Mattilanniemi Park

The park surrounding the Mattilanniemi campus buildings is part of the green areas of Jyväskylä. The flora in the Mattilanniemi garden represents the 1980s urban landscaping. The green campus with its beaches is popular among the residents of Jyväskylä in addition to the University community. Lake Jyväsjärvi is part of the learning and research environment of the University of Jyväskylä.

The area was named after the Mattilanniemi farm that used to be located here prior to the University buildings, but the area has also hosted a garbage dump and a snow disposal site. The style and flora in the park represent 1980s city construction. The adaptation of plants in an urban environment in Central Finland has been studied in the park, so it has also been an experimental park.

The park complex has been formed gradually, layer by layer, simultaneously with the building stock. Planting in the southern part of the park, designed by landscape architect Juhani Rajala, began in 1984 when the second-stage campus buildings were completed. The plan for the northern part towards the city centre was created by Irmeli Kurttila, who to some extent also utilised Rajala’s plan. Most of the planting is from the beginning of the 1990s.

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A total of about 250 different plant species and cultivars grow in the park. Along the pathways leading towards Lake Jyväsjärvi, broadleaved trees and conifers, such as Siberian fir, Serbian spruce, lime tree and rowan, have been planted in loose groups. The European rowans of the phenological research carried out in the SILMU project were planted around the centre of the large field.

On the noise barrier beside the Rantaväylä highway grow such species as Norway maple and Amur maple, blue honeysuckle, elm-leaf spiraea and mountain currant. Dogwood, willow and Sorbaria sorbifolia have been planted at the south-west corner of the park and along the pedestrian route. Low evergreens, stonecrops and moss phlox have been placed next to the wall.

On the noise barrier side of Buildings A and B, you can see large perennials such as butterbur, palmate rhubarb, species belonging to the buckwheat family, as well as bride's feathers, rodgersia and Astilboides tabularis. The most vulnerable plants – junipers, thujas, hydrangeas, clematises and pipevines – have been placed on the sheltered patio, which also features a large collection of plantain lilies and leopard plants. Several spiraea and rowan species as well as pin cherries grow on the south-eastern side of Building C.

On the northern side of the park you can see oaks, lime trees, honeysuckles and mock oranges as well as perennials such as day lily, astilbe and Japanese knotgrass. Maples, chokeberries and blue honeysuckles grow on the green areas of the parking lot on the Rantaväylä side, and plantain lilies on the side of the building. An ash-leaved maple, a walnut tree, a red ash, and honeysuckles have been placed on the northern patio.