Local Heritage Days to be arranged in Vantaa for the first time

This year, Vantaa has its 50th anniversary as a city, and one of the main events of the jubilee year is the national Local Heritage Days, arranged at the turn of August - September.

The three-day event begins on Friday, August 30, and ends on Sunday, September 1. The Local Heritage Days are also the climax of the Finnish Local Heritage Federation's75th jubilee year.

This is the very first time that the Local Heritage Days take place in Vantaa, and they comprise dozens of events arranged in various parts of the city. The events consist of culture, art, and experiences; besides in museums, galleries, and exhibitions, some events are also arranged outdoors. The Local Heritage Days include excursions, guided walking tours, seminars, and discussion events.

During the weekend, you can familiarize yourself with the history and present of the city's different residential areas.

The Local Heritage Days event gives you an overview of architecture, cultural environments, as well as an overall picture of the rapidly changing, pulsing city.

Vantaa is full of opposites: the city is home to both jagged suburbs and magnificent manors. During the guided tours, you can, for instance, check out Kivistö's housing-fair area; Vantaankoski's rapids and manors - Helsinge Vicarage, the heart of the old medieval parish; Tikkurila's riverbank; old industry; as well as Håkansböle manor. While seeing those sights, you will be hearing stories about Vantaa's colorful history.

- Vantaa's love for its own local heritage is seen in an attachment to one's own village or district. Local heritage work constitutes open citizen activities and influencing, which strengthens our relationship with our home region and the feeling of belonging to a specific place and community. We are building together a socially sustainable, versatile Vantaa, and we wish to present it to the visitors to the Local Heritage Days, says Pekka Timonen, mayor of Vantaa, the main organizer of the Local Heritage Days.

Main event of local heritage work

The national Local Heritage Days are the main annual event of local heritage work. They aim to increase appreciation of local heritage work, as well as to present the area that arranges the event. Local Heritage Days have been annually arranged already since the year 1949.

The participants consist of hundreds of representatives of the Finnish Local Heritage Federation's member communities and clubs from all over Finland. In addition, thousands of friends of the Local Heritage Days, living in the neighboring areas, will participate in the public events.

The Local Heritage Federation was founded in May 1949, during the very first national Local Heritage Days, which took place in Tammela. The number of community members has risen from the dozens in the early years to the current number of approximately 850.

- The national Local Heritage Days are part of our city's jubilee year and a natural continuum to the story of Vantaa. Our development has continued and changed its course. Today, in this most multicultural city of Finland, already almost a quarter of residents have a mother tongue other than Finnish or Swedish. Vantaa has always opened its door to new people and new thoughts. There have not really been class differences between people, says Sampo Suihko, the chairman of the board of the Finnish Local Heritage Federation.

According to Suihko, nature is always close in this networking city that has well-functioning connections both abroad and within Finland as a whole.

- Drastic changes and balanced development demand constructive, tight cooperation and open discussion between the city's decisionmakers and its residents. Development and changing of the home region is a specially sensitive issue - to all of us, Suihko adds.

Public transportation takes you places inaccessible by car

Vantaa is a modern city with functional and versatile public transportation. Residents and visitors take trains, buses, city bikes, and, in the future, the light rail, as well. Vantaa is also home to the busiest and most modern airport in Finland. When you travel along the fairly new Ring Rail Line, you get to see art and sites that you cannot access by car. The city has rapidly grown along the rails.

The City of Vantaa offers a free-of-charge city-bike season in honor of its 50th anniversary. This is one of the ways the city supports sustainable, emission-free mobility, and makes it possible for people who do not have a bike to cycle. The city aims to provide city bikes in the vicinity of all the event sites.

Guests to the Local Heritage Days are encouraged to also use public transport modes.

The opening seminar of the Local Heritage Days-arranged in the Finnish Science Centre Heureka on Friday, August 30, at 16:00-publishes the research book of the Vantaa 50 history project. In addition, there will be a panel discussion on the theme: "Home in Vantaa, home in the city."

Everybody interested in the topic is welcome to the opening ceremony. You must, however, enroll in the event in advance.

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