Finland - Lohja

Lohja (IPA: /ˈlohjɑ/), or Lojo in Swedish, is a town and municipality of Finland.

It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of 36.585 (2005-12-31) and covers an area of 356.24 km² of which 77.98 km² is water. The population density is 131.6 inhabitants per km².

The municipality is bilingual, with majority being Finnish and minority Swedish speakers.

Lohja has been a focal point for the population and economy of Western Uusimaa since the early 14th century. Lohja was renowned as a trading centre already in the Middle Ages. The local inhabitants were among the pioneers of the Finnish mining and construction material industries. By Finnish standards, Lohja has long-established traditions in horticulture and especially in market gardening. These traditions are represented by the symbols of present-day Lohja: limestone and an apple.

Lohja is advantageously located near the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and it benefits from a good road network. It takes less than an hour to drive from Helsinki to Lohja.

The landscape of Lohja is characterized by manors and gardens. The Lohja area is divided by the ridge Lohja, which forms a watershed for the largest lake system of Southern Finland, Lake Lohja.

Culture

Lohja is a town famed for its cultural events. More than a hundred different events are arranged in the town each year by its residents and organizations. The most notable are the Lohja Summer Cultural Festival, the Apple Carnival organized by representatives of business and commerce, the retailers' Hurlumhei Carnival and the Old Time Christmas market continue the tradition of fairs dating back to the Middle Ages.