Mäntsälä
Mäntsälä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmæntsælæ]) is a municipality in the province of Southern Finland, and is part of the Uusimaa region. It has a population of 20,950 (31 December 2023) and covers an area of 596.11 square kilometres (230.16 sq mi) of which 15.26 km2 (5.89 sq mi) is water. The population density is 36.07 inhabitants per square kilometre (93.4/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Mäntsälä is one of three municipalities in the Uusimaa region that do not have a Swedish name; the others are Nurmijärvi and Askola.
Mäntsälä | |
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Municipality | |
| Mäntsälän kunta Mäntsälä kommun | |
The church hill of Mäntsälä (Mäntsälän kirkonmäki). The church tower in the background. | |
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Coat of arms | |
Location of Mäntsälä in Finland | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | Uusimaa |
| Sub-region | Helsinki sub-region |
| Charter | 1585 |
| Seat | Mäntsälä (Kirkonkylä) |
| Government | |
| • Municipal manager | Esko Kairesalo |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
| • Total | 596.11 km2 (230.16 sq mi) |
| • Land | 580.85 km2 (224.27 sq mi) |
| • Water | 15.26 km2 (5.89 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 145th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
| • Total | 20,950 |
| • Rank | 49th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 36.07/km2 (93.4/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 94.5% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.8% |
| • Others | 4.6% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 19.4% |
| • 15 to 64 | 61% |
| • 65 or older | 19.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | www.mantsala.fi |
Mäntsälä lies about 60 kilometres (40 mi) north of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. During the last few years, the population of Mäntsälä has been one of the most rapidly increasing in Finland. A new railway, the Kerava–Lahti railway line, was built between Kerava and Lahti with passenger traffic starting on 4 September 2006 from Mäntsälä railway station. Helsinki is about 40 minutes away, and Lahti even closer. Highway 4 (E75) connecting both cities passes through Mäntsälä.
The coat of arms of Mäntsälä has its theme in the region's traditional livelihoods; the head of the moose refers to the hunting lands of the region, and the clovers symbolizes local agriculture. The coat of arms was designed by Olof Eriksson and approved by the Mäntsälä Municipal Council on 16 December 1950. The coat of arms was officially approved by the Ministry of the Interior on 20 February 1951.