Espoo
Encyclopedia
Espoo (ˈespoː; , ˈɛsbo) is the second largest city and municipality in Finland
. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
along with the cities of Helsinki
, Vantaa
, and Kauniainen
. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen. Today, Espoo is the only municipality in Finland to fully enclose another municipality. The city is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland
, in the region of Uusimaa
.
Other bordering municipalities of Espoo are Nurmijärvi
and Vihti
in the north and Kirkkonummi
in the west. The national park of Nuuksio
is situated in northwest Espoo.
Espoo encompasses km2, of which km2 is land.
Espoo has several local regional centers. Espoo is thus divided into seven major areas : Vanha-Espoo
(with administrative center
), Suur-Espoonlahti
, Pohjois-Espoo
, Suur-Kauklahti
, Suur-Leppävaara
, Suur-Matinkylä
and Suur-Tapiola
.
The Helsinki University of Technology
is based in Otaniemi
, Espoo, along with a thriving science community that includes numerous startups and organizations such as VTT – the Technical Research Center of Finland. Nokia
, the telecommunications company, is headquartered in Keilaniemi
, Espoo, along with other high-tech companies such as KONE
, Tekla
and Fortum
.
The city of Espoo is officially bilingual. The majority of the population, 83.6%, speaks Finnish as their mother tongue, while a minority of 8.3% speaks Swedish
. 8% of Espoo's population has a first language
other than Finnish or Swedish.
via Turku
to Viipuri
dates back to the 13th century. The oldest preserved building in Espoo, the Espoo Cathedral
, originates from the 1480s. The administrative center Espoon keskus
has grown around the church and the Espoo railway station
.
In 1920, Espoo was only a rural municipality of about 9,000 inhabitants, of whom 70% were Swedish speaking. Agriculture was the primary source of income, with 75% of the population making their living from farming. Kauniainen
was separated from Espoo in 1920, and it gained city rights the same year as Espoo, in 1972.
Espoo started to grow rapidly in the 1940s and '50s. It quickly developed from a rural municipality into a fully-fledged industrial city, gaining city rights in 1972. Due to its proximity to Helsinki, Espoo soon became popular amongst people working in the capital. In the fifty years from 1950 to 2000, the population of Espoo grew from 22,000 to 210,000. Since 1945, the majority of people in Espoo have been Finnish speaking. In 2006, the Swedish speaking inhabitants represented barely 9% of the total population. The population growth is still continuing, but at a slower rate.
, and the Swedish word for "river", å, thus "a river bordered by aspen". The name was first mentioned in 1431.
Espoo contains many high income suburbs, and six out of the ten highest average income postal code
areas in Finland are in Espoo.
in Espoo:
(Espoo Museum of Modern Art), built in a renovated old print house, the WeeGee house
, named after an old book print company Weilin & Göös. The same building hosts also Finland's only Museum of Horology
and a Toy Museum. In Tapiola
, is located the Espoo cultural centre, where numerous concerts and theater performances are held.
Espoo has several manors two of which are open to the public. The most important is Espoon kartano , mentioned first time in 1495, and belonging to the noble Ramsay family since 1756. The current main building dates from 1914, but a mill dates from the 1750s and Finland oldest walved stone bridge
from 1777 is on the King's Road which passes by the manor. The main building can be rented for weddings and similar occasions. Guided tours on request for groups. The other manor open to public is Pakankylän kartano, located on the northern shore of Lake Bodom
. The manor hosts a restaurant and club rooms, partly with original furniture open to the public, but meant original to Kaisankoti sanatory and old people's home located on ground of the manor.
The Metal band Children of Bodom
comes from Espoo, Finland. They are named after the unsolved murder known as the Lake Bodom murders
which took place at Lake Bodom
, a lake in northern Espoo in 1960. The bands Norther
and Kiuas
also come from Espoo.
The educational department takes part in Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland
.
, the city's Westend Tennis Hall hosted the fencing
events.
Espoo is home to several premier league sports teams. The Espoo Blues
play at Barona Areena
in the SM-Liiga
– professional ice hockey
league. The club was established in February 1984 as "Kiekko-Espoo" and played their first season in 1984–1985 in the Finnish Second Division. In 1988 they achieved a place on the Finnish First Division and in 1992 they celebrated their promotion to the SM-liiga
. The club and the team changed their name in 1998. The name came from the dominant colour of their home jersey. The full name of the club is Blues Hockey Oy.
