Nousiainen (; sv, Nousis) 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 ...

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 ...

. It is located in the

Southwest Finland Southwest Finland, calqued as Finland Proper ( fi, Varsinais-Suomi ; sv, Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The reg ...

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 ...

, from

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''; ...

along Highway 8 ( E8). The Finnish-speaking 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 . There are two

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respecti ...

sites in Nousiainen: the

Kurjenrahka National Park Kurjenrahka National Park ( fi, Kurjenrahkan kansallispuisto, sv, Kurjenrahka nationalpark) is a national park in Southwest Finland. It was established in 1998 and covers . The area consists mainly of bog but also includes primeval forests, som ...

and the Rehtisuo Raised Bog.

History

Nousiainen was an "ancient parish" (a unit of social organization) before Swedish rule. Nousiainen was the first seat of the bishop of Finland until the early 13th century, when the seat was shifted to Koroinen, nowadays a part of

. It remained, however, a place of pilgrimage throughout the

Middle Ages 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 ...

. The coat of arms of Nousiainen depicts

Bishop Henry Saint Henry ( fi, Henrik; sv, Henrik; la, Henricus; died 20 January 1156.) was a medieval English clergyman. He came to Sweden with Cardinal Nicholas Breakspeare in 1153 and was most likely designated to be the new Archbishop of Uppsala, but t ...

and Lalli. Nousiainen was mentioned in 1232 as ''de Nousia'' and in 1234 as ''Nosis''. Its name is derived from a pre-Christian Finnish personal name ''Nousia'', still the name of some 10-20 men in 2022. Even after the bishopric was moved to Koroinen, Nousiainen was still an important pilgrimage site until the reformation, as it was thought that bishop Henry was buried there. The village of Nummi, the current administrative seat of the municipality, was mentioned in 1380 as ''Nummusby''. Court sessions for Nousiainen,

Masku Masku () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality, which is located about just north of Turku, has a population of () and covers an area of ...

and Santamala were held there at the time. By 1556, Nummi was the largest village in Nousiainen.

Economics

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

has always been Nousiainen's most significant industry. Significant employers also included Teleste Oyj's electronics factory, which, however, has already closed down in the municipality. In 2015, the municipality had 1,009 jobs; of these, 11% were in primary production (agriculture,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

and

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...

), 72% in services and 15% in processing. The companies that paid the most

corporate tax A corporate tax, also called corporation tax or company tax, is a direct tax imposed on the income or capital of corporations or analogous legal entities. Many countries impose such taxes at the national level, and a similar tax may be imposed a ...

in 2016 were FCR Finland, which operates in the

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...

industry, Mynämäen-Nousiaisten Osuuspankki and Maalausliike Helin.

Culture

Food

Sweetened potato casserole Sweetened potato casserole ( Finnish ''imelletty perunalaatikko'') is a traditional Finnish dish from Päijät-Häme, eaten elsewhere in Finland at Christmastime. It is prepared by letting puréed potatoes, mixed with wheat flour, stand at a temp ...

, or ''imelet perunloora'' in the local dialect, was named the traditional parish dish of Nousiainen in the 1980s.Jaakko Kolmonen: ''Kotomaamme ruoka-aitta: Suomen, Karjalan ja Petsamon pitäjäruoat'', p. 26. Helsinki: Patakolmonen Ky, 1988. (in Finnish)

Notable people

* Mikko Rantanen (born 1996), professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

player for the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (N ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL)

Gallery

References

External links

*
Municipality of Nousiainen
– Official website {{authority control Municipalities of Southwest Finland Populated places established in 1867