City of lahti finland. Lahti is the gateway to the wonderful world of Finnish lakes. Museum of Military Medicine

Lahti is located near the Finnish capital - 100 km. The city has long won the glory of a modern industrial center, which will be interesting for both adults and children. Tourists who want to see natural beauty will not get bored in the city either.

At the same time, you won’t be able to find ancient temples, estates, castles, or fortresses in Lahti. Nevertheless, the city amazes with its architecture, including wooden ones.

Getting to know Lahti should begin with visiting the nature reserves and lakes that are located in the vicinity of the city. Among the lakes it is worth noting Vesijärvi and Päijänne.

Both lakes are connected by a canal through which cruises are held and trips on boats, yachts, and catamarans are organized. Near Päijänne there is a national park whose territory covers about 2 thousand lakes. After exploring the natural beauty, it is worth going for a walk to the following attractions, which are included in the TOP monuments and interesting places in Lahti:

• The sports center is a place for sports competitions that take place in the winter. Located almost in the city center. The center includes swimming pools, a ski jump complex, stadiums, restaurants and a Ski Museum.
• Sibeliustalo is the Lahti Concert Hall, which was built in 2000 on the shore of Lake Vesijärvi. The building was erected on the basis of an old factory that was engaged in wood processing. Wood and glass were used in construction.
• Adult Education Center - it contains clubs and studios where visitors can learn new skills, learn a craft, and engage in creativity.
• Theaters in Lahti - City Theatre, Vanha Juko or Old Theater, where various productions, musicals, performances, concerts, operas are held.
• The main library has the status of a central library and acts as a scientific, cultural and social center.
• Kalevi Aho Concert Hall – designed for opera performances.
• Lahden Urheilu-ja messukeskus is a huge sports and exhibition complex, which includes exhibition halls, an arena, and areas for creativity and presentations.

• Ski - tells about the history of the formation and development of skiing in Finland. There are simulators installed in the museum, where you can feel the effect of jumping from a springboard or flying down a hill.
• Hennala Military Medicine – covers an area of ​​50 hectares, all exhibits are located in the open air. The museum is open only in summer, located in the barracks of the Russian garrison, and tells about the formation of the medical service in Lahti and the country.
• Radio and television - talks about the history of the formation of Finnish television towers, radio and television in Finland. In addition to ancient exhibits, there are also modern media devices.
• Artistic – dedicated to various areas of art. Since 1975, a poster museum has been opened at the museum, which specializes in graphic design.
• Historical - the museum is located in an estate built in 1898. Previously, the house housed a warehouse, a hospital, and educational institutions. Since the mid-1960s. A Historical Museum was opened in the building, which has a rich exhibition.

What to see in Lahti in 1 day

If fate has brought a tourist to this beautiful Finnish city for a short period of time, then you should not deny yourself the pleasure of walking around the main attractions. The ranking of the best places for a day excursion includes:

• City Hall - built in Art Nouveau style in 1912, being a kind of museum. Inside there are beautiful paintings and drawings; the furniture and interior decoration are considered objects of art.
• Market Square is the most important square of the city, where life, trade, festivals, sporting events, and fairs are always in full swing.
• Ristinkirkko Church - founded on the site of a small temple, owned by local Jesuits. The highlight is the cross, which is reflected by 52 square windows. The church also has its own bell tower, its height reaches 40 m. There is an organ inside.
• Kariniemi Park (Lanu) – covers an area of ​​20 hectares. Rare plants grow on the territory, and there are plantations made by O. Lanu from stone and wood.
• Port of Lahti - there are ancient ships, floating restaurants, cafes.
• Singing Fountain – stands on the shore of Lake Piku-Vesijärvi, the fountain is equipped with lighting, which is harmoniously combined with live music and movie tunes. This monument also has another name - the Water Organ, which was built in 1997. The show of falling water and music lasts 15 minutes.

What to do in Lahti with children

Lahti is a great place to relax with children. Parents and children can go to the Laune Family Park, where various attractions are installed. If kids love animals, then they should go to the Yli-Marola Pet Park, Heinola Bird Park, an old Finnish farm. Its owner continues to farm on the farm. In the house next to the farm there is a museum where furniture, toys, and implements that were used by Finnish peasants in the old days are exhibited. The museum also has a unique collection of elephants, the number of which now amounts to 5 thousand.

Teenagers will love the Mustil Arboretum in Aluna, which looks stunning in spring and autumn. The territory of the arboretum is 120 hectares, where rare trees grow, including conifers, maples, oaks, brought from England.

