Finland Guide
The Lake Region
Jyväskylä
JYVÄSKYLÄ (pronounced "EWE-vah-skoo-lah") is the most low-key and provincial of the main Lake Region towns, despite an industrial section that takes up one end and a big university which consumes the other – though the latter does provide something of a youthful feel. The town also has more than its fair share of buildings by Alvar Aalto. The legendary architect grew up here and opened his first office in the town in 1923, and his handiwork – a collection of buildings spanning his entire career – litters the place.
After some minor projects, Aalto left Jyväskylä in 1927 for fame, fortune and Helsinki, but returned in the 1950s to work on the teacher-training college. By the 1970s this had grown into the Jyväskylä University, whose large campus halts traffic where the main road gives way to a series of public footpaths, leading to a park and sports ground. Although Aalto died before his ambitious plan for an Administration and Cultural Centre was complete, the scheme is still under construction along Vapaudenkatu. Across the road from the (perhaps intentionally) uninspiring police station – unveiled in 1970 – stands the City Theatre resembling a scaled-down version of Helsinki's Finlandia Hall.