Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and 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 ...

in the

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, ...

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 ...

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 ...

, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

towns of Finland, along with

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

Ulvila Ulvila (; sv, Ulvsby) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is one of the six medieval cities of Finland, as well as the third oldest city in the country. Ulvila was granted charter as a town by King Albert of Sweden on 7 February 1365. How ...

, Rauma,

Naantali Naantali (; sv, Nådendal) is a town in southwestern Finland, and, as a resort town during the summer, an important tourist centre of the country. The municipality has a population of (), and is located in the region of Southwest Finland, west ...

and

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ...

. It is first mentioned as a city in texts from the 14th century. Porvoo is the seat of the Swedish-speaking Diocese of Borgå of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positi ...

. Porvoo was briefly the capital of the former Eastern Uusimaa region. Porvoo Old Town ( fi, Porvoon vanhakaupunki; sv, Borgås gamla stan) is a popular tourist destination,Old Porvoo - An Amazing Summertown Just One Hour from Helsinki
/ref> known for its well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century buildings, and the 15th-century Porvoo Cathedral. The Old Town and the

Porvoonjoki Porvoonjoki (''Porvoo River'', sv, Borgå å) is a small river in Finland. The Mediaeval town of Porvoo is situated in the river delta. It is the main river of the Porvoonjoki drainage system, the sources of which are located on the southern s ...

River Valley are recognized as, together, one of the

National landscapes of Finland National landscapes of Finland were selected by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment in 1992 as a part of the 75th anniversary of the Independence of Finland. The 27 selected landscapes represent the special environmental and cultural features of ...

. The municipality's official languages are Finnish and Swedish. In 2014, 64.6% of the population spoke Finnish as their native language, while 30.1% were Swedish speakers, and 5.4% had different native languages. The municipalities neighbouring Porvoo are

Askola Askola () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Monninkylä is the largest village of municipality i ...

Loviisa Loviisa (; sv, Lovisa ; formerly Degerby) is a municipality and town of inhabitants () on the southern coast of Finland. It is located from Helsinki and from Porvoo. About 43 per cent of the population is Swedish-speaking. The municipality c ...

Myrskylä Myrskylä (; sv, Mörskom) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region and it is the smallest municipality in the region in relation to its population; the municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which ...

Pornainen Pornainen (; sv, Borgnäs) is a small municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The neighboring municipalities are Askola in the east, Mäntsälä in the north, Porvoo in t ...

, and Sipoo; and the

sub-region A subregion is a part of a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south are commonly used to define a subregion. United Nations subregions The Statistics Division of the United Nations (U ...

maintained by Porvoo includes Askola, Myrskylä and

Pukkila Pukkila (; Swedish: ''Pukkila'', also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingu ...

Etymology

The

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

received its name from a Swedish medieval fortress near the river

, which flows through the town. The name ''Porvoo'' is the Fennicised version of the Swedish name ', which is derived from , meaning "

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

" and , "

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

Heraldry

The coat of arms of Porvoo, based on the medieval seal of the city, is "Azure lue a tulip-shaped letter C argent ilver" The main object in the arms has been interpreted as either a fire iron or the letter C, referring to the Latin word for "castle" ( la, castrum). A version of the arms redrawn by Gustaf von Numers was approved for official use by the Porvoo City Council on March 23, 1960, and the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

confirmed the use of the coat of arms on June 1 the same year.

History

The area of Porvoo has been inhabited since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...

