Good day, dear visitor. In today’s walk i’ll take you through the Town Centre in Kerava (Kervo).
It’s turned out to be a misty day, due to warm air and snow covered ground.
These past weeks have been really cold with temperatures as low as -22°c, today it’s just 0°c, it’s summer!
The distance between Helsinki and Kerava is about 25 km. With a population of 37.000 (March ’21) making it the 30th largest in Finland.

The first settlements date back to the 1440s when 2 villages were created along the Kerava River.
The nearby city Tuusula annexed the area of what is now Kerava in 1643. In 1862 a railway was opened between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna (through Kerava). Which quickly brought industry to agricultural Kerava. The wood industry became an important factor in the development of the town.
The Kerava station building was completed in 1878 and it’s one of Kerava’s iconic buildings.
In 1924, Kerava was seperated from Tuusula, with a population around 3000 at the time.

The peak growth years of Kerava happened in the 1960s and 1970s. The population doubled due to its good transport connection and strong migration.
Several well-known people have lived in Kerava.The 7th President of Finland, J.K. Paasikivi (1870-1956). Finland’s most respected composer, Jean Sibelius and the 1932 Olympic champion, runner Volmari Iso-Hollo.

Kerava has its own prison, build in 1891 and it’s the largest open prison in Finland with a capacity of 136, the average prison population in 2018 was just 91.
The oldest still operating brewery of the Nordics, Sinebrychoff, is located in Kerava. Founded in 1819 and it’s one of the largest breweries in Finland.

Thank you for wanting to learn more about Finland. Together we grow and explore!
I hope to see you back in the next scene (or one of my previous scenes). Stay safe and take care of yourself.
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