Hämeenlinna lays in the province of Kanta-Häme in the south of Finland.
Population: 68.000.
Hämeenlinna is the oldest inland city of Finland and was one of the most important Finnish cities until the 19th century.

It’s the birthplace of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

There was a settlement called Vanaja by the Lake Vanajavesi where the city now stands since the Viking Age. The castle was built in the late 13th century to secure Swedish power in central Finland. A village was established near Häme Castle to provide services and goods to its inhabitants.

The village was granted city rights in 1639 and soon after that the King of Sweden moved it one kilometre (0.6 miles) south to the hill on which it still stands.