. In prehistoric times, the river

was a route of commerce for Finnish tribal

Tavastians Tavastians ( fi, Hämäläiset, sv, Tavaster, russian: Емь, Yem, Yam) are a historic people and a modern subgroup (heimo) of the Finnish people. They live in areas of the historical province of Tavastia (Häme) and speak Tavastian dialects ...

who primarily inhabited the inland regions. The Tavastians also had some permanent settlements in the area, such as the village of Hattula (later Strömsberg), which was named after an inland Tavastian village. The original name of the river Porvoonjoki was possibly ''Kukinjoki.'' The name derives from the name of the trade vessel cog which was a common merchant ship in the Baltic Sea in medieval times. The early center of the area was ''Saksala'', meaning "the place of the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

", and deriving from the merchants who were trading in Saksala. Porvoo was colonised by

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

in the 13th and 14th centuries after the so-called

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Cru ...

against Tavastians in 1249–1250. The colonisation was led by the Catholic Church and the kingdom of Sweden. The colonists originated from

Svealand Svealand (), or Swealand, is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three historical lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, T ...

, and were provided with seeds, cattle and, tax exemption for four years. The oldest known written mentions of Porvoo are from the early 14th century. In circa 1380, Porvoo became the third town in Finland to be granted official

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

, after

in 1229 and

in 1365.Leena Valkeapää: ''Käyttökelpoinen keskiaika: Historiakulttuuria nykypäivän Ulvilassa ja Raumalla. Alue ja ympäristö''. 2006, volume 35, no. 2, p. 79–91. However, it is also claimed to have been founded as early as 1347, which would make it the second oldest after Turku.Ulvilan historiaa lyhyesti
(in Finnish) Due to land rise and loss of shipping access, Ulvila lost town rights to nearby

Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north- ...

in 1558. When

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

lost the city of

to Russia in 1721, the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

was moved to Porvoo in 1723. At this time, Porvoo was the second largest city in Finland. In 1760, roughly two-thirds of all buildings in Porvoo burned to the ground in a

conflagration A conflagration is a large fire. Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally, be naturally caused (wildfire), or intentionally created (arson). A very large fire can produc ...

. During rebuilding, the city planning wasn't altered, instead new buildings were built upon the existing medieval foundations. After the conquest of Finland by Russian armies in 1808, Sweden had to cede Finland to Russia in 1809 (the

Treaty of Fredrikshamn The Treaty of Fredrikshamn ( sv, Freden i Fredrikshamn; russian: Фридрихсгамский мирный договор), or the Treaty of Hamina ( fi, Haminan rauha), was a peace treaty concluded between Sweden and Imperial Russia on 17 ...

). The

Diet of Porvoo The Diet of Porvoo ( fi, Porvoon maapäivät, or unhistorically ; sv, Borgå lantdag; russian: Боргоский сейм), was the summoned legislative assembly to establish the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809 and the heir of the powers of the ...

in 1809 was a landmark in the

History of Finland The history of Finland begins around 9,000 BC during the end of the last glacial period. Stone Age cultures were Kunda, Comb Ceramic, Corded Ware, Kiukainen, and . The Finnish Bronze Age started in approximately 1,500 BC and the Iron Age st ...

. The Tsar

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of A ...

confirmed the new

Finnish constitution The Constitution of Finland ( fi, Suomen perustuslaki or sv, Finlands grundlag) is the supreme source of national law of Finland. It defines the basis, structures and organisation of government, the relationship between the different constitutio ...

(which was essentially the Swedish constitution from 1772), and made Finland an

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was often used in th ...

. In 1923, six years after

Finland's independence The Finnish Declaration of Independence ( fi, Suomen itsenäisyysjulistus; sv, Finlands självständighetsförklaring; russian: Провозглашение независимости Финляндии) was adopted by the Parliament of Finl ...

, the former

Diocese of Vyborg In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

, which operated in Porvoo, was replaced by a current Swedish-speaking diocese of the

, the

Diocese of Porvoo In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

.Borgå svenska domkyrkoförsamling - The Genealogical Society of Finland
/ref> The ''Porvoo Common Statement'' is a report issued at the conclusion of theological conversations by official representatives of four Anglican churches and eight Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches in 1989–1992. It established the

Porvoo Communion The Porvoo Communion is a communion of 15 predominantly northern European Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches, with a couple of far-southwestern European (in the Iberian Peninsula) church bodies of the same denomination. It was establish ...

