Radio Hill (Lahti) Explained

Radio Hill
Elevation M:140
Coordinates:60.9795°N 25.647°W
Etymology:Named after Lahti radio station
Country:Finland
Region:Päijänne Tavastia
Region Type:Region
Settlement:Lahti
Settlement Type:City
Parent:Salpausselkä
Biome:Taiga
Formed By:Terminal moraine
Orogeny:Younger 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 .[1]

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

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.[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 high[7] and apart,[8] forming a well-known landmark of Lahti.

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]

Notes and References

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