parish in 2009)
Säynätsalo Parish (joined to Jyväskylä City Parish in 2005)
The Jyväskylä city council has 67 members. In the period 2021–2025,
the largest parties are SDP (13), the Coalition (13) and the Greens
(12). The city of Jyväskylä had a left-wing majority until 1984 and
again in 1992–1996.
Mayors
The current mayor of Jyväskylä is
Timo Koivisto. List of mayors:
Varma T. Suosalmi (advance director)
1930–1935
Arvo Haapasalo (cit.) 1935–1955
Jorma Tuominen (sd.)
1955–1959
Brother Järvinen (sd.) 1959–1974
Jaakko Loven (sd.)
1975–1994
Pekka Kettunen (sd.) 1994–2004
Markku Andersson
(collector) 2004–2015
Timo Koivisto (sd.) 2015–