or '''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/Helsingfors (100 km),
Tampere/Tammerfors (73 km) and
Lahti/Lahtis (72 km).
The
Medieval Häme Castle (''Hämeen linna'') is located in the city.
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.
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.
The city is has always been known for its schools and academies where many famous
Finn s have studied. Schools, government and the military have characterized Hämeenlinna's life all through history.
The composer
Jean Sibelius was born and raised in Hämeenlinna. He graduated from Hämeenlinna Lyseo in 1885.
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).
