Tapiola ( Finnish ) or Hagalund ( Swedish ) is a district of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo.

The name Tapiola is derived from Tapio, who is the forest god of Finnish mythology, especially as expressed in the Kalevala, the national epic of Finland.

Tapiola is a result of close team work in the fields of architecture, sociology, civil engineering, landscape gardening, domestic science, and youth welfare.

The Tapiola library is located in the cultural centre.

An important feature of the Tapiola and garden cities is the development of a self-contained community.

It is interesting to note that the eastern and western residential areas of Tapiola featured curved streets with lots of varying sizes and positions, whilst the northern neighbourhood designed by architect Pentti Ahola, marked a return to the orthogonal grid plan.

Near the centre is also the Tapiola tennis park.

In western Tapiola there is the Tapiola sports park, housing the ice hockey rink, skating rink and the tennis centre.

In the centre of Tapiola, next to the central pool, there is the Tapiola Garden hotel, designed by Aarne Ervi.

Tapiola is also the name of a Finnish insurance company, presumably from the location of its headquarters.

In Otsolahti in eastern Tapiola, there is a small boat harbour for motor boats.

The Itäkartano area east of the Tapiola centre is famous for its apartment buildings built in the 1950s, visited by architects from all around the world.

To the north of Tapiola centre is a central park, Silkkiniitty, a large grass field reaching to Pohjois-Tapiola.

According to the Finnish museum bureau, Tapiola is a unique phenomenon in the world.

Tapiola will have its own metro station when the Länsimetro project is completed.

* Tapiola is an unincorporated community located near Otter Lake in the township.

For example, Tapiola is a post-war garden city on the edge of Espoo.

For example, Tapiola is a post-war garden city on the edge of Espoo.

* Tapiola is also a symphonic poem by Jean Sibelius, and was one of his last compositions

The architects commissioned to plan Tapiola had also been influenced by Le Corbusier and other propagandists of Modernism, and thus their urban ideals also included tower blocks forming impressive silhouettes, as well as a dense method of building.

Espoo cultural centre-which houses a library, a gallery and a theatre-and the Keskustorni ( central tower ), one of the oldest buildings in Tapiola

The founder of Tapiola, Heikki von Hertzen, believed that it was not possible to create a satisfactory residential centre if the population density exceeds a certain figure.

The development of Tapiola occurred in several stages: the eastern neighbourhood 1952 – 1956, the western neighbourhood, 1957-1960, the town centre 1958-1961-1970, the northern neighbourhood 1958-1967, the southern neighbourhood 1961-1965.

As with the other areas of Tapiola, the centre was designed with consideration for the site's features and terrain as well as to provide an active and versatile environment for pedestrians.

Ervi ensured the centre preserved the garden-city character of Tapiola by locating the buildings around an artificial lake, however this plan was considered strange and criticised for it ’ s lack of density.

The Tapiola commercial centre at night-time.

Finland's first shopping centre, Heikintori, was opened in Tapiola in 1968.

The Tapiola centre has a large selection of services: department stores ( Stockmann and Sokos ), book stores ( Akateeminen kirjakauppa and Suomalainen Kirjakauppa ), groceries ( S-Market, K-Supermarket, Stockmann Herkku ), Alko, a post office, banks ( Nordea, Sampo, Actia, Osuuspankki, Ålandsbanken, Handelsbanken, Nooa Säästöpankki and Suurpohjan osuuspankki ), sports stores ( Intersport, Sportia ), photography stores, barber's shops, and other small businesses.

Public services include the Tapiola health centre, a library, an employment bureau, Kela, the Espoo magistrate and the Espoo tax bureau.

The Tapiola centre houses a swimming pool and the Tapiola bowling alley.

Tapiola centre features a miniature version of itself.

The Itäkartano centre operated as the centre of the whole district of Tapiola before the current central area was built.

* Tapiola to one of the major urban centres within the city of Espoo, outside of Helsinki

Tanja Karpela speaking in Tapiola, Espoo on May Day 2002.

He embarked his career by playing with other musicians like Kajaani Big Band ( 1969 – 1972 ), Kisu & Uniset ( 1970 – 1971 ), Markku Suominen's Monopol ( 1970 – 1971 ), Tapiola Big Band ( 1972 – 1974 ), Oulunkylä Big Band ( 1972 – 1974 ), Maarit & Afrikan Tähti ( 1972 – 1973 ), Kalevala ( 1972 – 1973 ), SIMO Big Band ( pre-UMO )( 1972 – 1973 ), Jukka Tolonen's band ( 1973 – 1974 ), Heikki Sarmanto's band ( 1979 ), Sensation Band of Addis Ababa ( 1976 ), Mahmoud Ahmed's Ibex Band ( 1976 ), Etoile de Dakar ( 1979 ), Espoo Big Band ( 1990 ), Samuli Mikkonen & 7 henkeä ( 2003 ), Kingston Wall ( 1992 – 1994 ), Amorphis ( 1999 – 2001 ), Pori Jazz All Stars, Okay Temiz ( several different bands 1992-2008 ) and so on.

FC Honka is a Finnish football club, based in Tapiola, Espoo.

A year later, on 8 December 1998, the Espoo city council decided to only support extending the line to Tapiola, rejecting a continuation to Matinkylä and to Kivenlahti.

* Espoo ( Tapiola )

Many people from the Finnish capital area, mainly from Helsinki, view the district of Tapiola and its environs as the real commercial centre of Espoo, even though they are very close to the city border with Helsinki.

* 1962 – 1982 Suvikumpu residential area in Tapiola Espoo

The orchestra consists of concertmasters and principals from leading Finnish orchestras such as the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Avanti!

Kalmuk, featuring fifteen piece Tapiola Sinfonietta orchestra plus Samuli Kosminen, a second percussionist, light show and surround sound.