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Ritva Viljanen

Vantaa has a rich history that dates back to the Stone Age. Before Swedish colonisation of the area and after the so-called second crusade to Finland in the 13th century, the area was inhabited by Tavastians and Finns proper.

Prior to the name Vantaa being taken into use in 1974, the area was known as Helsingin Pitäjä. The earliest record of the area is as Helsinge in 1351 when king Magnus II of Sweden granted salmon fishing rights on the river Vantaa to the Estonian Padise monastery. The rapids of river Vantaa were known as Helsingfors, from which the current Swedish name of Helsinki derives. Early settlement in Vantaa was centered around the river, and from it the city's current coat of arms derived its imagery. 

Since the 14th century, the road between Turku and Vyborg, King`s Road, has run through Vantaa. The road brought significant attention to the city, and its location on the salmon rich river led to a permanent population.

In 1862, the railway between Helsinki and Hameelinna was constructed, and one of its 7 stations was built in Tikkurila, on its intersection with King's Road. The Swedish architect Carl Albert Edelfelt designed a Renaissance styled station building, which is the oldest extant station building in Finland and (as of 1978) has been adapted into the Vantaa City Museum. The railway brought industry and induced population growth.

Helsingin Pitäjä gained municipality rights in 1865, after which it was named Helsingin maalaiskunta ("Rural Municipality of Helsinki").

In 1952, the new international airport of Helsinki opened in Vantaa for the 1952 Summer Olympics.

In 1972, the municipality was renamed Vantaa. In 1974, the town got full city rights as Vantaan kaupunki/Vanda stad or "City of Vantaa".

The city grew rapidly starting from 1960's and a railway line was built to the western side of the city in 1970's.

In 2015, an extension to the existing railway line, the Ring Rail Line opened, providing service to the airport and new residential and working districts.

Source: Wikipedia

Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo and Kauniainen. With a population of 226,160 (31 August 2018), Vantaa is the fourth most populated city of Finland.

Vantaa is bordered by Helsinki, to the south; Espoo to the southwest; Nurmijarvi to the northwest; Kerava and Tuusula to the north; and Sipoo to the east. The city encompasses 240.35 square kilometres, of which 1.97 km2 is water.

The city of Vantaa is bilingual, both Finnish and Swedish being official languages. 88.6% of the population are Finnish speakers, while 3% speak Swedish as their first language. 

Source: Wikipedia

Of those employed, two thirds are in the private sector. The most common industries in Vantaa include the food, architectural engineering, and machine industries.

Companies that have their headquarters in Vantaa (at the Helsinki Airport, in Aviapolis) include Finnair, Finavia and Nordic Regional Airlines. Companies with headquarters in Vantaa outside of Aviapolis include R-kioski, Tikkurila Oyj, Veikkaus Oy and Metsahallitus.  

The City of Vantaa has been in increasing debt since the early 2000s, due to a decrease in state funding and an increase in investments. A contributing factor to this situation is the high concentration of families with children, leading to comparatively larger social expenditure.

Source: Wikipedia

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Vantaa City Museum in Tikkurila

Tikkurila is home to the major science centre in Finland, Heureka. In addition there is the city museum next to the railway station in Tikkurila which has exhibitions with various themes on local history. The museum is housed in the oldest station building in Finland, designed by Carl Albert Edelfelt and completed in 1861. The Finnish Aviation Museum is Locatet near Helsinki Airport. The museum is situated along excellent means of communication, in Tikkurila station area, in the old railway station. The building provides special setting for exhibitions in two floors.