Housing and environment

Would you like to live near a lake, an urban city centre, or do you need more space to express yourself in one of our many urban and rural centres? Hämeenlinna is home to all of these – live near the city centre or head to the countryside.

Located midway between Helsinki and Tampere, Hämeenlinna is Finland’s oldest inland town and a growing urban centre with around 68 000 inhabitants. The city’s location along the main routes and roads in Finland – national road 3 and the main rail line in particular – has allowed it to become a key destination for entrepreneurship, work and housing, all in a nurtured and cherished national landscape.

Besides being a summer destination for holidaymakers – the new Hämeenlinna now includes over 7,000 holiday homes – the merger also made Hämeenlinna a rural district with over 500 farms. The farms brought a new group of professionals into the city’s service in the form of farm relief workers. The city now employs approximately 70 of these.

  • Population: 68 319
  • Total area: 1819 km2, of which 247 km2 are lakes

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The zoning review is prepared once a year and includes the status of the regional land use plan, the city’s pending master and local detailed plans, and other land use plans.

Hämeenlinna is committed to becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2035.

Public transport

The regional public transport area of Hämeenlinna includes Hämeenlinna, Janakkala and Hattula. The city and municipalities organise their bus services in cooperation with local transport operators.

Further information about public transport.

Streets and traffic

The street network maintained by the city comprises a total of 433 km of roads and 308 km of pedestrian walkways. 

Street planning, construction and maintenance also encompass the maintenance and cleanup of streets and the coordination of street-area wiring and structures.

Hämeenlinna is a city that was built for cycling. Hämeenlinna features around 220 km of city-owned bike lanes as well as about 50 km of state-owned bike lanes.

87% of the inhabitants in the inner city area live only 20 minutes away from the market square when travelling at a moderate pace of around 15 km/h.

Parks and forests

The lush and diverse parks of Hämeenlinna provide both residents and visitors with a versatile selection of outdoor and recreational opportunities. Hämeenlinna is known for its history as a City of Parks. Hämeenlinna is the home of Finland’s first and the world’s second National Urban Park.

The beachside parks of Vanajavesi and the city centre’s historic parks are definitely worth a visit. Beginning from the city centre, the magnificent six-kilometre Vanajavesi lakeside route features many parks that include ancestral and historical landmarks, picturesque landscapes and a diverse selection of flora and fauna.

Hämeenlinna’s only dog park is located in the city centre in Karnaalinpuisto Park, next to Tampereentie road. The park features two separate areas for smaller and larger dogs. See the park’s location on the map.

Plots and construction

Are you dreaming of owning a modern and stylish terraced home that has been designed for the future? Or are you more interested in a traditionally idyllic yard with a wooden sauna and a patch of land for growing your own produce? In Hämeenlinna, you can find a wide variety of plots that cater to every taste, both in the city centre and in the countryside. Explore our selection of available plots and plan your ideal future.

To check the city’s own residential construction projects, see the pages of each project. The basic information, budget details, key figures, timetables and general plans for each project are published on the website.

The ever-growing City of Hämeenlinna is located at the centre of the Finnish Growth Corridor between Tampere, Hämeenlinna and Helsinki, which has been designated as Finland’s key region for growth. The growth corridor is home to a third of the population, 45% of Finland’s GDP and 40% of all jobs in the country.

By 2030, Hämeenlinna’s public and private investments will total around 1.3 billion euros.

The City of Hämeenlinna’s current investments include the Asemanranta residential zone, where new homes are being built right in the vicinity of the railway station and near everyday services.  The city is also placing a strong emphasis on the development of the Engelinranta area in the city centre, which will become the site of modern homes belonging to the 2020s, right next to the shoreline of Vanajavesi Lake. 

In addition, the Hämeensaari project is being planned by a private development group in the city centre of Hämeenlinna and will include a new multi-function arena, housing, business spaces, offices, and sports and restaurant facilities.

Evergreen regions

In 2009, the municipalities of Hauho, Kalvola, Lammi, Renko and Tuulos were incorporated into the City of Hämeenlinna in a municipal merger. These new regions have become a key part of what Hämeenlinna has to offer.

These regions are home to around 16,500 inhabitants, or approximately 25% of the total population of Hämeenlinna, and their services include a large selection of library service points, schools, day care centres and care facilities for the elderly, as well as numerous sports facilities.

Hämeenlinna has around 8,200 recreational homes, and over 90% of these are located in the countryside. Hämeenlinna’s new regions have retained their distinctive characteristics, and we consider this a key strength of Hämeenlinna that we wish to maintain in the future as well.

Hämeenlinna’s regions are also an excellent location for a day trip or a weekend-long excursion. We have collected all of the information on each region that a tourist could ever need for a successful visit.

Day trip to Hauho
Day trip to Kalvola
Day trip to Lammi
Day trip to Renko
Day trip to Tuulos

Environmental protection

The municipality monitors and promotes environmental protection within its region to create a living environment that is

  • healthy
  • pleasant
  • stimulating
  • ecologically sustainable

Hämeenlinna also responsible for the environmental protection services of the municipality of Hattula.

Hämeenlinna in a nutshell

Founded: 1639
Population (31 December 2023): 68 319
Foreign-language population (31 December 2023) 6,8 %
Land area: 1,786 km2
Water surface area: 246 km2
In the north-south direction, the longest distance from border to border is 63.8 km
In the east-west direction, the longest distance from border to border is 81.5 km
Westernmost location: Kokkijärvi Lake in Kalvola
Easternmost location: Vestola in Lammi
Southernmost location: Keravalammi in Renko
Northernmost location: Lammin Lehtimäki, north of Nerosjärvi Lake
City circumference: 455 km
Income tax rate (2024): 8,4%
General property tax (2024): 1,35%
Operating margin for the 2024 budget:  159 573 000 €
Number of employees (2024): 1, 800
Neighbouring municipalities: Akaa, Asikkala, Hattula, Hausjärvi, Hollola, Janakkala, Loppi, Padasjoki, Pälkäne, Tammela, Urjala and Valkeakoski