| Lahti bus station | |
|---|---|
Lahden linja-autoasema | |
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bus station |
| Architectural style | Functionalism |
| Address | Jalkarannantie 1 |
| Town or city | Lahti |
| Country | Finland |
| Coordinates | 60°59′4″N25°39′2″E / 60.98444°N 25.65056°E |
| Inaugurated | August 1939 |
| Closed | January 2016 |
The Lahti bus station (Finnish : Lahden linja-autoasema) is located in the Kartano district of the city of Lahti, Finland.
The Lahti bus station is a prime example of the functionalist era of station buildings in Finland. Its most notable feature is the 28 meter tall clock tower, which remains a significant landmark in the eastern parts of downtown Lahti. The tower was used by the city authorities as space for advertisements. [1]
City Architect Kaarlo Könönen had drawn influence from the Tampere bus station, which was in its final stages of its construction during his design process. This was evident in, for example, the indoor area being cleanly split in just three parts: the entrance hall, commercial area (used for shops as well as a restaurant), and freight wing. A notable feature of the entrance hall was a bench in the shape of a ring, in the centre of which was a small palm tree. The furniture for the restaurant was provided by Asko, a local factory based in Asemantausta. [2]
In the 1930s, the still fledgling town of Lahti made strides in improving the conditions for transit. Up until then, the Market Square had been the hub of bus transport in the town; however, with the continuous growth of bus transport over the period of pre-war economic upswing, it had grown cramped and incapable of handling the increasing volume of buses serving both local and long-distance lines. A plan for the building of a proper bus station had already been devised by architect Carolus Lindberg in the 1920s, who had proposed that the town authorities should handle the construction of a station building that would then be rented for use by the various bus operators. [3]
In 1930, Shell Oy constructed a filling station by the Market Square, which was then accompanied by the spots at which buses arrived and departed; the company, however, refused go forward with building a full-fledged bus station. [2] It would not be until 1935 that the town would begin negotiating with Matkahuolto about the station project. A total of three locations were proposed: its then-current location at the Market Square, the square near the railway station, and the junction between the roads of Lahdenkatu and Tiirismaan suurtie (contemporarily Jalkarannantie). The former two locations were deemed to be of inadequate size, especially with the prospects of reserving space for shops in the future station building, and the lattermost option was settled on in September 1938. In October, the design devised by Kaarlo Könönen was accepted. Construction work had already finished in the summer of 1939, [3] and the station was opened for traffic on 20 August. [4] An official inauguration ceremony was held on 4 September. [5]
Architect Jouko Mattila designed an extension to the freight wing in 1990, making it stretch 18 meters further toward the northeast. The rest of the station was also renovated throughout the 1990s: for example, the tiled walls of the tower as well as the plasterwork on the main building were thoroughly revised. The indoor areas were restored to more closely resemble their original appearance, for example by changing out the lamps and furniture in the entrance hall. [6]
Transport operations at the bus station ended in early 2016 after the expansion of the Lahti railway station into a travel centre was completed. Bus services ended on 31 January, and the Matkahuolto service point moved into a new office in the BW Tower on 1 February, having served customers for the final time on 29 January. [7] Since then, the site of the station has been repurposed for other commercial applications.
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about 100 kilometres (60 mi) north-east of the capital city Helsinki, 38 kilometres (24 mi) south-west of Heinola and 74 kilometres (46 mi) east of Hämeenlinna, the capital of the region of Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme). It is also situated at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 12, which are the most significant main roads of Lahti.
The Lahti railway station is located in the city of Lahti in Finland.
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat is a Finnish daily newspaper published in Lahti, Finland. It is the leading paper in its metropolitan area.
BW Tower is an office building located in Lahti, Finland. The building was designed by the Finnish architecture company Arkkitehtipalvelu Oy Jyväskylä and completed in the end of the year 2015. The name of the building originates from the coat of arms of Lahti which depicts a burning wheel.
Kaarlo Könönen was a Finnish architect. He graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1919. From 1922 to 1923, Könönen worked as a city architect in Kotka. To Kotkansaari he designed several apartment buildings representing 1920s classicism. The most famous one being Vuorelankulma, completed in 1927. He also worked as an architect for the Finland's Ministry of Defense in 1924. From 1925 to 1929, Könönen worked in private architectural firms, one of those was Eliel Saarinen's office in Hvitträsk.
Lahti Ski Museum is a sports museum located in Lahti, Finland, specialising in skiing and other winter sports. It is situated in the city's main sports complex adjacent to the Salpausselkä ski-jumping venue.
Ristinkirkko is the main church in Lahti, Finland. The modernist church, completed in 1978, was one of the last design projects of the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
The Villähde railway station is located in the city of Lahti, Finland, in the district of Villähde. It is located along the Lahti–Kouvola line, and its neighboring stations are Lahti in the west and Nastola in the east.
The Uusikylä railway station is located in the city of Lahti, Finland, in the district of Uusikylä. It is located along the Lahti–Kouvola line, and its neighboring stations are Nastola in the west and Kausala in the east.
Radio Hill is a hill located in the city centre of Lahti, Finland. It is part of the Salpausselkä ridge system, with its peak at an elevation of c. 140 metres (460 ft).
Keski-Lahti is the 1st district of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It covers the downtown areas of the city, circling the Market Square. It borders the districts of Niemi in the north, Kiveriö in the northeast, Paavola and Möysä in the east, Asemantausta in the south, Hennala and Sopenkorpi in the west and Kartano in the northwest.
Kartano is the 2nd district of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It borders the districts of Niemi in the north, Kiveriö in the east, Keski-Lahti in the south, Salpausselkä in the southwest and Jalkaranta in the west.
Ämmälä is the 21st district and a village of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It borders the districts of Kerinkallio in the north, Kujala in the northeast, Villähde in the east, Renkomäki in the west and Nikkilä in the northwest, as well as the town of Orimattila in the south. Ämmälä is largely rural in character with its thinly spread population and extensive forest and field areas. The center of the village consists of four estates - Jussila, Ristola, Ahola and Heikkilä, which surround a four-way road junction.
Renkomäki is the 22nd district of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It borders the districts of Nikkilä in the north, Ämmälä in the east and Jokimaa and Laune in the northwest, as well as the town of Orimattila in the south.
Järvenpää is the 17th district of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It borders the districts of Myllypohja in the north, Kolava in the east, Kujala in the south and Möysä in the west.
Sopenkorpi is the 26th district of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It borders the districts of Salpausselkä in the north, Kartano in the northeast, Keski-Lahti in the east, Asemantausta in the southeast, Hennala in the south and Kärpänen in the west.
Ahtiala is the 13th district of the city of Lahti, in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland. It borders the districts of Viuha and Seesta in the north, Kunnas in the east, Koiskala in the southeast, Myllypohja in the south and Kytölä in the west.
The Vesijärvi railway station is located in the city of Lahti, Finland, in the district of Kartano. It was one end of the port and industrial siding that branched off of the Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway, on the west side of the Lahti railway station.
The Lahti–Loviisa railway, also called the Loviisa railway is a 1,524 mm railway in Finland, running between the Lahti railway station and the Port of Loviisa.
The Lahti–Heinola railway, also called the Heinola railway is a 1,524 mm railway in Finland, connecting the towns and stations of Lahti and Heinola in the region of Päijät-Häme.
Media related to Lahti bus station at Wikimedia Commons