Mäntsälä
Encyclopedia
Mäntsälä (ˈmæntsælæ) is a municipality in the province
of Southern Finland
, and is part of the Uusimaa
region
. It has a population of
and covers an area of km2 of
which km2
is water. The population density
is
PD/km2.
Mäntsälä lies about 60 kilometre north of Helsinki
, the capital of Finland. During the last few years, the population of Mäntsälä has been one of the most rapidly increasing in Finland. A new railroad was built between Kerava
and Lahti
with passenger traffic starting on September 4, 2006 from Mäntsälä railway station
. Helsinki is about 40 minutes away, and Lahti even closer.
The municipality is unilingually Finnish
.
affected also Mäntsälä: funds for building the church were spent on war efforts. All of the churches were located on Kirkonmäki at about the same spot.
The first common school was founded in 1870 by way of a testament of clergyman Abraham Ehnroos. To his credit is the founding of a public library already in 1840. An intermediate school was not founded until 1945 with a high school following in 1954, previously facilities in Porvoo
, Järvenpää
and Helsinki were used.
In 1854 the first town hall was built on Kirkonmäki. Today a museum is operating in the building, having also served as a morgue, school kitchen and lesson space, and a dormitory. It is deteriorating severely and the museum is only opened upon request.
The second town hall was built in 1935, also on Kirkonmäki. It served until the completion of the present town hall in 1992. Now it houses an open college.
There is a total of 15 manors in Mäntsälä, 4 of which are open to the public, the rest being private residences. Russian czar Alexander I
visited as guest of Ulla Möllersvärd in 1809 in the Mäntsälä manor lying in the city center. The manors emerged in the 17th century as noblemen feoffs. Traditionally the land belonged to the manors. There were many croft
s in Mäntsälä and new legislation in 1918 enabled the crofters to claim the land for themselves. In the 1920s the manors were still a sizable land owner in the parish.
Mäntsälä is especially known for the Mäntsälä rebellion
. About 400 civil guards went shooting to a Social Democratic party rally at Ohkola community hall, interrupting it. In the course of a few days leaders of Lapua Movement
and armed civil guards from all over the country arrived to Mäntsälä. The government ordered them arrested, and after a speech by president Svinhufvud
on March 2 the situation gradually settled down. The movement disbanded early in spring.
World War II
brought about 2000 Karelian immigrants to Mäntsälä. They came mainly from Kirvu and Koivisto
. Land was cut from the manors again for immigrants, reducing manor estate considerably. In 1985 a museum about the Kirvu parish was opened next to the church in the city center.
In 1992 an apartment trade fair was held in Mäntsälä. The area is being expanded and since 2006, a train depot lies next to it.
is considered to be originally from Mäntsälä, having spent his early youth on the family estate there, although he was born in Helsinki and lived also in Sweden. Nordenskiöld was a nineteenth century geologist and Arctic explorer.
Others include member of Lordi
-band Jussi Sydänmaa
alias "Amen", and former defence minister Elisabeth Rehn
in her youth.
Provinces of Finland
The state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
of Southern Finland
Southern Finland
Southern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia.- History :...
, and is part of the Uusimaa
Uusimaa
Uusimaa, or Nyland in Swedish, is a region in Finland. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper, Päijänne Tavastia and Kymenlaakso...
region
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
. It has a population of
and covers an area of km2 of
which km2
is water. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is
PD/km2.
Mäntsälä lies about 60 kilometre north of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, the capital of Finland. During the last few years, the population of Mäntsälä has been one of the most rapidly increasing in Finland. A new railroad was built between Kerava
Kerava
Kerava is a town and municipality in Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
and Lahti
Lahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
with passenger traffic starting on September 4, 2006 from Mäntsälä railway station
Mäntsälä railway station
Mäntsälä railway station is located in the town of Mäntsälä, Finland, approximately from Helsinki Central railway station.The station was opened on 3 September 2006 as part of the new Helsinki to Lahti line, and is served by the Z-trains which run on this route.- External links :...
. Helsinki is about 40 minutes away, and Lahti even closer.
The municipality is unilingually Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
History
Mäntsälä is considered to have been founded in 1585, when the community's first church was built. The current church was completed in 1866 after delay. The Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
affected also Mäntsälä: funds for building the church were spent on war efforts. All of the churches were located on Kirkonmäki at about the same spot.
