Jyväskylä Impressions by Kirjakaari

Jyväskylä - City rights 22 March 1837. The city of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän maalaiskunta (Rural Municipality of Jyväskylä) and Korpilahti were consolidated into the new city of Jyväskylä on 1 January 2009. - Area 1,466 km², of which waterways 299 km². - Population 134,000, foreigners 3,600, from 110 different nationalities. - Finland’s seventh largest city, regional centre of Central Finland. - Located at the northern peak of Finland’s second largest lake, Päijänne. - Important intersection, distance to the capital, Helsinki, 270 km, many highways pass through the city, e.g., European highways 4, 9, and 13. Good railroad connections, direct flights to Europe. - Renowned for its schools: Finland’s first Finnish-speaking schools were established in Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän Lyseo (upper secondary school, 1858), Teacher Seminary (1863), and girls’ school (1864). - Jyväskylä’s reputation as a civilized education city generated its nickname as the Athens of Finland. Today, there are over 45,000 students in Jyväskylä. - The city’s architecture has been moulded by Wivi Lönn, Finland’s first female founder of an architect office, and Alvar Aalto, who established an office in Jyväskylä in the 1920s. His most internationally noted work in the city is the Säynätsalo Town Hall. - Jyväskylä is also known internationally for its World Championship Rally, known nowadays as Neste Oil Rally Finland, which has been held every year since 1951.

HISTORy The rock paintings in Laukaa and the old Jyväskylän maalaiskunta (Rural Municipality of Jyväskylä) prove that the Jyväskylä region has been populated since prehistoric times. Located at the meeting point of three major waterways at the northern end of Lake Päijänne, Jyväskylä was the natural choice of the inland merchants of the 1700s for their market place. The city was established after going through many phases. The growing city was further strengthened by the plywood factory of Oy Wilhelm Schauman Ab, which grew into Europe’s largest wood fibre board producer by the 1960s. The colourful manager Bruno Krook built the Schauman Mansion in Touruniemi in 1924 as his posh home where he held extravagant social receptions. The bold Baroque building with its Italian furniture and modern sanitary facilities was a sensation in the small town. In addition to many other luxuries, Krook equipped the 2,400 square-metre building with a full-scale tennis court in the attic and a wine cellar downstairs. 4

Already in the early nineteenth century, Jyväskylä was the largest village of the Laukaa parish. The Empirestyle parish church was designed by J. C. L. Engel and built on a forest-covered hill in Laukaa. One of Jyväskylä’s first stone buildings was the Renaissance Revival city hall, which rose amidst the greenery of the Church Park in 1899. The City Board and City Council meet in the building, which houses the mayor’s office and city agencies.

In addition to active construction and expansion, the young town needed to seek independence and full city status. This development was boosted by establishing Jyväskylä’s own administrative court and appointing the city’s very own preacher. Spiritual nourishment was ensured when the Jyväskylä city parish was established. The main church of the parish, an oblong, single-nave church with a spire, was built in a dense park and decorated with Neo-romanticist and Neo-gothic features: plenty of brick ornaments and round-arched windows.

The Kangas paper mill, formerly the Lohikoski paper mill, was established in 1872 on the bank of the Touru River. The paper mill ceased operations in 2010, and today a modern residential area and business district are being built in the lush greenery of the Kangas section of Jyväskylä. The traditional beverage factory, designed by Wivi Lönn, stands in the city district of Älylä. The building was renovated and rented out to the university when the factory was shut down. Today, the building is in diverse use by both culture and business. 11

A historically valuable factory milieu and modern technology were smoothly united in the city district of Tourula. The National Rifle Factory started in 1926 and continued after the wars as Valmet’s Tourula factory, which mainly manufactured tractors. Nowadays the area is an attractive business park with around 40 companies and nearly 1000 employees. Jaakko Valo has worked in the artist residence since 2002. He has enlivened Jyväskylä with his impressive wall paintings. 12

Industrial production started in Rautpohja, Jyväskylä, in 1938, when the National Artillery Factory was established. After the Second World War, the factory’s product selection had to be completely changed. It served for several years as a miscellaneous machine workshop, for example, participating in the war indemnities to the Soviet Union. Gradually paper machines became the main product of the factory, which changed its name into Valmet. The first paper machines were delivered to Poland in 1953. Valmet and its Rautpohja factory grew into an internationally significant paper machine manufacturer in the mid-1960s. Nowadays the main products of the Rautpohja factories are paper and cardboard manufacturing lines and their maintenance.