You can taste the delicacies right on the farm where the cafe operates. Homemade cakes, drinks, and sweets are served here.

An excursion to the Apulandia museum-cafe, which is open from Friday to Sunday, will also be interesting. This place is a fascinating history into the past of one of the most famous Finnish bands.

You should definitely go to the Market Square with your children when there are fairs there. You can not just buy delicacies and souvenirs, but also enjoy the unique flavor, performances, and entertainment.

Lahti attractions on the map

You can get acquainted with the location of Lahti's attractions on the tourist map of the city in Russian.

The city of Lahti is one of the largest Finnish settlements with a population of more than 100 thousand people, as well as a popular ski holiday center. There are always a lot of tourists from around the world, including Russia. If we talk about the history of its creation, then mentions of the first settlements date back to the distant year 1445. Local residents were engaged in trade, since the upper Vyborg road passed through these places. There is information that in 1558 there were only 24 houses in the village. A new impetus to the development of this region was given by the construction of the railway from Riihimäki to St. Petersburg. By 1905, the population had grown to 3,000 people, and Lahti itself received city status.

At the beginning of the 20th century, it became a major industrial center, and after the end of the Second World War, many refugees from Karelia moved here, many of whom had a good entrepreneurial spirit. This helped to recover faster and improve the economic situation. In the center there is a train station, from where trains depart to various Finnish cities, including Kouvola and Helsinki. The Russian trains “Lev Tolstoy” from Moscow and “Allegro” from St. Petersburg, which travel to the Finnish capital, also stop here. Note that there is no airport in Lahti, so traveling by rail is the most convenient.

Many tourists from Russia come here by private car or tourist buses. The distance from St. Petersburg to Lahti is about 350 km. We recommend starting your acquaintance with the city from the Market Square. In addition to a pleasant walk, tourists will have the opportunity to buy original souvenirs from local artisans, as well as fresh farm products. Interesting music festivals and festive events are regularly held on the square, which everyone can watch. A great place for a walk in good weather is the harbor, where small pleasure boats moor.

If you are hungry, you can have a snack in restaurants and cozy cafes, where you will be offered to try a variety of meat and fish dishes, various dishes, as well as delicious Finnish rye bread. You can also take a fascinating excursion on a boat. No less interesting will be a visit to the museums of the city of Lahti. The art museum offers an opportunity to get acquainted with the works of local artists. Also worth a visit is the Poster Museum, located in the same building, which houses a huge collection of posters and other graphic design works.

The City Historical Museum will introduce guests to historical documents, antique furniture and utensils. The museum itself is located in the building of an ancient estate. The Museum of Radio and Television is also popular among tourists, the exhibition of which includes radios from different eras, as well as antennas, locators and other equipment. And its main pride is its 150-meter-high radio mast. If you love speed and adrenaline, then you should visit the Motorcycle Museum, where you can touch and photograph them.

At the Ski Museum, guests are invited to experience an interactive jump from which you can safely jump and experience everything that an athlete feels during a jump. Let us note that there are many interesting architectural buildings here. First of all, this is the City Hall, made of red brick. The building was built according to the design of the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, in whose memory a memorial plaque was installed on the facade. The Sibelius Hall is intended for hosting large cultural events - a large-scale and functional building with excellent acoustics, which was achieved due to the interior decoration with valuable wood species.

The Sibelius Hall hosts performances by the local symphony orchestra “Lahti Symphony”, which is known in many countries around the world. Its official founding date is considered to be 1910. It is worth visiting the Lutheran church “Ristinkirkko”, it was built by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. If we talk about the architecture of the building, it is quite unusual and is made in the shape of an isosceles triangle with two corners missing. Today, it is one of the main attractions of Lahti, visited by many tourists.

Vacation with children

Those who come to the Finnish city of Lahti with children should go to the central park “Laune”, where slides, climbing frames, a wooden castle, roller skating areas, a mini-golf course and many other entertainments are equipped for the children. There is a special area where you can ride bicycles and scooters. This is quite an interesting place where little visitors will not be bored. Another good option is where children can play on various attractions. These include various slides, ball pools, trampolines, slides, as well as playgrounds with electric cars.

You can look at various birds of northern latitudes, as well as tropical representatives, in the Heinola Bird Park, 30 kilometers from the city of Lahti. Large talking parrots and peacocks are especially popular among tourists. In 2003, the management of Heinola Park received the “Panda” award from the WWF. At the old Finnish farm Kaivola you will be greeted by its owners. They do hard farming work, but they have turned their farm into a real museum. Here guests will learn about peasant life, see antique furniture, interior items, toys, as well as a huge collection of elephants collected by the owner of the farm. You can try delicious pastries at a local cafe.

