Lempäälä (Finnish: [ˈlempæːlæ]) is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies south of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Lempäälä is approximately 25,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 417,000. It is the 42nd most populous municipality in Finland.
Lempäälä | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Lempäälän kunta Lempäälä kommun | |
 Aerial view of Lempäälä | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Lempäälä in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 61°19′N 023°45′E / 61.317°N 23.750°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Pirkanmaa |
| Sub-region | Tampere sub-region |
| Metropolitan area | Tampere metropolitan area |
| Charter | 1866 |
| Government | |
| • Municipality manager | Heidi Rämö |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 307.06 km2 (118.56 sq mi) |
| • Land | 269.58 km2 (104.09 sq mi) |
| • Water | 37.51 km2 (14.48 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 241st largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 24,711 |
| • Rank | 42nd largest in Finland |
| • Density | 91.66/km2 (237.4/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 96.5% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.3% |
| • Others | 3.2% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 22.3% |
| • 15 to 64 | 60.8% |
| • 65 or older | 16.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www |
The municipality covers an area of 307.06 square kilometres (118.56 sq mi) of which 37.51 km2 (14.48 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 91.66 inhabitants per square kilometre (237.4/sq mi).
The centre of Lempäälä lies on an isthmus between Lakes Vanajavesi and Pyhäjärvi , which are connected by the Kuokkalankoski Rapids and the Lempäälä Canal, which was built in the 1870s and is still in use.
The first written reference to the parish of Lempäälä dates from 1430. The oldest building in the town is a medieval church named after Saint Birgitta, built in 1504.[6] The only surviving item from the Middle Ages in the church is a wooden crucifix carved from birch.
Finnish writer Yrjö Kokko lived in Lempäälä and is buried in the cemetery.
Ideapark, the second largest shopping centre in the Nordic countries, is located in Lempäälä along the Helsinki-Tampere motorway (E12).
Kuokkala
Kuokkala is a neighbourhood to the north of Lempäälä town which houses a ’museoraitti’ (museum trail). Several buildings now house collections of historical items, including a shop museum (also a shop and information office), hairdressers & barbers, cobblers, WW2 memorabilia, household equipment, blacksmiths, carpenters, a 19th-century Finnish dwelling, and a special exhibit relating to the ex-Finnish region of Sakkola.[7]
Politics
In the 2023 parliamentary elections, Lempäälä voted as such:[8]
- National Coalition Party - 26.0%
- Finns Party - 22.0%
- Social Democratic Party - 21.8%
- Centre Party - 7.4%
- Green League - 6.6%
- Christian Democrats - 6.3%
- Left Alliance - 4.4%
- Movement Now - 3.1%
- Freedom Alliance - 1.0%
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Lempäälä is twinned with:
Ulricehamn, Sweden
Øvre Eiker, Norway
Kerteminde, Denmark
Tapolca, Hungary
Villages
See also
- Nokia, Finland
- Pirkkala
- Puntala-rock, a punk rock festival
References
External links
Media related to Lempäälä at Wikimedia Commons
- Municipality of Lempäälä – Official site