Healthy south winds blew into the daily rhythm of the small town of two thousand inhabitants, when the town’s connections to the world were increased by the electric telegraph line from Tampere and the telephone brought by the storekeeper Helminen. The railroad station and the track between Haapamäki and Jyväskylä were completed in 1897 as a birthday gift for the 60-year-old town. The doors were now open to the world. Steam engine #961, or Ankka (Duck), spends its retirement days in the park next to the old national romantic-style station. The use of the preserved building was changed in 2002 upon the completion of the new transport hub. 16

“The boat! The boat! When this shout was heard, like magic, everyone able rushed down to the shore,” wrote the Central Finland newspaper in June 1874. Lake Päijänne linked the waterway to Lahti, enabling quick holiday and business trips to Helsinki and even St. Petersburg. Before the railway was built in 1897, goods and passenger transportation to Jyväskylä relied almost entirely on steam boat traffic, which began in the 1850s. The city hibernated during the winter. The toot of the Suomi steam boat’s horn is a familiar sound in Jyväskylä. The vessel has nurtured the steam boat tradition for over 100 years. 19

Jyväskylä can easily be considered the home town of the world-famous architect Alvar Aalto (1898–1976). He moved with his parents to the education city from Kuortane at the age of five. He graduated from Jyväskylän Lyseo (upper secondary school), and returned from Helsinki, after his studies, at the age of 25 to establish an architect office. Säynätsalo is Finland’s most internationally renowned island. The Säynätsalo Town Hall is a milestone of Finnish architectural history from the past century. It is one of Alvar Aalto’s most esteemed works, visited by up to 4,000 people every year, including ordinary tourists and the world’s top architects.

Stories, tradition, handicrafts and entrepreneurship come together in Toivolan Vanha Piha (the Toivola Old Court). The city block at the address Cygnaeuksenkatu 2 is the only complete entity remaining from Jyväskylä’s wooden house period of the nineteenth century. The tradition-loving hands of Markus Ahola of Manalanpaja (Smithery of Hades) create hinges, stove hatches and cemetery crosses alike.

The story of Finland’s oldest secondary school, Jyväskylän Lyseo, began with a decree by the Russian Tsar in 1858. The school was located at Vaasankatu 21. After many stages, the school finally moved to the building at the upper end of Asemakatu in the early 1900s. The building is no longer in use as a school, but there are new plans for continuing its dignified existence, and it has been made into a work of art in Jukka Korpihete’s work Valotrilogia (Trilogy of Light).

THE CITY TODAY Long gone are the days when the population of the town built between the Harju Ridge and Lake Jyväsjärvi was 3000, and the grid layout ran out of space. One city council member had a great idea: dig out the Harju Ridge and fill the lake Jyväsjärvi with the sand! Luckily the city expanded the natural way. The university and corporate buildings in Mattilanniemi and the light-coloured buildings of the university and the Technology Centre on the slope of Ylistönrinne greet people driving past the city as symbols of urban growth. The Lutakko section of the city on Lake Jyväsjärvi includes residential buildings, businesses, offices and cultural facilities as well as the Jyväskylä Paviljonki Congress Centre. The Rantaraitti shore route runs along the Lutakko shoreline around Lake Jyväskylä. The 14-mile-long route is popular for bicycling, walking and other exercise in both summer and winter.

Harju Ridge, in the centre of Jyv채skyl채, is known for its park, its broad Nero Steps, and the Vesilinna tower, which houses the Natural History Museum of Central Finland, a scenic view restaurant and an observation tower. Despite its name, Harju is in fact not a ridge, but a terminal moraine from the Ice Age. 30

Jyväskylä is the world’s northernmost City of Light. People wanted light to be seen as a part of the architecture, streets and green zones. The city has won numerous awards with its light theme. The City of Light is all about dazzling environmental art. The light show of the Jyväskylä Fashion Week in the September night enchants people walking on the pedestrian street past the Magneetti installation. 33

The Taulum채ki Church reaches for the sky, light-coloured and bright. The basilicastyle building, which became the main church of the Jyv채skyl채 Parish when municipalities were consolidated, is one of the most significant examples of classicist monumental architecture in Finland and the first church to be designed by a woman. Architect Elsi Borg had been inspired by her trips to Sk책ne, Sweden: the windows are low so that nature can be a part of worship.

