Valkeakoski
Town
Valkeakosken kaupunki
Valkeakoski stad
Aerial view of Valkeakoski
Aerial view of Valkeakoski
Coat of arms of Valkeakoski
Coat of arms
Location of Valkeakoski in Finland
Location of Valkeakoski in Finland
Coordinates: 61°16′N 024°02′E / 61.267°N 24.033°E / 61.267; 24.033
Country Finland
RegionPirkanmaa
Sub-regionSouthern Pirkanmaa
Charter1923
Government
 • Town managerJukka Varonen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total372.03 km2 (143.64 sq mi)
 • Land272.05 km2 (105.04 sq mi)
 • Water100.06 km2 (38.63 sq mi)
 • Rank240th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-09-30)[2]
 • Total20,731
 • Rank51st largest in Finland
 • Density76.2/km2 (197/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish95.7% (official)
 • Swedish0.2%
 • Others4.1%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 1415.5%
 • 15 to 6456.8%
 • 65 or older27.7%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.valkeakoski.fi/en/

Valkeakoski (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋɑlkeɑˌkoski]; lit. "white rapids") is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Tampere, 45 km (28 mi) north of Hämeenlinna and 150 km (93 mi) north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of 20,731 (30 September 2023)[2] and covers an area of 372.03 square kilometres (143.64 sq mi) of which 100.06 km2 (38.63 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 76.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (197/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Valkeakoski is best known for its paper industry and domestically highly successful football team, FC Haka.

The town and the paper industry have both grown by the Valkeakoski rapids between the lake Mallasvesi in the north and the lake Vanajavesi in the south.

History

The Valkeakoski area is known to have been inhabited since the Iron Age. More than a thousand years ago, the ridges on the area served as a foundation of the Rapola fort. In the following Middle Ages, the mill town Sääksmäki was the center of the area. However, industrialization towards the end of the 19th century increased the importance of what became the contemporary town of Valkeakoski. The channel of Valkeakoski was opened in 1869, and the first paper mill was completed in 1873, marking the beginning of a continuing tradition of the forest industry. The municipality of Sääksmäki, from which the town of Valkeakoski was detached in 1923 was consolidated with Valkeakoski in 1973.[5]

Districts, neighborhoods and villages

Kärsänlahti bay on lake Mallasvesi

Countryside and villages

The entire countryside of Valkeakoski consists mainly of the former Sääksmäki municipality areas.

  • Sääksmäki (consists of Huittula and Ritvala, Kemmola, Mälkiäinen, Haukila, Uskila, Tykölä, Viranmaa, Kasuri / Koivuniemi / Raija, Metsäkansa, Ylenjoki, Konho, Nikkarinhanko / Muti, Rantoo, Yli-Nissi, Kärjenniemi, Vedentaka, Kaapelinkulma, Kannistonmäki, Viuha, Mattila, Vuorentaka, Valto, Paino, Tarttila, Pyörönmaa and Vanhakylä)

Districts

There are 25 districts in what is considered the urban area of Valkeaskoki. These districts are further divided into neighborhoods. The districts and neighborhoods of Valkeakoski are:[6]

  1. 1st district
    • Tervasaari, Myllysaari, Tietola and Tehtaankatu
  2. 2nd district
    • Ydinkeskusta, Tallinmäki and Kerhomaja
  3. 3rd district
    • Kauppilanmäki, Yrjölä and Heikkilä
  4. 4th district
    • Jyräänmäki, Haka-alue, Kaskela, Laiska, Lumikorpi, Naakanrinne, Naakka and Pässinmäki
  5. Antinniemi
  6. Roukko
  7. 7th district
    • Matinmäki, Mäntylä, Roukonperä and Vääräkoivu
  8. Lintula
  9. Kirjasniemi
  10. Ulvajanniemi
  11. 11th district
    • Pohjankorpi and Tyry
  
  1. 12th district
    • Juhannusvuori, Kokkola, Naakka, Raikas and Sassi
  2. Jätevedenpuhdistamo
  3. 14th district
    • Raija and Koivuniemi
  4. Sointula
  5. Eerola
  6. Pispantalli
  7. 18th district
    • Holmi and Varsanhäntä
  8. Kärjenniemi
  9. Irjala
  10. Kemmola
  11. Juusonranta
  12. Valto
  13. Mahlianmaa
  14. Länsi-Lintula

In addition, outside of but in the vicinity of these districts lay Vanhakylä and Viuha.

Sports

Valkeakoski is notable for the football team FC Haka and also other Haka sections, especially the cross-country skiing section. The "skiing Haka" is one of the most successful skiing teams in Finland. The other major local sports organization Koskenpojat has also been really successful, winning many national championships in aerobic gymnastics.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Valkeakoski is twinned with:[7]

Notable persons from Valkeakoski

Notable places and events

  • National Football Museum
  • Työväen Musiikkitapahtuma music festival (freely translated as Workers' Music Event)
  • Tehtaan kenttä

References

  1. 1 2 "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Preliminary population statistics 2023, September". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. ↑ History of Valkeakoski
  6. ↑ "Kaupunginosat". valkeakoski.fi (in Finnish). Valkeakoski. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  7. ↑ "Ystävyyskaupungit". valkeakoski.fi (in Finnish). Valkeakoski. Retrieved 2019-12-07.

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