Päijänne
Lake in central Finland
title: "Päijänne" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lake-päijänne", "kymi-basin", "landforms-of-central-finland", "lakes-of-joutsa", "lakes-of-muurame", "lakes-of-luhanka", "lakes-of-jyväskylä", "lakes-of-sysmä", "lakes-of-padasjoki", "lakes-of-jämsä"] description: "Lake in central Finland" topic_path: "general/lake-paijanne" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Päijänne" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Lake in central Finland ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Päijänne |
| image | Päijänne and päijätsalo.jpg |
| caption | Päijänne and Päijätsalo |
| image_bathymetry | Päijänne.png |
| coords | |
| pushpin_map | Finland |
| outflow | Kymi River |
| basin_countries | Finland |
| length | 120 km |
| area | 1070 - |
| depth | 16.2 - |
| max-depth | 95.3 m |
| volume | 18.1 km3 |
| residence_time | 2.5 years |
| elevation | 78.3 m |
| islands | 1886 (Virmailansaari, Salonsaari, Judinsalo, Onkisalo, Paatsalo, Muuratsalo, Haukkasalo, Vuoritsalo, Mustassalo, Edessalo, Taivassalo) |
| cities | Asikkala, Jyväskylä, Korpilahti, Kuhmoinen, Luhanka, Muurame, Padasjoki, Sysmä |
| reference | |
| :: |
| name = Päijänne | image = Päijänne and päijätsalo.jpg | caption = Päijänne and Päijätsalo | image_bathymetry = Päijänne.png | caption_bathymetry = | location = | coords = | type = | inflow = |pushpin_map=Finland | outflow = Kymi River | catchment = | basin_countries = Finland | length = 120 km | width = | area = 1070 - | depth = 16.2 - | max-depth = 95.3 m | volume = 18.1 km3 | residence_time = 2.5 years | shore = | elevation = 78.3 m | islands = 1886 (Virmailansaari, Salonsaari, Judinsalo, Onkisalo, Paatsalo, Muuratsalo, Haukkasalo, Vuoritsalo, Mustassalo, Edessalo, Taivassalo) | cities = Asikkala, Jyväskylä, Korpilahti, Kuhmoinen, Luhanka, Muurame, Padasjoki, Sysmä | reference =
Päijänne () is the second largest lake in Finland (1080 km2). The lake drains into the Gulf of Finland via the Kymi River. The major islands are from north to south Vuoritsalo, Muuratsalo, Onkisalo, Judinsalo, Edessalo, Taivassalo, Haukkasalo, Vehkasalo, Mustassalo, Virmailansaari and Salonsaari. The largest island is Virmailansaari. The word saari means an island. Salo once meant a great island, nowadays it means a great forest area.
The largest city on the shores of Päijänne is Jyväskylä in the North. The city of Lahti is connected to Päijänne through Lake Vesijärvi and Vääksy canal.
An underground aqueduct, Päijänne Water Tunnel, connects the lake to Vantaa, providing the Greater Helsinki area with water. The deepest point in any lake in Finland is in Päijänne (95.3 m).
The name of Lake Päijänne comes possibly from a Pre-Finno-Ugric substrate language.
Transportation
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Päijänne_aerial_2.jpg" caption="Aerial view of frozen Lake Päijänne."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/MS_Suometar_in_Kalkkinen_Canal.jpg" caption="MS Suometar in the Kalkkinen canal between Päijänne and Kalkkinen"] ::
Päijänne is a famous boating, canoeing and sailing attraction. The 119 km long lake is connected by canals to Lake Keitele, Lake Vesijärvi and to Lake Ruotsalainen. Length of the open waterway for ships is 380 km. Construction of canals connecting Päijänne to the Baltic Sea has been discussed for decades. Nevertheless, the plan is still to be materialized.
Until the 1940s Lake Päijänne was a major transportation channel in the Central Finland. Numerous ships transported passengers and freight between the villages and cities on the shores of Päijänne. Nowadays, passenger transportation is rather a tourist attraction on the lakelands than the fastest way connecting the cities and villages. One of the most popular passenger transportation routes in summertime is between the cities of Lahti and Jyväskylä.
