Häme in a nutshell
Häme is one of the historical regions in Finland and is located in the southern Finland, close to the largest cities of the country. Due to its location, Häme is easy to reach. The region lies only about an hour's drive or train trip from the capital and other cities of the southern Finland.
Häme region
The Häme region comprises of small and medium-sized towns and villages and the network formed by the services provided by them. The oldest inhabited inland areas in Finland can be found in the Häme region. Various lively events are an essential part of the culture of Häme. The region has long traditions in the fields of textile and glass design.
Landscape of Häme
The countryside in the Häme region has remained vital and lively and provides an excellent opportunity to familiarise oneself with the Finnish nature. The nature in Häme is rich and versatile. The change of seasons can be felt everywhere. The scenery is varied, for the region has forests of various kinds, lakes, marshes and ridges. Lines of ridges dominate the historical landscape that is enlivened by sandy plains and small water systems. Häme has over 4000 hectares of protected nature reserves.
Hämeenlinna is the capital of southern Finland and the country's oldest inland town.
The region's surface area is 5700 km2, of which 9% is water systems. The population of the area is over 168 000.
Sub-regions of Häme
The 16 municipalities of Häme form the following sub-regions: Hämeenlinna, Forssa and Riihimäki.
The sub-region of Forssa includes Forssa, Humppila, Jokioinen, Tammela and Ypäjä.
The sub-region of Hämeenlinna includesHattula, Hauho, Hämeenlinna, Janakkala, Kalvola, Lammi, Renko and Tuulos.
The sub-region of Riihimäki includes Hausjärvi, Loppi and Riihimäki.
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Town of Forssa |
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Municipality of Hattula |
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Municipality of Hauho
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Municipality of Hausjärvi |
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Municipality of Humppila
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Town of Hämeenlinna |
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Municipality of Janakkala
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Municipality of Jokioinen |
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Municipality of Kalvola |
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Municipality of Lammi |
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Municipality of Loppi |
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Municipality of Renko |
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Town of Riihimäki |
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Municipality of Tammela |
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Municipality of Tuulos |
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Municipality of Ypäjä |
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Häme coat of arms
Heraldic description:
Red field and a golden lynx with black ear tufts; above the lynx three six-pointed stars and under it four roses placed 1+3; all silver. The yellow and white on the shield represent heraldic metals; gold and silver.
Provincial mammal: Lynx
Felis lynx
The lynx, listed as endangered species and protected by law since 1962, is the only wild cat in Finland. The lynx can be found everywhere in the country but is most common in the southern Finland in hilly and rocky areas that are difficult to access. Lynx prowl in dusk and at nights in their territories, the surface area of which varies between 100 and 1000 km2. They mainly feed on hares and other small mammals, but they can also hunt deer, reindeer and birds.
The most obvious characteristics of the lynx are the short tail with a black end and the tassle-like tufts on the tips of the ears. The thick fur is red and grey in summer and grey and white in winter. There are brown or black spots or stripes on the coat. A lynx is 70-140 cm long and can weigh 8-25 kg.
Provincial bird: Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
The ospreyis one of the biggest birds of prey in Finland: after the eagles, it is our largest daytime bird of prey. Ospreys are most common in Häme, although you can spot them elsewhere in Finland too. The osprey migrates to Africa for winters. Its diet consist entirely of fish, and when hunting, it makes a spectacular plunge into the water to catch its prey. The osprey breeds in pines by lakes. Females lay eggs in the nests, usually a large heap of sticks, and 1-3 chicks are hatched. The osprey is 53-61 cm long with a 140-165 cm wingspan. Females are bigger than males.
Provincial fish: Bream
Abramis brama
The bream favors clear, rather shallow and warm water, where it inhabits areas close to the shore among the water plants or, in lakes lacking the plant-life, close to the stones in the bottom. In Finland, the bream has spread into the lakes of southern and middle Finland, and can also be found in some places in norther Finland. Breams feed on grubs, worms, mussels and other molluscs that they find in the bottom of lakes and rivers by using their funnel-like mouth.
Bream is a member of the family Cyprinidae and is one of its biggest members after carp. It is 35-45 cm long. Usually its weight ranges between 0,5 -1 kg but it can grow to be over 10 kg. The biggest bream caught in Finland weighed 11,5 kg.
Provincial flower: Pasqueflower
Pulsatilla patens, Anemone patens
Pasqueflower is a rare plant that favors ridges and forest hills with a lot of light. It has traditionally been a typical plant in Häme, but can now be found only in the area of ten municipalities around Hämeenlinna. Pasqueflower is an endangered species and protected by environmental law.
Pasqueflower is pollinated by insects and it flowers among the first spring flowers. Each stem holds a blue to purple bell-shaped flower that perishes after only a few days. After blooming, furry, palmately lobed leaves emerge. After pollination, the stem can grow to be as long as 50 cm.
Provincial stone: Graphic granite
Graphic granite consists of dark, glass-like quartz and feldspar and is formed at the end of the crystallisation phase of intrusive rocks.
Quartz stripes form beautiful dark brown patterns resembling Hebrew or Arabic letters on red or white feldspar. Due to its nice lustre, graphic granite is used as a gemstone and it suits well, for instance, silver jewellery.