Winter holidays

Not far from the central part there is a large sports center that regularly hosts world championships in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. It must be said that a real symbol of the city of Lahti has become a complex of three ski jumps, where competitions of various international levels are held annually. There are also ski slopes and a ski museum here, and in the summer there is a swimming pool and sports fields.

If you love skiing, then go to Messila. In the southern part of Finland, it is the largest center where you can practice almost any winter sport - from skiing to snowmobile safaris. There are 14 ski slopes of varying degrees of difficulty on its territory, and ski trails with a total length of more than 70 km have also been created. There are restaurants, rental shops and accommodation options available. Let us note that Lahti has applied several times to host the Olympic Games, but has not yet been successful.

What to bring from Lahti?

For shopping, you should go to the Trio shopping center, where many European and Finnish retail chain stores are presented, as well as several restaurants. With over 80 stores, you'll find iconic family-friendly fashion brands that are world leaders in fashion, beauty and sports. Among the popular stores, it is worth highlighting Photo: Pasixxxx / Wikimedia Commons

7 kilometers from the center is the Karizma shopping center, which brings together about 70 shops, several playgrounds and restaurants under its roof. For watches from the famous Rolex brand and stylish jewelry, tourists go to the Lahden Kellokeskus boutique. For fresh food, it is better to go to the Market Square, where there is a large farmers' market. The best time for shopping is the end of December, when the whole of Europe begins to celebrate Christmas.

Private artisans offer a varied assortment of original souvenirs, and local shops offer good discounts on various types of purchases. Since the city of Lahti is located on the shore of a lake, its main culinary pride is fish dishes. Local establishments will also offer traditional Finnish and Italian dishes, homemade beer, a traditional vendace pie called “Kalakukko”, delicious and inexpensive pastries, Finnish fish soup with cream, venison dishes, as well as unusual ice cream with basil.

It must be said that people come to Lahti for a good mood, wonderful active recreation and bargain shopping. Without any exaggeration, pleasant, cozy, interesting from all points of view, it will appeal to guests at any time of the year! In our next article we will tell you where you will learn about its popular attractions, interesting shops and active recreation.

Lahti is located on the shores of Lake Vesijärvi, just an hour's drive from Helsinki. 100,000 people live here. Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region and is mentioned in documents dating back to 1445. It was originally a village in the parish of Hollola, located on the medieval trade route of Ulinen Viipurintie, or Upper Vyborg Road, which linked the cities Hämeenlinna and Vyborg.

There is plenty to do and see in Lahti. The rebuilt Vesijärvi harbor has become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, with the Church of the Cross, designed by world-renowned architect Alvar Aalto, one of the most photographed buildings in the city. The Town Hall by Eliel Saarinen is also impressive, and the musical fountains on the shores of Lake Pikku-Vesijärvi offer a wonderful combination of symphonic music and dancing fountains, illuminated in different colors.

The region is also famous for numerous international cultural events such as the Sibelius Festival, the Organ Music Festival, concerts by the award-winning and world-famous Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and many other events throughout the region. Here is the Sibelius Hall, a modern wooden building that combines a congress center and a concert hall, one of the five best concert halls in the world. This building was the largest wooden structure for 100 years, and on its territory there is a park with wooden sculptures and architectural objects. Before the summer solstice, the Lahti Writers' Form is held on the grounds of the Messilä mansion. This event brings together writers from around the world to discuss literature and the contribution of their art to modern society. The forum opens the summer season in Lahti, and sometimes it begins with the Poetry Marathon, a congress of famous poets from around the world.

Museum lovers will be pleased with Lahti. The Lahti City Museum houses a history museum, an art museum and a poster museum. The Finnish Military Music Museum highlights 450 years of military music; The museum of military medicine in Hennala is located in a barracks building originally built by the Russians.

In winter, guests flock to the region to snowboard, alpine and cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The longest ski slope is located in the Messila resort, where there are ten slopes for beginners and professionals. Lahti is also home to a ski museum next to three world-famous ski jumps in the Salpausselkä ranges. In summer, you have the opportunity to climb to the top of the diving board and imagine what the jumpers feel, as well as enjoy a beautiful panoramic view.

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By car

From Helsinki, Lahti can be reached via motorway No. 4, which connects the two cities. Travel time is about an hour.