, so named after the Porvoo Cathedral where the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

was celebrated on the final Sunday of the conversations leading to the Statement. The old city of Porvoo was formally disestablished and the new city of Porvoo founded in 1997, when the city of Porvoo and the rural municipality of Porvoo were consolidated.

Urban development

Old Town

The town is famed for its "Old Town" (' in

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

, ' in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

), a dense medieval street pattern with predominantly wooden houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Old Town came close to being demolished in the 19th century by a new urban plan for the city, but the plan was canceled due to a popular resistance headed by Count

Louis Sparre Pehr Louis Sparre af Söfdeborg (3 August 1863 – 26 October 1964) was a Sweden, Swedish painter, designer and draughtsman, most noted for his early work in the Finland, Finnish national romanticism and Jugendstil, jugend styles. He also co ...

. With the need for growth, a plan was envisioned for a new town built adjacent to the Old Town, following a grid plan, but with houses also built of wood. Jokikatu (located eastside of the Porvoonjoki River) is one of Porvoo's

pedestrian street Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

s, and like the other similar streets of the Old Town, it also includes a variety of

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

antique shop An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally or, with the advent of the Internet, found online. An antiques shop can also be located within an ant ...

s and other stores. The central point of the old town is the medieval, stone and brick Porvoo Cathedral. The cathedral gave its name to the

, an inter-church agreement between a number of

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

denominations. The cathedral is reminiscent of similarly aged churches across Finland, such as the

Church of St. Lawrence, Vantaa The Church of St. Lawrence ( fi, Vantaan Pyhän Laurin kirkko; sv, Helsinge kyrka S:t Lars) is a church in Vantaa, Finland. Dating back to ca. 1450, it is the oldest building in Vantaa and all of Greater Helsinki. It is also the main church of t ...

, as they were designed by the same person, the anonymous German architect ''Pernajan mestari''. The Diocese of Borgå that unites the Swedish speaking lutheran congregations, resides here. The cathedral has burned down 5 times. The latest fire happened on 29 May 2006; the roof was totally destroyed but the interior is largely intact. A drunken youth had started a fire at the church, unaware of recent tar work and nearby tar containers, accidentally causing a large

. He was later sentenced to a short prison term and restitutions of 4.3 million euro. The red-coloured wooden storage buildings on the riverside are a proposed

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The Old Town is a significant source of tourism in the area. Visitors to the capital

can embark on day trips to visit the older city. The Old Town also hosts various events, such as an annual Christmas market.

Later developments

By the end of the 20th century, there was pressure to develop the essentially untouched western side of the river. There was concern that growth would necessitate the construction of a second bridge across the river into the town, thus putting further strain on the aging wooden town. An architectural competition was held in 1990, the winning entry of which proposed building the second bridge. Plans for the western side of the river have progressed under the direction of architect Tuomas Siitonen, and both a vehicle bridge and a pedestrian bridge have been built. The design for new housing is based on a typology derived from the old storehouses on the opposite side of the river. Yet another new development entails the construction of a large business park called King's Gate ( fi, Kuninkaanportti, sv, Kungsporten), which is under construction. The Porvoo railway station does not have a regular train service, but special museum trains from

Kerava Kerava (; sv, Kervo) is a town and municipality within the Uusimaa region of Finland. The municipalities of Vantaa, Sipoo and Tuusula are adjacent to Kerava, which is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The town has a population of () ...

(either with steam locomotives or former VR diesel railcars from the 1950s) operate on summer weekends. The new

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

called Runo Hotel was opened in the old town of Porvoo on May 31, 2021.

Subdivisions

Districts

Hornhattula, Joonaanmäki (Jonasbacken), Jernböle, Kaupunginhaka (Stadshagen), Keskusta (Centrum), Etelä-Kevätkumpu (Södra Vårberga), Pohjois-Kevätkumpu (Norra Vårberga), Myllymäki (Kvarnbacken), Näsi (Näse), Pappilanmäki (Prästgårdsbacken), Skaftkärr, Suistola, Vanha Porvoo (Gamla Borgå).