The first common school was founded in 1870 by way of a testament of clergyman Abraham Ehnroos. To his credit is the founding of a public library already in 1840. An intermediate school was not founded until 1945 with a high school following in 1954, previously facilities in Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
, Järvenpää
Järvenpää
Järvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...
and Helsinki were used.
In 1854 the first town hall was built on Kirkonmäki. Today a museum is operating in the building, having also served as a morgue, school kitchen and lesson space, and a dormitory. It is deteriorating severely and the museum is only opened upon request.
The second town hall was built in 1935, also on Kirkonmäki. It served until the completion of the present town hall in 1992. Now it houses an open college.
There is a total of 15 manors in Mäntsälä, 4 of which are open to the public, the rest being private residences. Russian czar Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
visited as guest of Ulla Möllersvärd in 1809 in the Mäntsälä manor lying in the city center. The manors emerged in the 17th century as noblemen feoffs. Traditionally the land belonged to the manors. There were many croft
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
s in Mäntsälä and new legislation in 1918 enabled the crofters to claim the land for themselves. In the 1920s the manors were still a sizable land owner in the parish.
Mäntsälä is especially known for the Mäntsälä rebellion
Mäntsälä rebellion
The Mäntsälä rebellion was a failed coup attempt by the Lapua Movement to overthrow the Finnish government.On February 27, 1932 some 400 armed members of the Suojeluskunta militia interrupted a meeting of Social Democrats in Mäntsälä with small arms fire...
. About 400 civil guards went shooting to a Social Democratic party rally at Ohkola community hall, interrupting it. In the course of a few days leaders of Lapua Movement
Lapua Movement
The Lapua Movement , was a Finnish radical nationalist and anti-communist political movement founded in and named after the town of Lapua. After radicalisation it turned towards far-right politics and was banned after a failed coup-d'état in 1932...
and armed civil guards from all over the country arrived to Mäntsälä. The government ordered them arrested, and after a speech by president Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad , December 15, 1861 – February 29, 1944) was the third President of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the movement for Finnish independence...
on March 2 the situation gradually settled down. The movement disbanded early in spring.
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
brought about 2000 Karelian immigrants to Mäntsälä. They came mainly from Kirvu and Koivisto
Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast
Primorsk is a coastal town in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, and the largest Russian port on the Baltic. It is located on the Karelian Isthmus, west of St. Petersburg, at the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, near Birch Islands, protected as a sea bird sanctuary...
. Land was cut from the manors again for immigrants, reducing manor estate considerably. In 1985 a museum about the Kirvu parish was opened next to the church in the city center.
In 1992 an apartment trade fair was held in Mäntsälä. The area is being expanded and since 2006, a train depot lies next to it.
Population progress
The population of Mäntsälä has stayed quite level for decades, but the building of a motorway up to Järvenpää in the 1970s and the extension to Lahti in 1999 have brought new residents from the metropolitan area. By the middle of the 2000s the new railroad to Lahti has been central in municipality population growth. Many people moved to Mäntsälä because of the railroad, that offered quick commuting to Helsinki.- 1749: 1,492 (unconfirmed)
- 1898: 7,972 (unconfirmed)
- 1920: 7,666
- 1930: 7,844
- 1940: 7,739
- 1950: 11,072
- 1960: 10,932
- 1970: 10,166
- 1980: 11,267
- 1990: 14,793
- 2000: 16,628
- 2005: 18,226
- 2007: 18,980
Famous Mäntsälä dwellers
Adolf Erik NordenskiöldAdolf Erik Nordenskiöld
Freiherr Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld , also known as A. E. Nordenskioeld was a Finnish baron, geologist, mineralogist and arctic explorer of Finnish-Swedish origin. He was a member of the prominent Finland-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists...
is considered to be originally from Mäntsälä, having spent his early youth on the family estate there, although he was born in Helsinki and lived also in Sweden. Nordenskiöld was a nineteenth century geologist and Arctic explorer.
Others include member of Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
-band Jussi Sydänmaa
Jussi Sydänmaa
Jussi Sydänmaa is the guitarist, and one of the founding members of the Finnish metal quintet Lordi....
alias "Amen", and former defence minister Elisabeth Rehn
Elisabeth Rehn
Märta Elisabeth Rehn is a former MP of the Swedish People's Party and the first female Minister of Defence in Finland. In the 1994 presidential elections she was narrowly defeated by Martti Ahtisaari.Elisabeth Rehn spent her childhood in Mäntsälä, where her father worked as a community medical...
in her youth.