History

Kauniainen’s history begins in the year 1906, when a corporation selling villa properties primarily for inhabitants of the metropolitan area was established. Other garden suburbs sprang up in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, e.g. in Stockholm, Kauniainen’s twin municipality Danderyd was built in a similar fashion. In general, areas with conifer and pine forests were considered healthy residential environments, and Kauniainen was able to offer these features. In addition, the city had a link to the capital, Helsinki. A railway line was inaugurated for traffic in 1903.

In 1920, the suburban community became a borough. The population was 1346 inhabitants and there was a 70% Swedish-speaking majority. The borough got its Finnish name Kauniainen in 1949 by decision of the Council of State.

Kauniainen got its city charter in 1972. The population had grown to 6462 inhabitants and the next year Finnish became the city’s majority language.

Today (2022) Kauniainen has approximately 10 250 people, of whom 59 % are Finnish-speaking and 32 % Swedish-speaking.

A garden suburb

A distinctive feature that has followed the development of Kauniainen is the aim to maintain the city’s character as a garden suburb. Today the cityscape is dominated by one-family houses and a close proximity to nature. Kauniainen can be said to embody a cosy modern suburb. Present-day town planning aims at maintaining such features. In addition to its natural setting, the garden suburb is a social phenomenon. Its unreservedness and closeness are both emphasized in its social dealings, which we in Kauniainen call “quality of life.”

Department for Rescue Services

Safety services in the region:

Emergency services
First aid and ambulance service
Safety at home and guides
To the Rescue Departments webbsite (in english)

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NATIONAL EMERGENCY NUMBER