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Lahti

Sights in Lahti

  1. Sports Centre

    At Lahti’s Sports Centre, a 10-minute walk west of town, things are dominated by three imposing ski jumps, the biggest standing 73m high and stretching 116m. You’ll often see high-level jumpers training here in summer. There’s a whole complex here, including the football stadium, a summer swimming pool, ski tracks and the delightful Ski Museum. A history of skis includes excavated examples from 2000 years ago, and Lahti’s proud record as a winter sports centre is given plenty of treatment. The fun starts in the next room: frustrate yourself on the ski-jump simulator, then try the biathlon and skiing on Velcro before nailing five bullseyes with your rifle. A combined…

    reviewed

  2. Lahti Historical Museum

    Lahti Historical Museum is in a beautiful old manor house by the bus station. The ground and top floors hold changing exhibitions on aspects of Lahti’s history (a little English information is usually available), while the middle floor is mostly devoted to the collection of Klaus Holma, a 20th-century Finnish diplomat. It’s a treasury of French and Italian religious art, rococo furniture and fine porcelain, and an excellent series of interactive computer screens allows you to access detailed information (also in English) on every piece.

    reviewed

  3. Ski Museum

    A history of skis includes some excavated examples from 2000 years ago, and Lahti's proud record as a winter sports centre is given plenty of treatment. In the next room the fun starts; frustrate yourself on the ski-jump simulator, then try the biathlon, skiing on Velcro before nailing five bullseyes with your rifle. A combined ticket will let you take the chairlift up to the observation terrace at the top of the ski-jump; great if there's someone practising, and good for the views in any event.

    reviewed

  4. Sibeliustalo

    Sibeliustalo, by the harbour on Vesijärvi, is a spectacular concert hall in glass and wood and the home of the top-notch Lahti Symphony Orchestra, which is responsible for some of the best Sibelius recordings of recent years. The hall is wonderfully lit at night and has excellent acoustics. Guided tours (€10) run at 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays during July; phone to arrange tours at other times.

    reviewed

  5. Ristinkirkko

    Striking Ristinkirkko was designed by Alvar Aalto and finished in 1978. The brick exterior and concrete steeple give little clue as to the interior, a white and airy space with wooden benches echoing the organ’s pipes. Structural lines angle towards the simple wooden cross behind the altar or perhaps emanating from it like rays.

    reviewed

  6. Radio & TV Museum

    The Radio & TV Museum, on a hill just south of the centre, has a collection of old radios and a working broadcasting studio from the 1950s. You can create your own TV broadcast or radio program – a guaranteed hit with the kids.

    reviewed

  7. Art Museum & Poster Museum

    Located in a modern office building, the Art Museum & Poster Museum has temporary exhibitions of sculpture and paintings, and an offbeat collection of advertising posters from yesteryear.

    reviewed

  8. Kaupungintalo

    The art nouveau Kaupungintalo was designed by the famous Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. Phone ahead to arrange a guided tour.

    reviewed

  9. Sibelius Hall

    Sibelius Hall, near the harbour on Vesijärvi, is a huge new concert-hall creation made from wood and glass.

    reviewed