The Blues are a contender for the title almost every year, but have yet to win the series. They have come second several times though, most recently in 2011.
Another sports club from Espoo, FC Honka
, is a football club based in Tapiola
in southern Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division (Veikkausliiga
) for the first time in its history at the end of the 2005 season. The manager
of the club is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto. Originally founded in 1953 as "Tapion Honka", it changed its name into FC Honka in 1975.
FC Honka is largely known in Finland for its extensive youth scheme with over 1000 young players playing in various age groups.
Espoo is the birthplace of 2007 Formula One
World Champion Kimi Räikkönen
, Dallas Stars
forward Jere Lehtinen
(three time NHL Selke Trophy winner), former Formula One
driver JJ Lehto, professional downhill mountain biker Matti Lehikoinen
, and 2009 European Figure Skating Champion Laura Lepistö
.
with:
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
Greater Helsinki
Greater Helsinki and the smaller Helsinki Metropolitan Area or Capital Region refer to two regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland...
along with the cities of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Vantaa
Vantaa
Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
, and Kauniainen
Kauniainen
Kauniainen is a small town and a municipality of inhabitants in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. It is surrounded by the city of Espoo, in Greater Helsinki...
. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen. Today, Espoo is the only municipality in Finland to fully enclose another municipality. The city is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
, in the region of Uusimaa
Uusimaa
Uusimaa, or Nyland in Swedish, is a region in Finland. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper, Päijänne Tavastia and Kymenlaakso...
.
Other bordering municipalities of Espoo are Nurmijärvi
Nurmijärvi
Nurmijärvi is the most populated rural municipality of Finland, located north of the capital Helsinki.The close proximity to Helsinki has led to a considerable growth of the major villages such as Klaukkala and Rajamäki, which nowadays are considered dormitory towns of Helsinki...
and Vihti
Vihti
Vihti is a small municipality located in the Uusimaa region of province of Southern Finland, approximately northwest of the capital city Helsinki. Its seat is Nummela. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
in the north and Kirkkonummi
Kirkkonummi
Kirkkonummi is a municipality of inhabitants in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "Kirkkonummi" and "Kyrkslätt" in English is "church moor"....
in the west. The national park of Nuuksio
Nuuksio National Park
Nuuksio National Park is one of the national parks in Finland. Established in 1994, the park spreads over an area of forests and lakes in Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Vihti. North-west from Helsinki, it is the second-closest national park to the capital after Sipoonkorpi National Park...
is situated in northwest Espoo.
Espoo encompasses km2, of which km2 is land.
Espoo has several local regional centers. Espoo is thus divided into seven major areas : Vanha-Espoo
Vanha-Espoo
Vanha-Espoo or Gamla Esbo , literally "Old Espoo", is the largest main district of Espoo, a city in Finland. It covers part of the centre and northwest of the city....
(with administrative center
Espoon keskus
Espoon keskus is the central district of Espoo, the second biggest city of Finland and the administrative centre with the city hall of Espoo. The areas of Kiltakallio, Kirkkojärvi, Saarniraivio, Suna, Suvela and Tuomarila belong to Espoon keskus...
), Suur-Espoonlahti
Suur-Espoonlahti
Suur-Espoonlahti or Stor-Esboviken is a south-western main district of Espoo, a city in Finland.It contains the districts Espoonlahti, Kaitaa, Latokaski, Nöykkiö, Saunalahti, Soukka and Suvisaaristo....
, Pohjois-Espoo
Pohjois-Espoo
Pohjois-Espoo or Norra Esbo is a north main district of Espoo, a city in Finland.It contains the districts Bodom, Kalajärvi, Lahnus, Lakisto, Luukki, Niipperi, Perusmäki, Röylä, Vanhakartano and Velskola....
, Suur-Kauklahti
Suur-Kauklahti
Suur-Kauklahti or Stor-Köklax is a western main district of Espoo, a city in Finland.It contains the districts Espoonkartano, Kauklahti, Kurttila, Vanttila.- See also :* Districts of Espoo...