The Jyv채skyl채 Travel Centre (Matkakeskus) was the first joint terminal to be built in Finland. Trains, buses and taxis depart from platforms only a few steps away from each other. It also features a car park building and an area for bicycles. A modern information system and restaurant services cater to travellers.

The social meeting place of city dwellers and country people, the market square, used to be located in the Church Park. Market business was deemed inappropriate to be practised beside the church. Builders covered the old â&#x20AC;&#x153;Horse Squareâ&#x20AC;? with cobble-stones, turning it into the present-day market square. Nowadays, you can park your car conveniently underneath the market square. From the underground car park, there is direct access to the shopping centres. 38

Jyväskylä Harbour is a popular meeting place. The rebuilt harbour, together with the indoor and outdoor areas of the Paviljonki Congress Centre, offers unlimited opportunities to arrange events. Jyväskylä has developed into a significant fair and congress city. Today, the 15-story apartment building Horisontti and Technopolis Innova’s wedgeshaped 15-story office building stand there as visible landmarks – Jyväskylä’s tallest buildings. The Jyväskylän Paviljonki Congress Centre is a venue for major events, complemented by a hotel.

In 1920, the SOK candy factory started producing sweets on the cramped upper floor of a berry processing plant in Vaajakoski. The Panda Oy confectionary, known for its Panda liquorice, is now part of Orkla Confectionery & Snacks Finland Ab. In addition to liquorice, the factoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main products are various chocolates. Almost half of its products are now exported.

The internationally renowned University of Jyväskylä focuses on teacher education, the humanities and science. In 2013, the university celebrated the 150th anniversary of Finnish-language teacher education and the 50th anniversary of Finland’s only Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. The byzantine-blue Yliopistoportit (University Gates), designed by Pero Luostarinen as a memorial to Wolmar Schildt, leads to the university campus. District Doctor, Fennoman Wolmar Schildt (1810-1893) was the first to propose establishing a university in Jyväskylä. 47

The arrival of the JAMK University of Applied Sciences on Rajakatu street in the 1990s really enlivened the area. The elementary school designed by Architect Olavi Kivimaa in the 1950s and the commercial college are almost in their original condition, but in the first decade of the millennium, they were connected physically. The JAMK University of Applied Sciences is an attractive, international institution of higher learning with over 8,500 students and almost 700 employees. The school’s goal is to be Finland’s best university of applied sciences, with strong evidence of teaching quality, internationality and promoting entrepreneurship. Kari Alonen’s 3-part sculpture Elämänkoulu (School of Life) in the yard of JAMK’s main campus is a fitting symbol of the school’s values: trust, creativity and responsibility. 48

The Jyväskylä Educational Consortium is one of the largest education providers in Finland. The Consortium provides education annually to a total of 22 000 students at the following educational institutions: Jyväskylä Institute of Adult Education, Jyväskylä College, Jämsä College, Jyväskylä Apprenticeship Training Center and upper secondary schools in the region. Teaching at the schools is practically oriented and prepares the students for the increasingly complex and diversified world of work. The Consortium also promotes education expertise globally.

Today, almost half of Lake Päijänne lies within the city boundaries of Jyväskylä. Part of the Jyväskylä city centre remains a lush green area with old wooden houses. Effectively-planned public transportation now also facilitates living farther from the city centre. Lakeside properties have made Jyväskylä an even more attractive, green and youthful growth centre

Honorary Counsellor of Commerce Johan Parviainen purchased the uninhabited main island of Säynätsalo in the late 1800s and built a sawmill there. He probably never guessed how important an industrial area and popular neighbourhood it would become. While the First World War was raging in Europe, the Parviainen family started a plywood factory next to the sawmill. It was destroyed by a tragic fire, but the rebuilt factory was started amidst the chaos of Finland’s civil war. The present-day owner, UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy, keeps the country’s oldest plywood mill running. Lehtisaari, one of Säynätsalo’s three islands, became much more accessible with the building of a suspension bridge, which at the time was the longest in Finland.

