Akaa

Akaa is a municipality with three town centres in Pirkanmaa, Finland, as Toijala, Viiala and Kylmäkoski were consolidated in 2007–2011.

Understand
The history of Akaa begins in 1483, when it was separated from the parish of Sääksmäki and became a church parish. Municipality status was granted in 1870. Later on, Akaa was divided as Urjala and Kylmäkoski were split off it. In 1932 the town of Viiala, a part of modern-day Akaa, was established and areas of municipalities of Akaa, Vesilahti and Lempäälä were added to it. The municipality of Akaa ceased to exist in 1946 and a new town called Toijala was formed containing the area of Akaa's old church village and its surroundings.

In 2007 Toijala and Viiala were joined as the modern-day municipality of Akaa. Kylmäkoski was incorporated in 2011. As of 2017, there are 16 892 inhabitants.

There are three town centres in Akaa, called Toijala, Viiala and Kylmäkoski. Toijala has been a major railway junction since 1876. The main track from Helsinki to the north goes through the town, and a track from Turku joins it here. In 1903, a wallpaper factory was founded. There are two operating wallpaper factories in the town, as well as metal and machinery works.

Viiala is a historic industrial town. The first steam sawmill was founded in 1873 and for most of 20th century there were a plywood factory, a leather factory and a file factory. However, by 2004 globalization had closed these all; the buildings remain.

By train
Toijala and Viiala have railway stations. Most long-distance trains between Helsinki and Tampere and between Tampere and Turku, and all "regional" trains between Helsinki and Tampere stop in Toijala, whereas only regional trains stop in Viiala. Timetables are available from the VR website. By long-distance train Helsinki–Toijala and Turku–Toijala take about 1 hr 20 min, while Tampere–Toijala takes about 25 min.

By bus
Coaches between Helsinki and Tampere stop at the Toijala junction on highway 3, stop name in Matkahuolto search is Toijala liittymä 31, but there's a 3-km walk from there to Toijala. Coaches between Tampere and Turku stop at the Viiala th junction 2 km from Viiala centre and the Kylmäkoski th junction near Kylmäkoski centre. There are regional buses from Urjala and Valkeakoski with a couple of departures per day. For timetables, see Matkahuolto.

Train is the prime option.

By car
Toijala has its own junction on highway 3 and Viiala on highway 9. Kylmäkoski is along highway 9.

By ship
During summer there are scheduled cruises on the lake Vanajavesi from Tampere and Hämeenlinna, operated by Hopealinjat.

Get around
Internal bus lines link the three centres together, but there are only a few departures per day. Matkahuolto Reittiopas route planner includes some countryside traffic towards Valkeakoski and Urjala, which can be used also for travelling inside Akaa.

The most practical ways would be a car or a bicycle, as public transportation is basically non-existent, as is often the case in Finnish towns. The main sights in Toijala are close enough to each other to be visited by foot.

By dial-a-ride
Akaakyyti is a dial-a-ride service that operates according to the customers' own routes and schedules between Viiala and Toijala and Kylmäkoski and Toijala from August 10, 2022.

Akaakyyti is mainly driven by invitation with two minibuses. You must always order the ride in advance, even if you board the ride at a scheduled stop.

Order Akaakyyti with Matkahuolto's Routes & Tickets application or by calling (M–F 07:00–17:00).

You can order a ride from address to address within the service area. You can also order from/to the stop. Routes are created based on customer orders. There are a few scheduled stops in the centre of Viiala, the centre of Toijala, the harbour and the train station.

You can place an order for an immediate need or in advance. The schedule is announced as a flexible interval (15 min) so that passengers travelling in the same direction can be combined on the same routes.

By scooter
You can rent electric kick scooters for use in Toijala from Finnish Swup.

By taxi
The main taxi rank is at the railway station. The number for booking a taxi is (extra charge).


 * Taksi Häme: see Tavastia Proper
 * iTaksi: see Tampere
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

Buy
In 2009 Akaa has decided to brand itself as the "honey capital of Finland". As of 2017, there were over 20 million honey bees living in beehives around the municipality. The honey produced by these bees is available at least at the town hall.



Connect
The libraries in Toijala (Köyvärintie 1) and Viiala (Solmukatu 3) have public-access computers available. Opening hours vary as library budget is insufficient for normal operation, please check the website.

Go next

 * Tampere has a lot of interesting sights and shared industrial history. In summertime, ships from Toijala harbour take you there along the waters of Vanajavesi.
 * Hämeenlinna, the town built around one of the few remaining Finnish castles. Also accessible by ship in summer.
 * Valkeakoski is right next to Akaa. For example, the castle hill of Rapola with medieval embankment ruins is only a few kilometres from the municipality border and accessible by bicycle, similarly to Visavuori art museum.
 * Turku is the oldest city of Finland and well worth a visit.
 * Lempäälä is the northern border neighbour of Akaa and has a lot of interesting sights.