Kangasala

Kangasala www.kangasala.fi is a town in Western Finland.

Enshrined in Zacharias Topelius' 1853 poem Kesäpäivä Kangasalla ("A Summer Day in Kangasala"), the ridges (harju) and lakes of Kangasala are known throughout Finland.

Kangasala is 30 minutes from Tampere by bus. Line 70 departs from just outside the train station (€5.00).

• Emperor's Ridge (Keisarinharju). Visited by King Gustav III of Sweden and Czar Alexander I of Russia in 1819 (hence the current name). Alas, the old wooden sightseeing tower here was burned down in 2006.
• Kangasala Church (Kangasalan kirkko), Myllystenpohjantie 2, tel. +358-3-2887111, www.kangasalanseurakunta.fi. A stately old church built from gray stone in the 1760s. A famous "blood stone" (verikivi) in the north wall slowly leaks a reddish, bloodlike substance.
• Mobilia, Kustaa Kolmannentie 75 (Kisaranta), tel. +358-3-31404000, www.mobilia.fi. An "automobile and road museum" that, true to the name, showcases lots of old and unusual cars. A must for the motoring buff but skippable for the rest of us. Open daily 10 AM to 4 PM in winter, until 8 PM in summer.
• Vehoniemen automuseo Vehoniemenharjuntie 92, tel. +358 -3-376 7795 www.automuseo.com. A nice, small car museum with some rarities. Free entrance! The museum has a cafe and a shop, which, among other things, has a lot of model cars for sale. The museum is located on a ridge in a nature preservation area, the area is great for small hikes and there is a free observation tower with some of the best views in Finland. Open daily April 1 - September 30: 10 am - 7 pm; October 1 - December 10: 10 am - 4 pm.

• Marjamäki Willow Farm (Marjamäen Pajutila), Hanuri-Topin tie 35 , FI-36200 Kangasala, ☎ +358 3 3771 301 (fax: +358 3 3771 360), www.marjamaenpajutila.fi. The warm and welcoming farm offers a wide variety of wickerwork produce but beautiful things for the home and the garden as well. Also worth a visit is their heaven of cakes on the attic of the old barn.

• Hotelli Urku, Kangasalantie 1108, ☎ +358 3 3140 1300, www.hotelli-urku.fi. Family-owned hotel in a stunning, hundred-year-old organ factory in the centre of Kangasala. Single €79, double €98.

• Free automobile museum, good ice hockey rink. • Csaba B.