GREENERY Jyväskylä has successfully promoted active, green and enterprising community life. Lake Jyväsjärvi – the pearl of the city – with its surroundings, is the pride of joy of the population: the award-winning pedestrian and bicycle path Rantaraitti (Waterfront Walkway) circles 14 km around the lake. Another haven for cyclists and joggers can be found on the shores of the lakes Tuomiojärvi and Palokkajärvi. The green zones beckon people to linger outdoors and enjoy themselves. Haukanniemi, the popular outdoor recreation area on the shore of Lake Tuomiojärvi, is being made more accessible. Planning, building and maintenance of the city’s green areas is constantly developed, with the aim of highlighting the natural environment as an entirety.

Green zone planning increases the co-operation between the city and its population. The people’s well-being and health are taken into consideration, and recreation opportunities multiply while the biodiversity of nature is preserved. Jyväskylä’s Lutakko Park is known for its rolling grounds. In summer the nearby Jyväskylä Harbour attracts boaters, tourists and city residents to enjoy the pleasant surroundings. You can also have a cup of coffee or an icecream cone at the harbour’s café or on one of its several restaurant boats. 59

You will see more of the city if you take a walk. It is worthwhile to set aside a whole summer day to stroll around the University of Jyväskylä’s foliate campuses. The colours of autumn also offer their own charm. The botanical garden has been expanded into Aallon Puisto (Aalto’s Park) and the Mattilanniemi and Ylistönrinne campuses. 61

You can find surprising natural landscapes, for example, in the upper city, at the intersection of Seminaarinkatu and Vaasankatu. Pedestrians on Vaasankatu have long been able to admire creeper vines taking over the tall buildings, climbing toward the heights. Their autumn splendour is simply enchanting. 65

Jyv채skyl채 is a city of lakes, but rapids are hard to come by. A certain professional photographer has said that the tiny rapids of Korkeakoski are a must if you want to portray the soul of the city. The water fall between the streets Korkeakoskentie and Keljonkatu is most impressive in the spring, when the water rushes down from a tunnel under the railroad. You may have to get your feet wet to get a good shot, but that only adds to the challenge.

Find, understand and cherish nature! With a camera and a sketch pad, you can find eye-pleasing scenes around Jyväskylä, often in places inaccessible by car. You can get acquainted with the special features of the Jyväskylä region’s nature, for example, at the Natural History Museum of Central Finland, which is part of the Jyväskylä University Museum.

There are nine nature trails and four bird-watching towers in the city area. The triangulation tower at the peak of Oravivuori in Korpilahti is one of Finlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six points of the Struve Geodetic Arc. The Arc stretches from the Black Sea to the Arctic Ocean and was accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When winter covers the nature trails with snow, people put on their skis and hit the well-kept ski-trails of Jyv채skyl채. Frozen-over lakes are popular recreation sites, and the 2.5-kilometre skating track on Jyv채sj채rvi attracts a lot of people every winter. 73

CULTURE AND RECREATION As a travel destination, Jyväskylä is one of the most popular cities in Finland. There isn’t one tourist attraction above all others, but the city’s popularity is based on its favourable location, esteemed museums, theatres, orchestras, choirs, and diversified events. The Jyväskylä Live Music Association Jelmu ry rescued an old bakery from demolition and turned it into the Lutakko Live Music Venue, maintaining the city’s national rock club reputation. Renovating the old locomotive depot has increased the city’s variety of live music and given the young people an opportunity to keep busy. 77

In addition to the City Theatre and the independent Huoneteatteri (Chamber Theatre), the itinerant theatre Eurooppa Neljä (Europe 4) has made Jyväskylä its home base. The area is known overall for its multifaceted summer theatre offerings. In the summer, various street artists entertain passers-by, and the big thing in May is Yläkaupungin Yö (Upper City Night), an interdisciplinary arts festival around the University Campus hill. Down by the lake, Sataman Yö (Night at the Harbour) makes a lot of noise one week before Midsummer Night. 78

What could be more suitable for the bright autumn in Jyv채skyl채 than light art installations on the Tourujoki River. The Joen Varjot (Shadows of the River) installation in 2013 emphasized the natural values of the visually impressive riverside. Light and sounds also played together in the Valo Virtaa (Flowing Light) installation.