Suburbs

Hamari (Hammars), Aunela (Ånäs), Eestinmäki (Estbacka), Gammelbacka, Huhtinen (Huktis), Katajamäki (Ensbacka), Kevätkumpu (Vårberga), Kokonniemi (Uddas), Kuninkaanportti (Kungsporten), Pappilanpelto, Peippola (Pepot), Tarkkinen (Tarkis),

Tarmola Tarmola (; sv, Östermalm) is a district in Porvoo, Finland.

Suomenkylä

Suomenkylä ( sv, Finnby) is a village north of the centre of Porvoo and beside the Porvoo river. Suomenkylä has an old school founded by

Johannes Linnankoski Johannes Linnankoski (originally Vihtori Johan Peltonen, 18 October 1869 – 10 August 1913) was a Finland, Finnish author and playwright, which mainly influenced writing in the Golden Age of Finnish Art. His most famous work is the romance novel ...

in 1898. The village of Suomenkylä also has two burial places from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

Kerkkoo

Kerkkoo ( sv, Kerko) is a village north of the centre of Porvoo and beside the Porvoo river. It has an active school that is over 100 years old. In the village of Kerkkoo, archeologists and townspeople found a stone axe from the

Other

Ali-Vekkoski (Söderveckoski), Anttila (Andersböle), Baggböle, Bengtsby (Pentinkylä), Bjurböle, Boe (Häihä), Bosgård, Brattnäs, Eerola (Eriksdal), Eestinmäki (Estbacka), Emäsalo (Emsalö), Epoo (Ebbo), Fagersta, Gammelbacka, Grännäs, Gäddrag, Haikkoo (Haiko), Henttala, Hinthaara (Hindhår), Hommanäs, Huhtinen, Hummelsund, Ilola (Illby), Jakari (Jackarby), Järnböle, Kaarenkylä (Karsby), Kalax (Kaalahti), Kallola, Kardrag, Karleby (Kaarlenkylä), Kiiala (Kiala), Kilpilahti (Sköldvik), Klemetti (Klemetsby), Kortisbacka, Kreppelby, Kroksnäs, Kråkö, Kulloo (Kullo), Kurböle, Kuris, Londböle, Mickelsböle, Munkkala (Munkby), Mustijoki (Svartså), Myllykylä (Molnby), Norike, Nygård, Onas, Orrby (Orrenkylä), Pappilanmäki (Prästgårdsbacken), Peippola (Pepot),

Pellinki Pellinki ( Finnish) or Pellinge ( Swedish) is an island community in Finland made up of several small islands, the main ones linked by bridges. It is located 80 km east of the capital Helsinki, and 30 km south of the town of Porvoo ( sv, ...

(Pellinge), Piirlahti (Pirlax), Ramsholmen, Renum, Saksala (Saxby), Sannainen (Sannäs), Seitlahti (Seitlax), Sikilä (Siggböle), Skavarböle, Sondby, Stensböle, Sundö (Suni)), Svartbäck, Tamminiemi (Eknäs), Tarkkinen (Tarkis), Teissala (Teisala), Tolkkinen (Tolkis), Tirmo (Tirmoo), Treksilä (Drägsby), Tuorila (Torasbacka), Tyysteri (Tjusterby), Vaarlahti (Varlax), Vanhamoisio (Gammelgård), Veckjärvi (Vekjärvi), Virtaala (Strömsberg), Virvik, Voolahti (Vålax), Västermunkby, Ylike, Yli-Vekkoski (Norrveckoski), Åby, Åminsby.

