Lohja: Finland

Lohja (Lojo in Swedish) is a town and municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of 36,004 (2003) and covers an area of 356.24 km² of which 77.98 km² is water. The population density is 101.1 inhabitants per km².
The municipality is bilingual, with majority being Finnish and minority Swedish speakers. Lohja has been a focal point for the population and economy of Western Uusimaa since the early 14th century. Lohja was renowned as a trading centre already in the Middle Ages. The local inhabitans were among the pioneers of the Finnish mining and construction material industries. By Finnish standards, Lohja has long-established traditions in horticulture and especially in market gardening. These traditions are represented by the symbols of present-day Lohja: limestone and an apple.
Lohja has an exellent location near the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and it benefits from a good road network. It takes less than an hour to drive from Helsinki to Lohja.
The landscape of Lohja is characterized by manors and gardens. The Lohja area is divided by the ridge Lohja, which forms a watershed for southern Finland´s largest lake system, Lake Lohja.
Lohja is a town famed for its cultural events. More than a hundred different events are arranged in the town each year by its residents and organizations. The most notable are the Lohja summer Cultural Festival, the Apple Carnival organized by representatives of business and commerce, the retailers´ Hurlumhei Carnival and the Old Time Christmas market continue the tradition of fairs dating back to the Middle Ages.
One unique experience is the Tytyri limestone mine, which has a museum 100 meters below earth´s surface. This attraction and exhibitions are reached using either an old mine wagon or an ultramodern lift. Other places worth visiting are: Lohja museum area, Lake Lohja surroundings, St. Laurence´s church dating from the 16th century, the Kisakallio Sport college, the Floating Restaurant-Café Kaljaasi, the Alitalo vineyard, the St. Laurence Golf and the recreation bath Neidonkeidas.