, Suur-Leppävaara
Suur-Leppävaara
Suur-Leppävaara or Stor-Alberga is an eastern main district of Espoo, a city in Finland.It contains the districts Karakallio, Kilo, Laaksolahti, Leppävaara,Lintuvaara, Lippajärvi, Sepänkylä, Viherlaakso....
, Suur-Matinkylä
Suur-Matinkylä
Suur-Matinkylä or Stor-Mattby is a southern main district of Espoo, a city in Finland.It contains the districts Henttaa, Matinkylä and Olari....
and Suur-Tapiola
Suur-Tapiola
Suur-Tapiola or Stor-Hagalund is a south-eastern main district of Espoo, a city in Finland.It contains the districts Haukilahti, Laajalahti, Mankkaa, Niittykumpu, Otaniemi, Pohjois-Tapiola, Tapiola and Westend....
.
The Helsinki University of Technology
Helsinki University of Technology
Aalto University School of Science and Technology , was the temporary name for Helsinki University of Technology during the process of forming the Aalto University...
is based in Otaniemi
Otaniemi
Otaniemi , or Otnäs , is a district of Espoo, Finland. It is located near the border of Helsinki, the capital of Finland....
, Espoo, along with a thriving science community that includes numerous startups and organizations such as VTT – the Technical Research Center of Finland. Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, the telecommunications company, is headquartered in Keilaniemi
Keilaniemi
Keilaniemi is a district in the south-eastern part of Espoo, Finland. Keilaniemi is bordered by the university district of Otaniemi to the north, the commercial/residential district of Tapiola to the west, the Keilalahti bay separating Espoo and Helsinki to the east, and the Gulf of Finland to the...
, Espoo, along with other high-tech companies such as KONE
KONE
Kone Oyj , founded in 1910 and headquartered in Espoo, Finland, is an international engineering and service company employing some 32,500 personnel worldwide. The firm is the fourth largest manufacturer of elevators worldwide, a leading manufacturer of escalators, and also provides maintenance...
, Tekla
Tekla
Tekla Corporation is a software engineering corporation specializing in model-based software products for building and construction and infrastructure management. The company was founded in 1966. The headquarter is in Espoo, Finland, but there are offices all over the world...
and Fortum
Fortum
Fortum Oyj is a Finnish publicly listed energy company, which focuses on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland and the north-west of Russia. After acquisition of Russian energy company TGC-10 in year 2008, Western Siberia has become an important operating area for Fortum. The head of the company...
.
The city of Espoo is officially bilingual. The majority of the population, 83.6%, speaks Finnish as their mother tongue, while a minority of 8.3% speaks Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
. 8% of Espoo's population has a first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
other than Finnish or Swedish.
History
The first inhabitants in the area arrived about 9,000 years ago. A permanent settlement was established during the 12th and 13th centuries. The King's Road that passes through Espoo on its way from StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
via Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
to Viipuri
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
dates back to the 13th century. The oldest preserved building in Espoo, the Espoo Cathedral
Espoo Cathedral
The Espoo Cathedral is a medieval stone church in Espoo, Finland and the seat of the Diocese of Espoo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The cathedral is located in the district of Espoon keskus, near the Espoonjoki river...
, originates from the 1480s. The administrative center Espoon keskus
Espoon keskus
Espoon keskus is the central district of Espoo, the second biggest city of Finland and the administrative centre with the city hall of Espoo. The areas of Kiltakallio, Kirkkojärvi, Saarniraivio, Suna, Suvela and Tuomarila belong to Espoon keskus...
has grown around the church and the Espoo railway station
Espoo railway station
Espoo railway station is a railway station located in the district of Espoon keskus in the city of Espoo, Finland. It is located between the stations of Tuomarila and Kauklahti, about from the Helsinki Central railway station....
.
In 1920, Espoo was only a rural municipality of about 9,000 inhabitants, of whom 70% were Swedish speaking. Agriculture was the primary source of income, with 75% of the population making their living from farming. Kauniainen
Kauniainen
Kauniainen is a small town and a municipality of inhabitants in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. It is surrounded by the city of Espoo, in Greater Helsinki...
was separated from Espoo in 1920, and it gained city rights the same year as Espoo, in 1972.
