Nurmijärvi is the most populated rural municipality of Finland, located 37 kilometres (23 mi) north of the capital Helsinki. The neighboring municipalities of Nurmijärvi are Espoo, Vantaa, Tuusula, Hyvinkää and Vihti, and it is part of the Greater Helsinki. The population of the municipality is 43,669 inhabitants.
The close proximity to Helsinki has led to a considerable growth of the major villages such as Klaukkala, Rajamäki and Röykkä. Klaukkala is the biggest built-up area of Nurmijärvi, which nowadays is considered a dormitory town of Helsinki. The church village (Kirkonkylä) is the administrative centre of the municipality, although the clear emphasis on population growth is in Klaukkala.
Nurmijärvi literally means “lawn lake” although the lake that gave the municipality its name was drained in the early 20th century and is now nothing more than some flat fields near the village centre. Nurmijärvi is one of three municipalities in the Uusimaa region that do not have a Swedish name; the others are Askola and Mäntsälä.
Matti Vanhanen, former Prime Minister of Finland and current finance minister, lives in Lepsämä in Nurmijärvi.
Services
Education
Nurmijärvi has 17 primary schools (one in Swedish ), two integrated schools, one special school and three upper secondary schools in terms of basic education .
In terms of secondary education, Nurmijärvi has three upper secondary schools: Nurmijärvi Co-educational High School in the church village , Rajamäki High School in Rajamäki and Arkadia Joint School in Klaukkala . The latter high school is private, the others are maintained by the municipality of Nurmijärvi. In addition, there is one of the campuses of Keuda, a consortium of vocational municipalities that provides vocational training, in the village of Perttula .
Sak-Opisto and the Nurmijärvi unit of the Humanities University of Applied Sciences are also located on the shores of Lake Sääksjärvi in Kiljava . The Adult Education Center of the Work Efficiency Society operates in Rajamäki .
Health
There are three health stations in Nurmijärvi that are part of the service production of the Central Uusimaa Community of Municipalities : Kirkonkylä , Klaukkala and Rajamäki health stations . In addition, there is Kiljava Hospital in Nurmijärvi , which currently operates as a rehabilitation hospital. Until 1932, the Nummela Lung Disease Hospital operated in Röykä , and until 1989, the Röykä Psychiatric Hospital operated in the same building.
Exercise
Nurmijärvi offers plenty of sports opportunities with various jogging paths, sports areas, sports halls and gyms. Klaukkala’s Tornimäki has a fitness ladder with 338 steps and a height difference of 51 meters. Rajamäki has an indoor swimming pool and Klaukkala has an ice rink . Sports fields can be found in Klaukkala, Nurmijärvi church village and Rajamäki. The multi-purpose building Monikko , completed in 2017, also operates in the Klaukkala sports area
Nurmijärvi Golf (NGK) is also located in Nurmijärvi, along Highway 25 . The course has a total of 27 holes and a par 3 course open to all.
Nurmijärvi Sports Clubs include Nurmijärvi Football Club , Kurra Hockey , Nurmijärvi Athletics , Rajamäki Development, Rajamäki Regiment , the successful floorball club SB-Pro and Nurmijärvi Figure Skating Clubs . There are four scout flags operating in Nurmijärvi: Jukola’s Brothers and Sisters, Klapaset, Rajamäki Forest Visitors and Lepsämä Scout.
Culture
Nurmijärvi is best known as the birthplace of Finland’s national author, Aleksis Kivi. The coat of arms of municipality refers to his most famous literal work, Seitsemän veljestä (literally translated “the seven brothers”) from 1870. Every year, the municipality hosts the Kivi Festival (Kivi-juhlat), the main venue of which is the Taaborinvuori museum area next to Aleksis Kivi’s birthplace. On January 29, 2020, Nurmijärvi declared itself officially the Capital of Aleksis Kivi.
Food
In the 1980s, the cultural dishes of Nurmijärvi parish were called pastries with raisin soup, a roast beef cured slowly in mild heat, berry cream and sweetened potato casserole.
