Häme (Swedish: Tavastland, Latin: Tavastia) is the name of a geographical region in Finland, associated with the Tavastians, or Häme people (hämäläiset), a subgroup of the Finnish people. The precise area referred to can vary depending on the context.
Contemporary contexts
- Häme, an often vaguely defined area in Southern Finland associated with the Tavastians; the most prominent regions of contemporary Häme are:
- Tavastia Proper [1](Kanta-Häme)
- Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme)
- Pirkanmaa, (historically, most of this area belonged to Satakunta, but today it is strongly associated with Häme)
- Central Finland (historically, most of this area unambiguously belonged to Tavastia, or Häme, but today the association is weaker)
- Place names including the element Häme in its genitive form Hämeen:
- Hämeenkatu, the main street of Tampere; streets bearing the same name can be found elsewhere in Finland as well
- Hämeenkyrö, a municipality in Pirkanmaa
- Hämeenlinna, the administrative centre of Tavastia Proper
- Hämeen linna, or Häme Castle, a medieval castle in Hämeenlinna, after which the city has been named
- Hämeentie, the longest street in Helsinki; streets bearing the same name can be found elsewhere in Finland as well
Historical contexts
- Tavastia (historical province) (Häme), a historical province within the Swedish realm from around the 13th century until 1809 and later one of the historical provinces of Finland
- County of Nyland and Tavastehus (Uudenmaan ja Hämeen lääni), 1634–1809, roughly a combination of the historical provinces of Tavastia and Uusimaa
- Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus (Uudenmaan ja Hämeen lääni), 1809–1831, the continuation of the preceding administrative entity within the Grand Duchy of Finland
- Governorate of Tavastehus (Hämeen lääni), 1831–1917, split off again from the Governorate of Nyland-Tavastehus
- Häme Province (Hämeen lääni), 1917–1997, the continuation of the preceding administrative entity within the independent Finland
- the provinces of Finland into which the regions of the Häme Province were merged in 1997:
- Southern Finland (1997–2009)
- Western Finland (1997–2009)
- the provinces of Finland into which the regions of the Häme Province were merged in 1997:
See also
The dictionary definition of Häme at Wiktionary- The Tavastian dialects, or Häme dialects (hämäläismurteet), of the Finnish language
- Häme Regiment, a unit of the Finnish Army located in Lahti
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