Economy

In 2011, there were 20,312 jobs in Porvoo, distributed as follows: primary production 1.6 per cent, processing 32.5 per cent and services 64.7 per cent. In December 2012, the unemployment rate in Porvoo was 8.4 per cent, compared to an average of 10.7 per cent in the rest of the country. At that time, there were 3,389 business locations in the city. According to

Statistics Finland Statistics Finland ( fi, Tilastokeskus, sv, Statistikcentralen) is the national statistical institution in Finland, established in 1865 to serve as an information service and to provide statistics and expertise in the statistical sciences. The i ...

, more companies were established in Porvoo in 2009–2013 than closed down, and the number of companies has increased by about 140 each year. According to the Eastern Uusimaa Viability Survey, in 2013 there were a few large companies and a few medium-sized companies in the Porvoo region, but the majority (86 per cent) were companies with less than five employees. In 2014, the largest employers in Porvoo were

Neste Neste Oyj (international name: Neste Corporation; former names Neste Oil Corporation and Fortum Oil and Gas Oy) is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides engi ...

(2,000 jobs in Porvoo), Borealis Polymers (962),

Ensto Ensto is a Finnish international technology company and a family business, that designs and offers electrical solutions for electricity distribution networks, buildings, marine and electric traffic. Ensto manufactures for example solutions for ove ...

(430), Viessman Refrigeration Systems (414), Varuboden-Osla (300) and

Bilfinger Industrial Services Finland Bilfinger SE (previously named Bilfinger Berger AG) is a German company specialized in civil and industrial construction, engineering and services based in Mannheim, Germany. History Bilfinger dates back to 1880 when August Bernatz founded Be ...

(299). The Satakuntaliitto's Satamittari measures the competitiveness of Finnish regions annually. In 2012, the Porvoo region ranked number one. In 2013, there were 70 sub-regions involved, which were assessed using six factors:

labor productivity Workforce productivity is the amount of goods and services that a group of workers produce in a given amount of time. It is one of several types of productivity that economists measure. Workforce productivity, often referred to as labor product ...

employment rate The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development defines the employment rate as the employment-to-population ratio. This is a statistical ratio that measures the proportion of a country's working age population (statistics are often gi ...

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed enti ...

, level of

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, business dynamics and industrial dominance. The Porvoo region ranked fourth after

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

, Helsinki and

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population ...

. The region's labor productivity and industrial intensity were the highest in Finland, but the employment rate and level of education were also at the highest level.

Sports

The local team

Borgå Akilles Borgå Akilles ( fi, Porvoon Akilles), or more commonly just Akilles, is a Finnish sports club from the city of Porvoo. Akilles, named for Achilles in ancient Greek mythology, was founded in 1902 and is one of the oldest active football clubs in ...

plays the sport of

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

, in the highest division,

Bandyliiga The Bandyliiga (; 'Bandy League') is the top level of men's bandy in Finland. The league was founded in 1908 as the Jääpallon SM-sarja ('Bandy Finnish Championship Series') and the present name has been used since the 1991–92 season. Bandyl ...

, and has become Finnish champions twice. Sami Hyypiä, a former football player for

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

and the Finnish national team, originated from Porvoo. Lauri Happonen, better known as

Cyanide Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

, a retired

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by '' Defense of the Ancients'', a custom map for ''Warcraft III'', ...

professional player, is from Porvoo.

Culture

Food

A well-known Porvoo delicacy, a

Runeberg torte Runeberg torte ( fi, runebergintorttu; sv, Runebergstårta) is a Finnish torte flavored with almonds and arrack or rum and weighing about 100 grams. It usually has raspberry jam encircled by a ring of icing on top. The torte is named after the ...

, was developed by a local pastry master, and it is said that

J. L. Runeberg Johan Ludvig Runeberg (; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877) was a Finnish priest, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a national poet of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to (''Our Land'', ''Maamme'' in Fi ...

ate them for breakfast.

Fredrika Runeberg Fredrika Charlotta Runeberg (née Tengström; 2 September 1807, Jakobstad – 27 May 1879, Helsinki) was a Finnish (Finland-Swedish) novelist, journalist and the wife of Finland's national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. She was a pioneer of Finnis ...