Espoo started to grow rapidly in the 1940s and '50s. It quickly developed from a rural municipality into a fully-fledged industrial city, gaining city rights in 1972. Due to its proximity to Helsinki, Espoo soon became popular amongst people working in the capital. In the fifty years from 1950 to 2000, the population of Espoo grew from 22,000 to 210,000. Since 1945, the majority of people in Espoo have been Finnish speaking. In 2006, the Swedish speaking inhabitants represented barely 9% of the total population. The population growth is still continuing, but at a slower rate.
Name
The name Espoo probably comes from the Swedish name for the River Espoo, Espå (or Espåå), which in turn comes from the old Swedish word äspe, meaning a border of aspenAspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
, and the Swedish word for "river", å, thus "a river bordered by aspen". The name was first mentioned in 1431.
Demographics
The population by nationality 1 January 2007 was 95.1% Finnish and 4.9% other nationalities. Religious affiliation was 77.4% Lutheran, 1.3% Orthodox, 1.3% other, 19.9% no religious affiliation.Espoo contains many high income suburbs, and six out of the ten highest average income postal code
Postal codes in Finland
Finland has used five-digit numeric postal codes since 1971. The first two digits designate the municipality or group of municipal small communities where it may be 5; codes ending in 1 are for post office boxes. A corporation receiving large amounts of mail may have its own postal code...
areas in Finland are in Espoo.
Politics
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
in Espoo:
- National Coalition Party 40.4%
- True FinnsTrue FinnsTrue Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
14.6% - Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of FinlandThe Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
14.4% - Green LeagueGreen LeagueThe Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
11.6% - Swedish People's Party 6.7%
- Centre PartyCentre Party (Finland)The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
4.3% - Left AllianceLeft Alliance (Finland)The Left Alliance is a left-wing political party in Finland. It was founded on the basis of the Finnish People's Democratic League and the Communist Party of Finland in 1990....
3.6% - Christian DemocratsChristian Democrats (Finland)The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of...
2.7%
Culture
Espoo hosts a Museum of Modern Art called EMMAEMMA (museum)
The EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art , is a major art museum in Espoo in southern Finland. After the founding of Espoo Art Museum Foundation in September 2002, EMMA opened its doors for visitors in 2006. With its 5000 square metre exhibition space, it is the largest museum in the whole of Finland...
(Espoo Museum of Modern Art), built in a renovated old print house, the WeeGee house
WeeGee house
The WeeGee house is the former printing house of the Weilin+Göös press, located on Ahertajantie in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland. The first two phases of the building were designed by architect Aarno Ruusuvuori. Nowadays, the protected building serves as the largest exhibition centre in Finland...
, named after an old book print company Weilin & Göös. The same building hosts also Finland's only Museum of Horology
Horology
Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...
and a Toy Museum. In Tapiola
Tapiola
Tapiola or Hagalund is a district of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo...
, is located the Espoo cultural centre, where numerous concerts and theater performances are held.
Espoo has several manors two of which are open to the public. The most important is Espoon kartano , mentioned first time in 1495, and belonging to the noble Ramsay family since 1756. The current main building dates from 1914, but a mill dates from the 1750s and Finland oldest walved stone bridge
Stone Bridge
Stone Bridge may refer to:Bridges by that name:* Stone Bridge , the bridge across the Seyhan River in Adana, Turkey.* Stone Bridge , the bridge across Griboedov Canal in Saint Petersburg, Russia....
from 1777 is on the King's Road which passes by the manor. The main building can be rented for weddings and similar occasions. Guided tours on request for groups. The other manor open to public is Pakankylän kartano, located on the northern shore of Lake Bodom
Lake Bodom
Lake Bodom is a lake in Finland located on the suburbs of the city of Espoo, not far from Helsinki. The lake measures approximately three kilometers in length and one kilometer in width....
. The manor hosts a restaurant and club rooms, partly with original furniture open to the public, but meant original to Kaisankoti sanatory and old people's home located on ground of the manor.