By train

Cuisine and restaurants

Since Lahti is located on the shores of a picturesque lake, fresh fish dishes are the best thing to try here. Floating restaurants or small cafes in former warehouses in the port will offer a variety of menus to choose from. In addition to traditional Finnish dishes, tasty attractions include local rye bread baked over medium heat and homemade beer.

Weather in Lahti

Shopping and shops

The largest shopping center in Lahti is considered to be the Trio mall between Aleksanterinkatu and Vapaudenkatu streets, where you can find a variety of shops for every taste. Also in the city center is one of the branches of the Sokos department store chain, with goods ranging from cosmetics and clothing to groceries. The Market Square houses a traditional Finnish market offering fresh goods.

In addition to Aleksanterinkatu and Vapaudenkatu, shopping streets include Rautatienkatu and Mariankatu.

Popular hotels in Lahti

Entertainment and attractions

Unfortunately, there are no ancient churches or ancient manors in Lahti. However, there is something to see here too. First of all, this is the park of wooden architecture in the Passenger Port, and in particular its “Piano” pavilion. Nearby is the famous building of the Sibelius Hall concert hall, converted from a former carpentry factory - the architectural pride of the local residents.

The wooden Sibelius Hall is widely known not only for its acoustics, but also for the fact that it is the largest building in Northern Europe made from such a seemingly fragile material. The picturesque view of Lake Vesijärvi adds to its charm.

To understand what a modern Finnish church is, it’s worth going to the Alvar Aalto Temple, built in the late 70s of the 20th century.

Natural attractions include numerous nature reserves in Lahti, which contain not only sculptures, but also “Singing Fountains”, a sound and light show in Piku-Vesijärvi Park, between the port of Teivas and the Sports Park.

Museums Lahti

The Lahti Art Museum and the Poster Museum will delight art lovers. The Historical Museum, the Ski Museum and the Radio and Television Museum will demonstrate the modern approach to display. In particular, at the Ski Museum you can try your hand at ski jumping. A special simulator was invented for this purpose.

Lahti(Finnish Lahti - “ bay", Swedish Lahtis) is a city and commune in Finland, the administrative center of the province of Southern Finland. It is located on the shore of a bay in the southern part of Lake Vesijärvi, part of the Päijänne lake system.

Story

Lahti was first mentioned in documents in 1445 as a village in the Hollola parish. It was located on the trade route of that time - the Upper Vyborg Road (Finnish: Ylinen Viipurintie), connecting Hämeenlinna and Vyborg. The Häme land register from 1558 mentions that there are 24 houses in the village of Lahti.

Lahti received city status in 1905, when the city had less than three thousand inhabitants.

In the historical part of the city called Metsä-Hennala (Finnish: Metsä-Hennala) there is a Russian chapel, preserved from the founding of the city and built in 1910-1912 during the construction of the military garrison of Hennala to house the Imperial cavalry regiments of the Russian army. The graveyard and grave of the Russian officer N. G. Pushkarev, 1914, have been preserved. These chapels were lost due to the events of the Russian revolutions of 1917 (February and October) and the Finnish civil war of 1918, which most affected Southern Finland, including the city of Lahti.

Geography

The climate of Lahti is temperate continental with a strong maritime influence. Winters are long and cold (but mild for their latitude), with an average temperature of −5 to −8 °C, while summers are short but very warm - 16-19 °C. Record values ​​reach −38 °C in winter and 35 °C in summer.

Culture

Lahti annually hosts international festivals of organ and jazz music, poster exhibitions, and seminars for poets and writers. The city festival “Lahden Yöt” (“Nights of Lahti”) has been taking place in July for several years now.

Since 2003, the city has hosted the Summer Up hip-hop and reggae music festival, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors.

The city orchestra “Lahti Symphony” under the direction of conductor Osmo Vänskä is widely known, including abroad.

Sibeliustalo

Lahti has the largest wooden concert hall and congress hall in Northern Europe - Sibelius Hall(Finnish Sibeliustalo, architect Raimo Räsanen). The Lahti City Symphony Orchestra (Finnish: Sinfonia Lahti) plays there regularly. In October 2006, an informal Russia-EU summit was held there.

Museums

• City History Museum (Finnish: Lahden historiallinen museo).
• Lahti Art Museum (Finnish: Lahden taidemuseo). The Poster Museum (Finnish: Julistemuseo) works together with it, where the International Poster Biennale is held every two years.
• Ski Museum (Finnish: Hiihtomuseo).
• Museum of Radio and Television (Finnish: Radio-ja tv-museo).
• Museums of military music and military medicine.