Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus in Swedish) is a municipality and city of about 47,000 inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and is the residence city for the Governor of the province of Southern Finland. Nearby cities include the capital Helsinki (100 km), Tampere (73 km) and Lahti (72 km) The municipalities (kunta in Finnish, kommun in Swedish) represent the local level of self government in Finland and also act as the basic regional administrative units of the country. ... Tavastia, Tavastland or Häme, is a historical province in the south of Finland. ... Tavastia Proper is a region (maakunta / landskap) of Finland. ... The Governor, Maaherra, or Landshövding, of a province of Finland heads the activities of the State Provincial Office, Lääninhallitus, or Länsstyrelse. ... The Province of Southern Finland is a province of Finland. ... Location within Finland Helsinki (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable in Finnish: ), or Helsingfors in Swedish  listen, is the capital of Finland. ... Location within Finland Tampere (Swedish name Tammerfors) is a city in southern Finland located between two lakes: Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. ... Location within Finland Lahti is a Finnish city of 98,253 inhabitants (2003), bordering the Vesijärvi lake. ...

The medieval Häme castle (Hämeen linna) is located in the city. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Häme castle ...

There has been a settlement in where the city now stands since the Iron age. In the 11th century the entire province was under influence of both Sweden and Novgorod, and the Castle of Häme (Hämeen linna from where the Finnish name Hämeenlinna comes from). A village was born during time near to the castle to provide services and goods to inhabitants. Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... This article is about political regions. ... Novgorod (Но́вгород) is a city in North-Western Russia. ... A village is a human settlement commonly found in rural areas. ...

The village was granted city rights in 1639 and soon after that the King of Sweden moved it one kilometre south on the hill where it now stands. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a representative democracy based on a parliamentary system. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ...

The city is has always been known for its schools and academies where many famous Finns have studied. Schools, government and military are characterized Hämeenlinna's life althrough history.

The composer Jean Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna. After that, he has had nothing to do with the city. Part of the Sibelius monument in Helsinki, Finland. ...

Poet Eino Leino graduated from high school in Hämeenlinna. (Hämeenlinnan lyseon lukio is Hämeenlinna Lyseo Upper secondary school, roughly the equivalent of a US highschool). Eino Leino (July 6, 1878 - January 10, 1926) was a Finnish poet and journalist, considered one of the important developers of Finnish poetry. ...

External links

• Hämeenlinna (http://www.hameenlinna.fi) - Official site
• Häme castle (http://www.nba.fi/CASTLES/TAVAST/Infoeng.htm)