City Park

City Park has been one of Hämeenlinna’s most popular parks since the mid-19th century, when the area was known as Park.

Origins of City Park

Within the area of the present-day City Park lies a rocky hill, known as Pyövelinmäki (Executioner’s Hill). The name originates from the fact that death sentences for prisoners held at Häme Castle were carried out on this hill until the 16th century.

In the mid-19th century, Governor Otto Carl Rehbinder decided to transform Pyövelinmäki into an English-style landscape park. Despite the rocky terrain, the hill offered breathtaking views towards Häme Castle and the city beyond. Rehbinder named the park ‘Park’ and used prisoners from the castle as its construction workforce.

The Heyday of Park

Park became a popular destination among the residents of Hämeenlinna in the 1860s. It also hosted imperial visits, during which the park was adorned with exceptionally lavish flower arrangements.

Due to its great popularity, construction work on Park continued. The Park Committee’s garden was completed on the eastern slope of the park hill, featuring, among other things, three stone terraces decorated with flowerbeds, a gazebo, and a folly.

By the summer of 1861, a Swiss-style restaurant building was completed in Park. In the 1920s, a bandstand was also built in the park, and the celebration grounds were expanded. However, these structures were demolished in the 1960s.

City Park Today

City Park remains a popular outdoor area, with its richly diverse plantings providing an excellent setting for a day out in the park. During the summer, Hämeenlinna’s New Summer Theatre operates in the park.

Some of the park structures from the ‘Park’ era, such as the folly and the stone pier that served boat connections, have survived in City Park to the present day. However, the landscapes that once opened from Park have been partially obscured by the growth of trees and bushes.

In City Park, there is both a memorial plaque and a memorial stone in honour of Governor Rehbinder. The memorial plaque is embedded in the wall of the folly in the park, and the memorial stone is located along the walkway leading from the performance stage to the shore of Lake Vanajavesi.