Do you have photos, crafts or objects from past courses at the community college? Bring them to the 100th anniversary exhibition!

Riihimäki Community College will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. The community college has been involved in the everyday lives of thousands of residents since 1926.

To celebrate the anniversary, the community college is collecting stories and memories from over the years. An exhibition will be built from the memories, opening in December 2025 in the college lobby.

Do you have photos from courses, homemade items, crafts, or other memories related to college? Now is your chance to share them!

"For almost 100 years, the community college has been a meeting place for the city's residents, where they can share their joys and sorrows. Now we want to collect memories from customers and teachers from different decades, which we will present at various events during the anniversary year. This way, we will also record the history of the community college for future generations," says Suvi Salokannel, a planning teacher at the community college.

Send electronically or bring to the student building

You can submit your photo or other story like this:

• via electronic form: Stories from a 100-year-old community college (go to Forms)
• by e-mail to kanlaisoopisto@riihimaki.fi or
• You can bring the stories on paper to the university building (Puistikko 5, Riihimäki). There is a mailbox in the lobby for memories.

Please include your contact information, permission to publish the story, and a pseudonym if you do not want your full name to be used in connection with the story's publication.

We ask that you deliver the objects and crafts to the community college. Please include your contact information. The exhibition may continue into the spring term, so the brought works and pictures can be picked up from the college in April 2026.

From the southern elementary school to the edge of Opistopuisto Park

The operations of the community college began on January 17, 1926 at the Southern Community College. Just two years later, in 1928, the college received its own building designed by JE Valorinna on a plot donated by the town hall, next to the then School Park (now Independence Park).

Over the decades, the focus of the activities and teaching has changed from teaching the knowledge and skills necessary for civic life to a meeting place for all people, where they can learn and pursue their favorite subjects and keep up with the changes in the digital society. Popular courses in recent years have included ceramics, pilates, genealogy and Finnish language courses.

Approximately 2,200 Riihimäki residents participate in the activities of the civic college annually, many of whom take several different courses.

Citizens' College website