Korsholm (; fi, Mustasaari) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
. The town of
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago. The administrative center is
Smedsby, situated from Vaasa center along
Finnish national road 8.
Geography
It is located in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of
Western Finland
Western Finland ( fi, Länsi-Suomen lääni, sv, Västra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. ...
and is part of the
Ostrobothnia region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
. The municipality consists of the central areas, the southern plain, and the extensive archipelago. Parts of the archipelago belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of
Kvarken.
One of Korsholm's more notable landmarks is that it holds Finland's longest bridge, the
Replot Bridge. The bridge connects the island of
Replot to the mainland. Finland's second oldest stone bridge that is still in use, can also be found in Korsholm, in the village of Toby.
Major islands in the archipelago include
Replot,
Björkö,
Köklot,
Panike and the
Valsörarna archipelago.
Along the coast, Korsholm extends to two river outlets:
Kyrönjoki river flows into the Vassor bay of the
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast ( We ...
, and the
Laihianjoki river flows into Vanhankaupunginlahti, the bay on whose shore the city of Vaasa is located.
Villages
*
Anixor
*
Brändövik
*
Böle
*
Björköby
*
Västerhankmo
*
Österhankmo
*
Helsingby
*
Iskmo
*
Jungsund
*
Kalvholm
*
Karkmo
*
Karperö
*
Köklot
*
Kvevlax
*
Koskö
*
Kuni
*
Martois
*
Miekka
*
Munsmo
*
Norra Vallgrund
*
Panike
*
Petsmo
*
Pundars (Puntainen)
*
Replot
*
Rimal
*
Runsor
*
Singsby
*
Smedsby
*
Solf
*
Söderudden
*
Södra Vallgrund
*
Staversby
*
Toby
*
Tölby
*
Vassor
*
Veikars
*
Vikby
*
Vistan
*
Voitby
(Most villages have only a Swedish name.)
History
Name
The original Finnish name ''Mustasaari'' "Black Island" may have been a medieval island cleared by a wildfire or an island that looks dark when approaching from the sea.
[Sirkka Paikkala. Suomalainen paikannimikirja. 2007, p. 276-277. Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus, Jyväskylä. ] Due to
isostatic uplift
Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound ...
, the area referred to is now inland. The parish is first mentioned as ''Mustasaari'' parish in 1348. In Swedish, the pronunciation developed into ''Mussor'', although the form ''Mustasaari'' remained in use in the community.
Mikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola (; c. 1510 – 9 April 1557) was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman who became the de facto founder of literary Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden, including Finland, which was a Swedish territo ...
, the founder of written Finnish, spelled it ''Mustsåår'' in 1530.
Olaus Magnus spelled it as ''Mostesar'' in his 1539 map,
Carta Marina, where the castle appeared separately as "Korsholm". In 1606–1611, it was known as ''Mussar'', but in 1611 the city of
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), was founded in the parish and thus the parish was known as Vaasa. In 1772, it was known as "city of Vaasa and Mustasaari annex", and in 1807–1867 "parish of Vaasa and Mustasaari". Since then, Vaasa has been an independent parish. The municipality was named ''Korsholm'' in Swedish in 1927, after the medieval
Korsholma castle.
Middle Ages
Korsholm has a history that can be dated back to 1348. In that year Korsholm was mentioned for the first time in writing in a royal letter concerning freedom of commerce. Therefore, the municipality celebrated its 650th anniversary in 1998. In the mid-14th century Saint Mary's Church was built in Korsholm island. The whole of
Ostrobothnia was governed for hundreds of years from
Korsholma Castle (Chrysseborg). The ruins of Saint Mary's Church and Korsholm Castle are now in the old town of
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), ( fi, Vanha Vaasa; sv, Gamla Vasa).
1973 merger
Today's Korsholm municipality consists of five smaller municipalities that were merged in 1973: Korsholm in the center,
Replot and
Björköby in the far archipelago, Solf in the southern plain and
Kvevlax in the eastern plain. To reflect the new, larger municipality the motif in the Korsholm
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
is five intertwined golden threads on a red background.
Demographics
The municipality has a population of ()
and covers an area of of which is water.
The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
is .
The municipality is bilingual, with a majority () being
Swedish and a minority ()
Finnish speakers.
The Finnish speakers are concentrated near the enclosed city
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), , particularly in
Smedsby, and in the villages of Toby and
Kvevlax in the southern plain, while the rest of the municipality is Swedish-speaking.
In a 2016 statistical comparison of municipalities by
Yle,
Korsholm was rated 5/5 for viability and health and 4/5 for atmosphere (concerning e.g. education, crime and leisure), but only 2/5 for economy. Exceptionally good results were found in violent crime, which occurs at a rate of 1.9 per 1,000 inhabitants vs. the national average of 5.6, in the number of alcoholics and other addicts, at 0.6 per 1,000 inhabitants, vs. the national average of 3.3, and the proportion of youth smoking at 6.0%, vs the national average of 14.2%. Concerns were mainly economic: the employment self-sufficiency is only 57% vs. 89%, the equity ratio is poor (34.8% vs. 51.9%) and indebtedness is relatively high (70.4% vs. 48%), despite the municipal tax being the same as the national average (20.75%). Korsholm has relatively little industry and commuting to
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), is very common. Korsholm is neither losing nor gaining inhabitants by migration.
Twin towns – sister cities
Korsholm is
twinned with:
*
Oskarshamn, Sweden
Notable people
*
Johannes Bengs (1877–1936)
*
Herman Cederberg (1883–1969)
*
Edvard Helenelund (1885–1976)
*
Levi Jern (1893–1973)
*
Alwar Sundell (1906–1990)
*
Harry Järv (1921–2009)
*
Stina Ekblad
Stina Åsa Maria Ekblad (born 26 February 1954 in Solf, Ostrobothnia, Finland) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish actress. Living in Stockholm, she has appeared mostly in Swedish productions. She received a Guldbagge Award for Best Actress in 198 ...
(born 1954)
*
Mats Lillhannus (born 1972)
*
Andreas Romar (born 1989)
References
External links
Korsholm official website
{{Authority control
Populated places established in the 1340s
1348 establishments in Europe
14th-century establishments in Finland