FINLAND - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 132

Notes: When you arrive in Lahti from Helsinki, exit on the left side of the train. Use
the underground exit and walk toward track No. 4 to the station. Exit the terminal
and proceed north along Rautatienkatu. Tourist office is located on the left-hand
side of the street. Tourist information is available in the rail station, as well as in the
Sports Centre and the Passenger Harbour, throughout the summer.
Lahti is the seventh-largest city in Finland, with nearly 100,000 inhabitants. It is
particularly noted for its timber and wooden furniture, brewers' products, and cloth-
ing and is equally famous as a winter sports center. Sporting events have always
played a prominent role in Lahti's lifestyle. The Salpausselkä Ski Games, as well
as the Finlandia and other skiing events, have made Lahti world famous.
Perhaps the most spectacular sight in Lahti is its 116-meter ski jump, located in
the Lahti Sports Centre. The jump is about a 15-minute walk from the tourist in-
formation office and merits everyone's inspection. An observation platform on top
of the jump can be reached by elevator and is accessible to visitors daily during
summer months and on weekends during low season. In addition to the 116-meter
ski jump, there are smaller ski jumps and practice areas nearby. The ski-jump area
actually is a year-round attraction for tourists. In addition to the observation plat-
form, there is an open-air, heated swimming pool at the foot of the ski-jump com-
plex and the complex houses a ski museum.
The Sports Centre is not the sole attraction in Lahti. In the 1920s and 1930s, the
city had the most powerful broadcasting station in Finland. The station now stands
as a Radio and TV Museum. The museum contains more than 1,000 items of great
interest in the field of radio technology.
In Lahti general fitness is a feature of everyday life. There are illuminated trails
for walking, jogging, and skiing—about 40 kilometers of them—as well as nonillu-
minated trails. Summer weekly events include outdoor theater, concerts, a lively
marketplace, and hiking.
The city is unique in that it is one of the few metropolitan areas where you can
live in a one-family house in the center of the city on the shore of a lake. (We sug-
gest that the city planners of America go to Lahti to pick up a few pointers.) Much
of Lahti's housing is spread over a wide area, along the city's green hillsides and
lakeshores. Many visitors are surprised to find Lahti so sophisticated and versatile.
The infrastructure of quality department stores, good hotels, and good restaurants
coupled with civic convention centers capable of handling large numbers of people
are the elements of Lahti's success. Lahti is modern yet traditional.
The old Vesijarvi Harbor has turned into a second living room for Lahti citizens
and visitors with its musical and cultural events. There you can find the new Si-