Lahti

This article is about the city. For the Finnish anti-tank rifle, see Lahti L-39. For the surname, see Lahti (surname).
Not to be confused with Lathi.
Lahti
Lahtis
City
Lahden kaupunki
Lahtis stad
City of Lahti
Centre of the city
Centre of the city
Coat of arms of Lahti
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): 
Chicago of Finland, Business City
Location of Lahti in Finland
Location of Lahti in Finland
Coordinates: 60°59′N 025°39′E / 60.983°N 25.650°E / 60.983; 25.650
Country Finland
Region Päijänne Tavastia
Sub-regionLahti sub-region
CharterJune 5, 1878[1]
CityNovember 1, 1905[2]
Government
 • City managerPekka Timonen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[3]
 • Total517.63 km2 (199.86 sq mi)
 • Land459.5 km2 (177.4 sq mi)
 • Water19.53 km2 (7.54 sq mi)
 • Rank191st largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-08-31)[4]
 • Total121,202
 • Rank9th largest in Finland
 • Density263.77/km2 (683.2/sq mi)
Population by native language
[5]
 • Finnish90.2% (official)
 • Swedish0.4%
 • Others9.3%
Population by age
[6]
 • 0 to 1414.3%
 • 15 to 6460.8%
 • 65 or older24.9%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitelahti.fi

Lahti (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈlɑhti]; Swedish: Lahtis) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately 121,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 205,000. It is the 9th most populous municipality in Finland, and the sixth most populous urban area in the country.

Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about 100 kilometres (60 mi) north-east of the capital city Helsinki, 38 kilometres (24 mi) south-west of Heinola and 74 kilometres (46 mi) east of Hämeenlinna, the capital of the region of Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme). Lahti is situated at the intersection of Highway 4 (between Helsinki and Jyväskylä) and Highway 12 (between Tampere and Kouvola), which are the most significant main roads of Lahti. Its neighboring municipalities are Asikkala, Heinola, Hollola, Iitti and Orimattila.[8]

In English, the Finnish word Lahti literally means bay. Lahti is also dubbed the "Chicago of Finland" due to the similarity of early industries of both cities, when they were known as "slaughterhouse cities".[9][10][11] Also, the troubled history of both cities in terms of crime has been seen as one of the similarities.[9][10][11]

Lahti is a long-time pioneering city in environmental sustainability, dating back to as early as 1990 and before. The European Commission has named Lahti as the European Green Capital of 2021.[12][13]

Lahti is the headquarters of the Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark,[14] one of 4 UNESCO Geoparks in Finland. Salpausselkä was added to the list of over 170 UNESCO Global Geoparks in the world in 2022.[15]

The coat of arms of the city depicts a train wheel surrounded by flames. It refers to the Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway, which had a decisive influence on the birth of the city at its crossroads.[16]

  1. ^ Jouko Heinonen & Heikki Mantere (1985). Lahti: raittikylästä maakuntakeskukseksi (in Finnish). City of Lahti. p. 16.
  2. ^ "Lahden kaupungin perustaminen". Tradicii.info (in Finnish). Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-09-24. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  5. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  6. ^ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Kunnat: Lahti" (in Finnish). Kuntaliitto. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b 7 Interesting Facts about Lahti
  10. ^ a b Lahti on Suomen Chicago – syystäkin (in Finnish)
  11. ^ a b Onko Lahti oikeasti "Suomen Chicago"? Poliisi kertoo (in Finnish)
  12. ^ Lahti – European Green Capital 2021
  13. ^ European Green Capital: 2021 – Lahti
  14. ^ "Salpausselkä Geopark". Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  15. ^ "UNESCO designates 8 new Global Geoparks". Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  16. ^ Suomen kunnallisvaakunat (in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982. p. 118. ISBN 951-773-085-3.