Jyväskylä: Finland

Jyväskylä is a city located in central Finland, 140 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near Lake Päijänne and Lake Keitele. It is the center of the Region of Jyväskylä, which has a population of 161,400 people. Due to the large number of schools in the city, it is known as the Athens of Finland, and is also famous for its many buildings designed by Alvar Aalto and for hosting Neste Rally Finland, which is part of the World Rally Championship.
During the 1990s and 2000s, the city became somewhat notorious for crime and social problems. Specifically, the frequency of violent crimes is a higher than average among Finnish cities.
At the end of 2003, Jyväskylä had a population of 82,409, while the Region of Jyväskylä had 144,746 inhabitants.
In 2003 the then-mayor of Jyväskylä, Pekka Kettunen, estimated that the city and The Rural Municipality of Jyväskylä would combine within ten years. The town cannot initiate such a merger as it is the biggest municipal unit, but on the other hand it would not prevent such a merger either.
Education
A number of firsts in Finnish education have taken place in Jyväskylä:
The first Finnish-speaking Lyceum (1858)
The first Finnish-speaking teacher training college (1863)
The first Finnish-speaking school for girls (1864)
Finland’s first Summer University (1914)
Due to this, among other things, the city earned the nickname Athens of Finland.
The teacher training college later evolved into the College of Education (1937) and further into the multidisciplinary University of Jyväskylä (1966).
The University of Jyväskylä is one of the most popular universities in Finland. Almost 15,000 students are enrolled to study for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and the university also offers PhD programs in most of its subjects. Historically, the university has excelled in the study of education, but in the last few decades it has also gained respect in the sciences. It is the only university in Finland offering university-level education in sports, training sports teachers and coaches.
History
Jyväskylä was founded in 1837 by Nicholas I of Russia and it was essentially built from scratch. The original town was built between Lake Jyväsjärvi (which is connected to Lake Päijänne) and the Jyväskylä ridge, and consisted of most of the current grid-style city centre. In the early 20th Century, the town expanded several times.
Numerical data on Jyväskylä
Founded 22 March 1837
Population in the city proper: 81,000 (2002)
Population in the urban area: 143,000 (2002)
Area: 136.9 km²
Population density: 766/km²
Trivia
An asteroid, 1500 Jyväskylä, was named after the town by its Finnish discoverer, Yrjö Väisälä.