Tuusula

Sister cities

• Oppegård Municipality
• Celle district
• Hvidovre Municipality
• Sollentuna Municipality
• Augustów
• Vinni Rural Municipality
• Vidnoye

History

The area in what is now Tuusula was located in the larger municipality of Sipoo. It got its current name from its original inhabitants known as the Tuusas (based on the Germanic names Dose or Duse), who settled in the area centuries ago. The historical center called Tuusulan kirkonkylä ("Tuusula church village") was built on the shores of lake in the 16th century. In 1643, it became a separate parish in the municipality, and in 1653, it became a separate municipality. Tuusula's boundaries have not always remained the same: in 1924 the municipality of Kerava split from here; in 1950 the municipality of Korso was split between Tuusula, Kerava, and Sipoo; and in 1951 the municipality of Järvenpää split from here. During the Crimean War (1853–1856), a Russian garrison was stationed in what is now Hyrylä. The modern parish mostly developed around it. Since the departure of the Helsinki Air Defence Regiment, the former garrison area has been redeveloped. The area had always been a fairly fertile area, thus encouraging farming. The development of other industries began in 1795, when an ironworks was created in Kellokoski that functioned until the 1980s. The establishment of a railway in Jokela furthered the growth. Soon after this industrial time another aspect of Tuusulan history was realised. The Tuusulanjärvi lake attracted many artists who wanted to paint the beautiful landscape. Following the footsteps of Aleksis Kivi, the Finnish national poet who spent the last years of his life in a hut on the shores of the lake, Jean Sibelius, Juhani Aho, and Pekka Halonen even established their main residences here. Recently these houses have become tourist sites, especially Sibelius' house Ainola. Also, Tuusula Lake Road on the eastern shore of the lake is an outside museum.…

Geography

Tuusula, lying on the shores of Tuusulanjärvi lake, is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. It covers an area of of which is water. The most significant main road connection between Hyrylä and Helsinki is the Tuusulanväylä motorway. The neighbouring communes are Vantaa to the south, Nurmijärvi to the west, Hyvinkää to the north, Mäntsälä and Järvenpää to the north east, and Sipoo and Kerava to the east. Huikko, Hyrylä, Jokela, Jäniksenlinna, Kellokoski, Kirkonkylä, Lahela, Myllykylä, Nahkela, Paijala, Riihikallio, Ruotsinkylä, Ruskela, Rusutjärvi, Savikulma, Siippoo, Vanhakylä

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,693
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,827
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,538
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,283
• European Pied Flycatcher

  Ficedula hypoleuca (Pallas, 1764) · Aves
  3,832
• Garden Lupin

  Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. · Magnoliopsida
  3,329
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,227
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,182

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2011-03-19
  Finland