Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä, city, south-central Finland. It lies at the north end of Lake Päijänne, southwest of Kuopio. The city, chartered in 1837, has three historic educational institutions: the first Finnish teachers’ training college (founded 1863; replaced in 1934 by a pedagogical institute that in 1966 became a university); the Lyceum, the first Finnish-language secondary school (opened 1858); and the first Finnish girls’ school (started 1864). Jyväskylä boasts several buildings designed by the architect Alvar Aalto, including the Museum of Central Finland, and is the site of the Aalto Museum. Jyväskylä is a rail junction; local industry includes paper and plywood mills, metallurgical and wool-dyeing works, foodstuffs and pharmaceutical factories, and a national munitions-production centre. The airport is about 12 mi (19 km) north at Tikkakoski. Pop. (2005 est.) 84,434.