Radio Hill (Lahti)

Coordinates: 60°58′46″N 25°38′49″E / 60.9795°N 25.647°E / 60.9795; 25.647
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Radio Hill
Lahti radio masts on Radio Hill (seen in 2006)
Highest point
Elevation140[1] m (460 ft)
Coordinates60°58′46″N 25°38′49″E / 60.9795°N 25.647°E / 60.9795; 25.647
Naming
EtymologyNamed after Lahti radio station
Native nameRadiomäki (Finnish)
Geography
CountryFinland
RegionPäijänne Tavastia
CityLahti
Parent rangeSalpausselkä
BiomeTaiga
Geology
Formed byTerminal moraine
OrogenyYounger Dryas

Radio Hill (Finnish: Radiomäki) 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).[1][2]

The hill's earlier name was Selänmäki ('Ridge Hill').[3][2] After a cemetery was established there in the 1890s,[4] the hill became known as Hautausmaanmäki ('Cemetery Hill').[2] The cemetery, known today as Vanha hautausmaa [fi] ('Old Cemetery'), is closed to new interments.[4]

The hill gets its present name from the Lahti longwave transmitter station established there in 1927–1928, and operated by the country's public broadcaster, Yle, until its decommissioning in 1993.[3][5] The Finnish Radio and TV Museum, known as Mastola, is now located on the site, operated as part of the City of Lahti municipal museums.[6]

As a highly visible reminder of the radio station, the twin radio masts remain, standing 150 metres (490 ft) high[3][7] and 316 metres (1,037 ft) apart,[8] forming a well-known landmark of Lahti.[5]

The hilltop milieu surrounding the earlier radio station has been designated by the Finnish Heritage Agency as a nationally important built cultural environment (Valtakunnallisesti merkittävä rakennettu kulttuuriympäristö).[9]

The city's oldest track and field venue (converted in winter to an open-air ice rink), opened in 1922, is also located on the hill by the foot of the radio masts.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Salpausselkä ja jääkaudet" [Salpausselkä and the ice ages] (PDF). GTK.fi (in Finnish). Geological Survey of Finland. 1994. p. 32. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Radiomäen monet kasvot". LahdenMuseot.fi (in Finnish). City of Lahti Museums. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Kun Selänmäestä tuli Radiomäki - Lahden maamerkit 90 vuotta!" (in Finnish). Etelä-Suomen Sanomat. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Vanha hautausmaa". LahdenSeurakunnat.fi (in Finnish). Lahti Parishes. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Lahti radio station history". LahdenMuseot.fi. City of Lahti Museums. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Radio and TV Museum". LahdenMuseot.fi. City of Lahti Museums. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Lahti Transmission Towers". Structurae.net. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  8. ^ Parviainen, Helena (2007). "Radio- ja televisiohistorian alkuajan tapahtumia Suomessa" (PDF). LahdenMuseot.fi (in Finnish). City of Lahti Museums. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Lahden suurradioasema". RKY.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Heritage Agency. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Radiomäki". Lahti.fi (in Finnish). City of Lahti. Retrieved 6 December 2020.