, the wife of the

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...

also made tortes for her husband using the substances that happened to be found in the cupboards:

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

and

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

crumbs,

biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be s ...

crumbs, almonds, apple jam and sugar. In addition to Runeberg torte, the second parish dish in Porvoo was grilled herring with onion rings and dill in the 1980s.

's fish soup and nettle soup were chosen as the main dishes of the Porvoo countryside. Porvoo is also known for its local confectionery and ice cream factories, the most notable being the Brunberg Chocolate Factory and the Old Porvoo Ice Cream Factory ().

Transport

Porvoo is on the route of the European route E18, E18 road from

to Saint Petersburg, and the Porvoo Highway (part of the Finnish national road 7) along that route is one of the most important transport connections to Helsinki. Other important road connections are the Finnish Regional road 170 going via Sipoo to Helsinki, which continues from the East Helsinki area to the capital under the name Itäväylä, and the Finnish national road 55, main road 55 leading northwest, via Monninkylä of

, to the Mäntsälä municipality. It is currently the List of Finnish municipalities without scheduled railway services, largest Finnish municipality without scheduled railway services, since passenger rail services to Porvoo ended in 1981 and freight services in 1990, however proposals exist to link Porvoo to the rail network as part of a new rail line from Helsinki Central railway station, Helsinki to Kouvola railway station, Kouvola via a Lentorata, tunnel between Pasila railway station, Pasila and Helsinki Airport station, Helsinki Airport. There is no airport at all in Porvoo, but another airport in the Greater Helsinki region is planned for the Backas area, which would serve the traffic of Air cargo, cargo and small airlines. Finland's biggest port by total cargo tonnage is the Port of Kilpilahti (Sköldvik) located on the outskirts of Porvoo. In Porvoo River, on the eastern bank of the river right in the city center, there is a guest marina. In the village of Hamari, there is also an opportunity for visiting boats to anchor in the Breakwater (structure), breakwater. Also, the ferry connection favored by tourism runs between Helsinki and Porvoo on the MS J. L. Runeberg, MS ''J. L. Runeberg'' ferry.

Politics

Results of the 2015 Finnish parliamentary election in Porvoo: *Swedish People's Party: 27.3% *Social Democratic Party of Finland, Social Democratic Party: 16% *National Coalition Party: 15.4% *True Finns: 14.6% *Centre Party (Finland), Centre Party: 10.9% *Green League: 7.9% *Left Alliance (Finland), Left Alliance: 4.2% *Christian Democrats (Finland), Christian Democrats: 1.8% Distribution of the city council seats following the 2012 Finnish municipal elections: *Swedish People's Party: 16 *Social Democratic Party of Finland, Social Democratic Party: 12 *National Coalition Party: 9 *True Finns: 6 *Green League: 4 *Centre Party (Finland), Centre Party: 2 *Left Alliance (Finland), Left Alliance: 1 *Christian Democrats (Finland), Christian Democrats: 1

Notable people

Albert Edelfelt - Porvoonjoessa Uivia Poikia

*Remu Aaltonen (born 1948), a Finnish drummer and singer. *Carl Johan Adlercreutz (1757–1815), a Swedish (Finnish) general and statesman *Johan Bäckman (born 1971), a Finnish political activist and legal sociologist *Hjalmar Dahl (1891–1960), a Finnish-Swedish journalist, translator and author. *Albert Edelfelt (1854–1905), a Finland-Swedish painter with a his naturalistic, Realism (arts), Realist approach. *Siri von Essen (1850–1912) a Swedish-speaking Finnish noblewoman and actress. *Alva Forsius (1866-1935), social worker and midwife; established the town's first maternity home * Tua Forsström (born 1947) a Finland-Swedish writer who writes in Swedish. *Cyanide (gamer), Lauri Happonen (born 1993), stage name ''Cyanide (gamer), Cyanide'', former ''