::data[format=table title="'''Present day passenger ships on Päijänne'''
"]
| Name | Built | Passengers | Length | Width | Speed | Home harbour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M/S Aino | 1922 | 90 | 17,20 m | 4,10 m | 11 knots | url=http://www.lahdenjarvimatkailu.fi/laivat/ |
| M/S Elbatar | 1984 | 90 | 16,08 m | 4,78 m | 11 knots | Padasjoki |
| M/S Charlotte | ||||||
| M/S Happy Days | Lahti | |||||
| M/S Hilja | 1902 | 60 | Jyväskylä, charter ferry | |||
| M/S Jenni-Maria II | 1970 | 30 | 15,30 m | 3,80 m | 15 knots | Sysmä |
| M/S Katrilli | 80 | url=http://www.paijanne-risteilythilden.fi/laivat.htm | ||||
| M/S Kymppi | 77 | Jyväskylä, charter ferry | ||||
| S/S Laitiala | 1903 | 130 | 26,7 m | 6,64 m | Lahti, charter ferry | |
| M/S Meininki | 1970 | 30 | Jyväskylä, charter ferry | |||
| M/S Minni | Jyväskylä | |||||
| M/S Päijänne | 50 | 20 m | 5 m | |||
| M/S Rhea | 43 m | 8,2 m | Jyväskylä | |||
| M/S Rosetta | Lahti, charter ferry | |||||
| M/S Ruotsalainen | 22,10 m | 5,32 m | ||||
| M/S Salome | 18,90 m | 4,35 m | Lahti, charter ferry | |||
| M/S Suometar | 199 | Jyväskylä | ||||
| M/S Suomen Neito | 199 | Jyväskylä | ||||
| M/S Suomen Suvi | 1993 | 199 | Jyväskylä | |||
| S/S Suomi | 1906 | 199 | 31,60 m | 2,13 m | url=http://www.elka.fi/Nayttelyt/laivat/laivasivut/suomi1905.html | |
| M/S Terhi | 199 | Heinola | ||||
| M/S Tuulikki II | 170 | url=http://www.paijannematkat.com/ | ||||
| M/S Tuulikki III | 80 | Jämsä | ||||
| M/S Wellamo | 1990 | 190 | Lahti | |||
| :: |
Tourism
There are 16,000 cottages on the shores of Päijänne. Most of the cottages are private owned and have a separate sauna cottage.
In addition to cottage tourism Päijänne attracts fishing, sailing, canoeing, rowing, paddling, trekking, ice-skating, snow mobile and nature tourists. The National Parks of Päijänne and Leivonmäki alone has tens of thousands of visitors every year.
The Clear and Drinkable Lake Päijänne South Association won a Tourism and Environment award presented by the European Union Commission in 1995.
National Parks
Päijänne National Park () is a national park in the southern parts of Lake Päijänne. It consists of 50 unbuilt islands and parts of inhabited islands. The national park has been established in 1993 and has an area of 14 km2.
Leivonmäki National Park is situated few kilometres North East from the Northern part of Lake Päijänne. It is one of the youngest national parks in Finland.
Cities and towns upon Lake Päijänne
From North to South
- Jyväskylä (at )
- Säynätsalo (at )
- Muurame (at )
- Toivakka (at )
- Korpilahti (at )
- Jämsä (at )
- Luhanka (at )
- Joutsa (at )
- Kuhmoinen (at )
- Sysmä (at )
- Padasjoki (at )
- Asikkala (at )
Gallery
File:Kalkkisten kanava 5.jpg|Kalkkinen canal File:Pulkkilanharju and Karisalmi Bridge in Asikkala, Päijät-Häme, Finland, 2021 June - 3.jpg|Pulkkilanharju and Karisalmi Bridge in Asikkala File:Vääksyn kanava 2.jpg|Vääksy canal between Päijänne and Lake Vesijärvi File:SataSarvinen4.jpg|View from Hill Satasarvinen in Muuratsalo, Jyväskylä File:Kärkinen_bridge_during_Päijännepurjehdus_2007.jpg|Kärkinen bridge in Korpilahti, Jyväskylä during the Päijännepurjehdus sailing competition File:Tugboat_pulling_logs_in_Finland_in_1930s.jpg|Tugboat pulling logs in Päijänne in 1930s File:Päijänne_1948.jpg|Päijänne from the Puolakanvuori hill in 1948 File:Steam_ships_in_Finland_1936.jpg|Passenger steam ships S/S Jyväskylä, S/S Suomi, S/S Taru and S/S Tehi in Pihlajakoski harbour, Kuhmoinen in 1938 File:Vaajavirta frozen.jpg|Vaajakoski canal in the Northern end of Lake Päijänne
References
References
- en
- Seppälä, Matti. (2005). "The Physical Geography of Fennoscandia". Oxford University Press.
- "Saimaa".
- "TIETOA LAIVOISTA::Lahden Järvimatkailu Oy".
- "Sivut ovat siirtyneet".
- "Laivan tilat".
- "PÄIJÄNNE RISTEILYT HILDEN OY: Laivat".
- "Merimeininki".
- "M/S Päijänne".
- "Päijänneristeilyt Jyväskylässä - Risteilyt Jyväskylästä".
- "Päijännettä pohjoiseen - Risteilyt".
- "Archived copy".
- "Päijännematkat Koskinen, Jämsä".
- Koskinen, Petri. "Täyttä mökkielämää".
- Etelä-Päijänne, Juotavan Hyvä. "Etelä-Päijänne - majoitus, ohjelmapalvelut ja ravintolat Järvi-Suomessa".
- "PÄIJÄNTEEN KANSALLISPUISTO". visitpaijanne.fi.
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