The Metal band Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
comes from Espoo, Finland. They are named after the unsolved murder known as the Lake Bodom murders
Lake Bodom murders
The Lake Bodom murders were an infamous multiple homicide that took place in Finland in 1960. Lake Bodom is a lake by the city of Espoo, about 22 kilometres west of the country's capital, Helsinki. In the early hours of June 5, 1960, four teenagers were camping on the shores of Lake Bodom...
which took place at Lake Bodom
Lake Bodom
Lake Bodom is a lake in Finland located on the suburbs of the city of Espoo, not far from Helsinki. The lake measures approximately three kilometers in length and one kilometer in width....
, a lake in northern Espoo in 1960. The bands Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
and Kiuas
Kiuas
Kiuas is a heavy metal band from Espoo, Finland. Their music has influences from power metal, folk metal and different styles of extreme metal. Influences from progressive metal can also be heard in some songs.-History:...
also come from Espoo.
The educational department takes part in Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland
Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland
Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland has been implemented in several ways. The programmes are coordinated by an unit of the ministry of the education of Finland, Centre for International Mobility – CIMO. Finland has been a member of the European union beginning with 1st January, 1995...
.
Sports
At the 1952 Summer Olympics1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, the city's Westend Tennis Hall hosted the fencing
Fencing at the 1952 Summer Olympics
At the 1952 Summer Olympics, seven fencing events were contested, six for men and one for women.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-Participating nations:A total of 286 fencers from 32 nations competed at the Helsikni Games:...
events.
Espoo is home to several premier league sports teams. The Espoo Blues
Espoo Blues
The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division...
play at Barona Areena
Barona Areena
Barona Areena is an arena in Espoo, Finland, located by the ice rink and the fair center, in Tapiola. It was opened in 1999 and holds 7,036 people...
in the SM-Liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
– professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league. The club was established in February 1984 as "Kiekko-Espoo" and played their first season in 1984–1985 in the Finnish Second Division. In 1988 they achieved a place on the Finnish First Division and in 1992 they celebrated their promotion to the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
. The club and the team changed their name in 1998. The name came from the dominant colour of their home jersey. The full name of the club is Blues Hockey Oy.
The Blues are a contender for the title almost every year, but have yet to win the series. They have come second several times though, most recently in 2011.
Another sports club from Espoo, FC Honka
FC Honka
FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto...
, is a football club based in Tapiola
Tapiola
Tapiola or Hagalund is a district of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo...
in southern Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division (Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
) for the first time in its history at the end of the 2005 season. The manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
of the club is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto. Originally founded in 1953 as "Tapion Honka", it changed its name into FC Honka in 1975.
FC Honka is largely known in Finland for its extensive youth scheme with over 1000 young players playing in various age groups.
Espoo is the birthplace of 2007 Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
World Champion Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...
, Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
forward Jere Lehtinen
Jere Lehtinen
Jere Kalervo Lehtinen is a former Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He played as a right wing. He was drafted 88th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars. Lehtinen handles defensive aspects of the game as well as offensive, hence he is a two-way forward for which...
(three time NHL Selke Trophy winner), former Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver JJ Lehto, professional downhill mountain biker Matti Lehikoinen
Matti Lehikoinen
Matti Lehikoinen is Finland's leading downhill cyclist. His previous achievements include 2001 junior European championship from Italy's Livigno and top-ten placings in the downhill World Cup during 2002-2004...
, and 2009 European Figure Skating Champion Laura Lepistö
Laura Lepistö
Laura Anneli Lepistö is a Finnish figure skater. She is the 2010 World bronze medalist, the 2009 European Champion and 2008 & 2010 Finnish national champion.-Personal life:Lepistö was born in Espoo, Finland....
