Järvenpää

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Järvenpää is a growing center in the larger Helsinki Region. It is at the far end of Lake Tuusulanjärvi and it has excellent road and rail connections with both Helsinki and the international airport.

Järvenpää is a vigorous commercial and industrial city specializing in high technology-oriented metal industry. The city is home to a number of internationally successful companies, such as Metso Paper, Rocla and Gheos/RDD. Järvenpää is to a great extent a garden city and offers excellent recreational and leisure time opportunities.

At the end of the 19th century, a unique community of artists flourished on the shores of Lake Tuusulanjärvi. The community was led by the nationally famous author Juhani Aho and his painter wife Venny Soldan-Brofeldt. Along with Jean Sibelius, this influential group included the poets J.H. Erkko and Eino Leino as well as painters Eero Järnefelt and Pekka Halonen.

The city is best known as the home town of the master composer Jean Sibelius. Sibelius built his log villa Ainola to be 'sufficiently far from the temptations of Helsinki'. He and his family lived at Ainola for more than fifty years. The spirit of Jean Sibelius is very much alive at Ainola, which has been converted into a museum, to preserve a home-like atmosphere. Ainola is open to public from May to the end of September.

Järvenpää has developed into a richly diversified city with its own strong cultural traditions. Järvenpää's Culture Trail links Sibelius' Ainola with Juhani Aho's Ahola. Paintings produced by some of the most important members of the golden era of Finnish art, such as Eero Järnefelt and Venny Soldan-Brofeldt, are permanently displayed at the Järvenpää Art Gallery. Järvenpää Hall is the cultural centre of the city. It has become one of the most popular concert venues in the Helsinki Region. Järvenpää Hall serves also as a high quality conference center.

The annual Sibelius Festival during the first two weeks of October has gained international recognition. The Lakeside Blues Festival pulses with life. It has become Europe's largest blues event. The many blues enthusiasts visiting Vanhankylänniemi each year add their own color to the Järvenpää summer. The Järvenpää Tourist Center is in the old manor house of Vanhankylänniemi, a recreational and leisure time center by the lake Tuusulanjärvi.

There are several hotels and many restaurants in Järvenpää. The city is about 40 km north from central Helsinki.