Akaa

The history of Akaa begins in 1483, when it was separated from the parish of Sääksmäki and became a church parish. Municipality status was granted in 1870. Later on, Akaa was divided as Urjala and Kylmäkoski were split off it. In 1932 the town of Viiala, a part of modern-day Akaa, was established and areas of municipalities of Akaa, Vesilahti and Lempäälä were added to it. The municipality of Akaa ceased to exist in 1946 and a new town called Toijala was formed containing the area of Akaa's old church village and its surroundings.

In 2007 Toijala and Viiala were joined as the modern-day municipality of Akaa. Kylmäkoski was incorporated in 2011. As of 2017, there are 16 892 inhabitants.

There are three town centres in Akaa, called Toijala, Viiala and Kylmäkoski. Toijala has been a major railway junction since 1876. The main track from Helsinki to the north goes through the town, and a track from Turku joins it here. In 1903, a wallpaper factory was founded. There are two operating wallpaper factories in the town, as well as metal and machinery works.

Viiala is a historic industrial town. The first steam sawmill was founded in 1873 and for most of 20th century there were a plywood factory, a leather factory and a file factory. However, by 2004 globalization had closed these all; the buildings remain.

By train:

Toijala and Viiala have railway stations. Most long-distance trains between Helsinki and Tampere and between Tampere and Turku, and all "regional" trains between Helsinki and Tampere stop in Toijala, whereas only regional trains stop in Viiala. Timetables are available from the VR website. By long-distance train Helsinki–Toijala and Turku–Toijala take about 1 hr 20 min, while Tampere–Toijala takes about 25 min.

1 Toijala railway station (Toijalan rautatieasema), Pätsiniementie 4. (updated Nov 2026)

2 Viiala railway station (Viialan rautatieasema), Rautatienkatu. (updated Nov 2026)

By bus:

Coaches between Helsinki and Tampere stop at the Toijala junction on highway 3, stop name in Matkahuolto search is Toijala liittymä 31, but there's a 3-km walk from there to Toijala. Coaches between Tampere and Turku stop at the Viiala th junction 2 km from Viiala centre and the Kylmäkoski th junction near Kylmäkoski centre. There are regional buses from Urjala and Valkeakoski with a couple of departures per day. For timetables, see Matkahuolto.

Train is the prime option.

By car:

Toijala has its own junction on highway 3 and Viiala on highway 9. Kylmäkoski is along highway 9.

By ship:

During summer there are scheduled cruises on the lake Vanajavesi from Tampere and Hämeenlinna, operated by Hopealinjat.