.
| Club | Sport | League | Stadium | Logo |
| FC Honka FC Honka FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo. It was promoted into the Finnish premier division , for the first time in its history, at the end of the 2005 season. The club's manager is Mika Lehkosuo, and it plays its home matches at Tapiolan urheilupuisto... | Football | Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name... | Tapiolan urheilupuisto Tapiolan Urheilupuisto Tapiolan urheilupuisto is a multi-use stadium in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Honka. The stadium holds 5,000 and it was built in 1970.... | |
| Espoo Blues Espoo Blues The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division... | Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... | SM-liiga SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... | LänsiAuto Areena | |
| Espoo Blues Espoo Blues The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division... | Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... | Women's SM series | Laaksolahti Arena |  |
| Tapiolan Honka Tapiolan Honka Espoon Honka is a basketball club based in Espoo, Finland. Espoo is Finland's second largest city, with a population over 240,000. It is nearby Helsinki.Originally, one sport club Tapion Honka existed in Espoo. It was founded in 1957... | Basketball | Korisliiga Korisliiga Korisliiga is the top league of basketball in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In current format each team plays all other teams twice in the regular season, both at home and away... | Tapiolan urheiluhalli | |
| Espoon Oilers Espoon Oilers Espoon Oilers is a floorball team from Espoo, Finland. It was founded in 1990. If measured with number of licenced players it is the third largest floorball team in Finland. Team has both men and women teams playing in the highest national level Salibandyliiga on season 2009–2010. Oilers also have... | Floorball Floorball Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played... | Salibandyliiga Salibandyliiga The Salibandyliiga is the top floorball league in the country of Finland. There are men's and women's divisions, and the winner at the end of each season is presented with a national championship. The league was founded in 1986, but has only been referred to as the salibandyliiga since 1994... | Tapiolan urheiluhalli |  |
| FC Espoo FC Espoo FC Espoo is a Finnish football club based in the city of Espoo, Finland. Founded in 1989, the first team plays in the Finnish First Division , the second tier of the Finnish football pyramid.... | Football | First Division Ykkönen Ykkönen is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system , although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland.-Competition:... | Leppävaaran urheilupuisto | |
| Uinti-Espoo "Cetus" | Swimming | - | Espoonlahden uimahalli | |
| Espoo Lentis | Volleyball | - | Espoonlahden urheiluhalli | |
| Espoo Cricket Club | Cricket | - | - |
Twin towns – Sister cities
Espoo is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
| Esztergom Esztergom Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there.... , Hungary Gatchina Gatchina Gatchina is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located south of St. Petersburg by the road leading to Pskov... , Russia Irving, Texas Irving, Texas Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated... , United States Køge Køge Køge Municipality is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand approx. 40 km. southwest of Copenhagen. The municipality covers an area of 255 km² , and has a total population of 56,637... , Denmark Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... , India Kongsberg Kongsberg is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg.... , Norway |
Kristianstad Kristianstad Kristianstad is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 35,711 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The city was founded in 1614 by King Christian IV of Denmark, the city's name literally means 'Town of Christian', as a planned city after the burning of the town of Vä... , Sweden Nõmme Nõmme Nõmme is one of the 8 administrative districts of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 38,168 and covers an area of , population density is... , Estonia Sauðárkrókur Sauðárkrókur Sauðárkrókur is a town in Skagafjörður in northern Iceland and a part of the municipality of Skagafjörður.Sauðárkrókur is the largest town in Northwest Iceland and the second-largest town on the north coast of Iceland, with a population of 2,635. It is the centre for commerce and services in the... , Iceland Shanghai Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010... , China Sochi Sochi Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains... , Russia |
See also
- The UN's Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary ContextConvention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary ContextThe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context is a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe convention signed in Espoo, Finland, in 1991 that entered into force in 1997...
, signed in Espoo 1991 (text of Convention) - Districts of EspooDistricts of EspooThis is an alphabetical list of the fifty districts of Espoo. Swedish names are given in parentheses.* Bodom ¹* Espoon keskus * Espoonkartano * Espoonlahti * Gumböle ¹* Haukilahti...
- Sello mall shootingSello mall shootingThe Sello mall shooting occurred on the morning of 31 December 2009 shortly after 10:08 local time at the Sello Prisma hypermarket in Leppävaara district of Espoo, Finland. The shooting was believed to have been started after Ibrahim Shkupolli, the alleged gunman, found that his ex-girlfriend had a...
External links
- 1952 Summer Olympics official report. p. 50.
- City of Espoo – Official website
- City of Espoo (Esbo) – Official website
- City of Espoo – Official website
- Espoo Convention & Marketing Espoo for travellers
- Helsinki University of Technology – located in Espoo
- Helsinki.fi – Helsinki region in a nutshell