Karkkila

Sister cities

• Holstebro
• Škofja Loka
• Zvolen
• Türi Rural Municipality
• Prienai Eldership
• Bundoran
• Sesimbra
• Sušice
• Niederanven
• Chojna
• Houffalize
• Bad Kötzting

History

Originally, Karkkila was a village in the municipality of Pyhäjärvi. In the 14th century, the Pyhäjärvi area belonged to the border area of the parishes of Janakkala and Lohja. In 1507, the Pyhäjärvi area became part of the Vihti parish, which was separated from the Lohja parish. The place was originally known as Pahajärvi ("bad lake"), but the name became established as Pyhäjärvi ("holy lake") in the late 17th or 18th century. The borough area consisted mainly of the villages of Nyhkälä and Karkkila. The growth and industrialization of Karkkila has been affected by the now closed narrow-gauge Hyvinkää–Karkkila railway. Later, the municipality of Pyhäjärvi was merged with the Karkkila borough in 1969. Officially, the Karkkila borough became a town in 1977.

Geography

Karkkila is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and it covers an area of of which is inland water (). The population density is (). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.