'' world champion. *Klaus Härö (born 1971) a Finnish film director. *Saara Hopea (1925–1984) a Finnish designer of glassware and jewellery. *Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (1917–1992), head of the Romanov Dynasty *Gun Lanciai (1920-2013), a Swedish-Finnish sculptor. *Olof Palme (historian), Olof Palme (1884-1918), a Finnish-born Swedish historian and uncle of Olof Palme, PM of Sweden *Hanna Poulsen (born 1984), Miss Finland 2005 *Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877), a Finnish priest, lyric and epic, national poet. *Walter Runeberg (1838–1920) a Finnish neo-classical sculptor, son of poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg *Solveig von Schoultz (1907–1996), a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and teacher. *Olli Soinio (1948–2018), film director and screenwriter *Georg Magnus Sprengtporten (1740–1819), a Finland-Swedish politician. *Jacob Magnus Sprengtporten (1727–1786) a Swedish-Finnish army officer and politician, and half-brother of Georg Magnus Sprengtporten. *Torsten Stålhandske (1593–1644), Swedish officer in the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War. *Beda Stjernschantz (1867—1910), one of the first Finnish Symbolism (arts), symbolist painters *Seppo Telenius (born 1954), writer and historian *Ville Vallgren (1855–1940), a Finnish sculptor. *Osmo Antero Wiio (1928–2013), professor, politician, author of Wiio's laws of communication *Arvid Wittenberg (1606–1657), Swedish count, field marshal and Privy Council of Sweden, privy councillor. *Margaretha Zetterberg (1733–1803), a Finnish textile and handcrafts worker.

Sport

*Carl Aejemelaeus (1882–1935), a Finnish colonel, modern pentathlete and fencer. *Torvald Appelroth (1902–1984), fencer, competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics *Kjell Carlström (born 1976), a Finnish former road racing cyclist, * Sami Hyypiä (born 1973), former footballer with 589 club caps and captain of Finland national football team, Finland with 103 caps *Sami Laakkonen (born 1974),

player; scored when Finland national bandy team, Finland first won the World Championship. *Simo Lampinen (born 1943) a Finnish former rally driver, a former ''Flying Finn'' *Lauri Lehtinen (1908–1973) a Finnish long-distance runner, gold medallist at the controversial 5000 m race at the 1932 Summer Olympics *Adolf Lindfors (1879–1959), Finnish wrestling, wrestler, gold medallist at the 1920 Summer Olympics *Arthur Lindfors (1893–1977) a Finnish wrestler, twice silver medallist in the Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1920 Summer Olympics, 1920 & 1924 Summer Olympics

In media

In the 1967 British-American espionage film ''Billion Dollar Brain'', a small part of the plot takes place in Riga, the capital of Latvia, which is actually filmed in Porvoo. Also the 1997 American film ''The Jackal (1997 film), The Jackal'' features scenes depicting Russia, which are partly shot in Porvoo. In the 2021 Disney+ series ''Loki (TV series), Loki'', Porvoo is listed as a location to which a time reset device was sent.

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Porvoo is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with the following cities: * Dalvíkurbyggð, Iceland * Dinkelsbühl, Germany * Hamar Municipality, Hamar, Norway * Hancock, Michigan, United States * Gmina Kamień Pomorski, Kamień Pomorski, Poland * Lund Municipality, Lund, Sweden * Viborg Municipality, Viborg, Denmark * Viimsi Parish, Viimsi, Estonia * Viljandi, Estonia

References

External links

Porvoo – Borgå
– official city website
Visit Porvoo – The official Porvoo Region visitor website

Porvoo & Fiskars: idyllic & creative towns near Helsinki
– Visit Finland
King's Gate Business Park

– train service to/from Helsinki on summer Saturdays {{Authority control Porvoo, Cities and towns in Finland Grand Duchy of Finland Medieval Finnish towns Municipalities of Eastern Uusimaa