Röykkä

Röykkä
Village
Buildings of abolished Röykkä Hospital, formerly known as Nummela Sanatorium.
Röykkä Location in Finland
Coordinates: 60°29.20′N 24°39.00′E
Country	Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Municipality	Nurmijärvi
Area
• Total	375 km^2 (145 sq mi)
Population  (2017-12-31)
• Total	1,652[1]
• Density	4,405/km^2 (11,410/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Röykkä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈrøy̯ˌkːæ]) is a village located in the Nurmijärvi municipality of Finland, near the border of Vihti municipality. It is fourth largest village in the municipality after Klaukkala, Rajamäki and Nurmijärvi's church village. The population is about 1600.^[1]

Lake Sääksi, which is Finland's largest spring water lake, is located northside to the village, and there is Kotolahti,^[2] also known as "Little-Sääski" and "Röykänranta", which is a popular beach in Röykkä. There is also smaller Lake Vaaksi near to the village.^[2] On the northern shore of Lake Sääksi is the private tomb of the daughter of Kytäjä Manor's host, known as the "Tomb of Love" (Rakkaudenhauta).^[3]

Traditional Christmas events at the village include the Röykkä's Christmas Tree Party (Röykän kuusijuhla), when a light procession led by Santa Claus moves from school to the giant spruce tree on the centre of Röykkä to decorate it with lights.^[4][5]

Transport

A railway in Röykkä.

The village is crossed by the Finnish regional road 132 (Mt 132) that runs between Loppi and Klaukkala. In the northern part of the village there is national road 25 (Vt 25), which runs between Hanko and Mäntsälä.

Hanko–Hyvinkää railway also runs next to the village, but the Röykkä railway station [fi] from 1911 was closed in 1977.^[6]

Distances from other cities

• Helsinki 43 km
• Loppi 33 km
• Klaukkala 14 km
• Nurmijärvi 12 km
• Rajamäki 8 km

Buildings

A primary school in Röykkä.

In the middle of Röykkä, there is a grocery store, a pizzeria and little coffee house. Also, there is a primary school in Kassakumpu, the largest and growing residential area of Röykkä, but the nearest secondary school is located in the neighboring village Rajamäki.

The railway station, located along the Hanko–Hyvinkää railway, was built and commissioned in 1911 and closed in 1977. Finnish model and PR Manager Ellen Jokikunnas bought building in 2007 to renovating it her new home.^[7]

Sanatorium

In the northern part of Röykkä, there is a former Art Nouveau-styled tuberculosis sanatorium known as Nummela Sanatorium^[8][9] designed by architect Magnus Schjerfbeck in 1903.^[10] Sanatorium was closed down in 1932 and replaced by a mental hospital. In 1989, the hospital was also closed down and has been completely disabled ever since. In the spring of 2022, the Röykkä Invest Oy company bought the hospital building for €1,5 million;^[11][12] one of the founders of the company is the actor Jasper Pääkkönen, who announced in the summer of the same year that he was planning to turn the former sanatorium into a hotel.^[13]

Local rumors tell that paranormal phenomena have been observed in an abandoned hospital.^[14] According to several visitors the windows of the building show mysterious lights, as well as a woman who commits suicide by jumping off the roof. According to another rumor, the hospital is haunted by the spirit of a girl who died there at a young age.^[15]

Notable people

• Elmer Diktonius (1896–1961), author and poet^[16][17]
• Ellen Jokikunnas (born 1976), model and PR manager^[18]
• Matti Mattila (1912–1990), agricultural counselor^[19]
• Toivo Salervo (1888–1977), architect^[20]

See also

• Kiljava
• Leppälampi

References

1. "Röykkä in Nurmijärvi, Uusimaa". City Population. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
2. "Sääksjärven uimaranta on Nurmijärven helmi, mutta mukavia uimapaikkoja riittää muitakin". Nurmijärven uutiset (in Finnish). 2 July 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
3. Sääksjärvi (23.097.1.002)/Rakkaudenhauta (in Finnish)
4. Röykän kuusijuhla (in Finnish)
5. "Röykän Kuusijuhla", YouTube.com (in Finnish), archived from the original on 13 December 2021, retrieved 29 January 2020
6. Talvitie, Liisa (30 June 2019). "Ellen Jokikunnas löysi rauhan vanhasta asemasta: "Täällä en pelkää"". Apu (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 June 2024.
7. "Ellen Jokikunnas Rankings & Opinions". Ranker. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
8. Professor Albert Palmberg, M.A., M.D. (1908). "The control of tuberculosis in Finland". Respiratory Medicine. 2 (2): 109–114. doi:10.1016/S0366-0850(08)80065-8. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
9. Axel von Bonsdorff (1926). "Experiences of the sanocrysin treatment at Nummela Sanatorium in Finland". Acta Medica Scandinavica. 64: 123–130. doi:10.1111/j.0954-6820.1926.tb14017.x.
10. "Magnus Schjerfbeck". Museum of Finnish Architecture. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
11. "Röykän sairaala kaupaksi 1,5 miljoonalla – mukana hankkeessa näyttelijä Jasper Pääkkönen". Nurmijärven Uutiset (in Finnish). 7 April 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
12. "Onpa erikoinen ilmestys, ajatteli Jasper Pääkkönen – sitten kivilinna vaihtoi omistajaa 1,5 miljoonalla, ja nyt suunnitteilla on jotain uutta". Yle (in Finnish). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
13. "Röykän sairaalasta viiden tähden hotelli?". Nurmijärven Uutiset (in Finnish). 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
14. "Hurjia kummitusjuttuja". Nurmijärven uutiset (in Finnish). 12 November 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
15. Marianne Zitting (24 October 2016). "Hui, kummituksia! Suomalaiskohteet, joihin liittyy hurjia aavetarinoita". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
16. Elmer (Rafael) Diktonius (1896-1961) – Author's Calendar
17. Runoilija ja säveltäjä Elmer Diktonius (1896-1961) (in Finnish)
18. "Ellen Jokikunnas Rankings & Opinions". Ranker. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
19. Uutuuskirja kertoo Matti Mattilan tarinan (in Finnish)
20. Vaaksinjärvi – Geocaching (in Finnish)

External links

Media related to Röykkä at Wikimedia Commons Röykkä travel guide from Wikivoyage

• Röykkä - Official Web Site (in Finnish)
• Röykkä at Visit Nurmijärvi (in Finnish)
• Röykkä Resort (in Finnish)