There are places in the Jyväskylä region that people come to see from afar. One of the most famous is the old wooden church of Petäjävesi, accepted by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, as a monument of Nordic wood architecture. The story goes that the church, just like the chapel before it on the same spot, was built without permission. The peasants couldn’t wait for the blessing of the bishop’s council for the building, but they put the cross-shaped church up on their own in 35 days. 82

There is an incredible variety of recreation opportunities in the Jyväskylä region. The Nyrölä underground planetarium offers astronomy and gastronomy, and the joys of exercise can be found at a number of fitness centres in the area. Disc golf players toss a Frisbee-like disc into a basket on a 9 or 18-fairway course. The most popular courses are Harju and Laajavuori. On the Varjola Farm in Laukaa, you can choose from almost ten different types of adventures in the Kuusaankoski rapids, or embark on diverse nature safaris. 84

Families with children and sports enthusiasts praise Jyv채skyl채 as an exercise and fitness city. It is known as the home town of many WC and Olympic-level sports competitors, so there are plenty of role models for young people. An amazing view opens over the city from Laajavuori which offers cross-country and downhill skiing or even ice cross downhill close to the city centre.

Jyväskylä is a team-sports city. In Finland’s national sport, pesäpallo (a Finnish form of baseball), the Kiri men’s team has honourable traditions since the 1950s, and the women’s team Kirittäret has won six Finnish Championships. The city’s teams have also achieved success in floorball, bandy and football. The hockey team, Jyväskylän Pallo (JYP), and the bandy team Happee have always won a place in the Finnish Championship League.

The Jyväskylä Rally has brought fame and fortune to Finland for over 60 years. The Jyväskylä area has hosted the World Rally Championship series since 1979, and the manufacturer teams have praised the event’s sportsmanship and the level of organization. The “Award of Excellence” for safety and many other acknowledgements have ensured the continuity of the event. At the Historic Rally you can see historic cars and spend time in the area in winter.

The well-kept museums of Jyväskylä can take you back into times past, helping you find your roots again. Alvar Aalto’s works from his ‘white period’, the Museum of Central Finland and the Alvar Aalto Museum, form a valuable centre of cultural history by the university. For a complete museum round, you can also visit the Jyväskylä University Museum, the Craft Museum of Finland, and the Jyväskylä Art Museum in the city centre. In the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Central Finland, you can experience an interesting shop interior from the olden times. 93

Photographs Jussi Salomaa, pages 1,2,4-5,8-9,10,16-17,23,24,26-27,30-31,35, 38-39,52,59,60,67,68-69,70-71,74-75,76-77, 79,82-83,84,86-87,90 Keijo Penttinen, pages 6-7,13,18-19,21,30,32-33,36-37,40-41,44-45, 46-47,48,50-51,56-57,58-59,61,62-63,64-65, 66,72-73,80-81,84-85,87,90-91,92-93,94-95 Markku Könkkölä p. 20,24-25 Kimmo Korpela p. 7,11,12,28-29,34,52-53 Hannu Korpela p. 78 Nina Huisman, Mustavalkea Oy p. 22-23 Petri Pietikäinen © Vastavalo p. 54-55 Jari Pekkarinen p. 88-89 Tero Takalo-Eskola p. 42-43, terotemedia.net Valmet Oyj, photos published by permission of Valmet Oyj, p. 14-15, www.valmet.com Jamk University of Applied sciences, p. 49, www.jamk.fi/en

Works of art:

Text Risto Urrio Translation Aki Myyrä, Molehill Communications Graphic design Kati Lähdemäki, Kirjakaari Printing Saarijärven Offset Oy, Saarijärvi 2014 Publisher Kirjakaari, www.kirjakaari.fi

ISBN 978-952-5969-46-7

p.37 (Matkakeskus) Kokemuksen Maailma (World of Experience) 2008, Vainoharhainen (Paranoid) 2010, Kiven Hehku (Glow of the Stone) 2010, Kari Alonen p.48 Elämänkoulu (School of Life) 2011, Corten-steel and stainless steel, Kari Alonen photos of Kari Alonen’s works published with the permission of Kari Alonen p.47 Yliopistoportit (University Gates) 1987, steel spray-painted with semi-matt byzantine blue, Pero Luostarinen, © Kuvasto 2014 p.92-93 Museum of Central Finland and the Aalto Museum, photos published with the permission of the museums