Nokia () is a

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 ...

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 ...

on the banks of the

Nokianvirta Nokianvirta is a river of Finland. It flows from the lake Pyhäjärvi near Tampere to the lake Kulovesi, which is a part of a lake system from which the Kokemäki River begins its course towards the Gulf of Bothnia. Nokianvirta flows through ...

River (part of the

Kokemäki River Kokemäki (; sv, Kumo) is a town and municipality in the Satakunta Region of Finland. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Finland is constitutionally bi-lingual with a Swedis ...

) in the region of

Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa (; sv, Birkaland; la, Birkaria, link=no), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme an ...

, some west of

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 ...

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 distance to Tampere Airport from Nokia is using road connections when circling Lake Pyhäjärvi. Its neighboring municipalities are

Hämeenkyrö Hämeenkyrö (; sv, Tavastkyro) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, and is located from Tampere. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . ...

Pirkkala Pirkkala (; sv, Birkala) is a municipality of Finland. It is located some south-west from Tampere in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , which makes ...

Sastamala Sastamala () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Pirkanmaa region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water, making it the largest municipality in the Pirkanmaa region in terms of area ...

, Tampere,

Vesilahti Vesilahti ( sv, Vesilahti, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually F ...

and

Ylöjärvi Ylöjärvi () is a town and a municipality in the Pirkanmaa region, northwest of Tampere and north of the capital city Helsinki in Finland. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population densit ...

. As of it has a population of and it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the area; today, Nokia is the largest municipality of Finland by population, and the second largest municipality in Pirkanmaa after Tampere.

Etymology and heraldry

The origin of the name ''Nokia'' is obscure. In modern Finnish, ''noki'' means

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed ...

and ''nokia'' is its inflected plural, although this form of the word is rarely if ever used. The most common theory claims the name actually originates from the archaic Finnish word ''nois'' ( pl. ''nokia'') or ''nokinäätä'' ("soot marten"), meaning

sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaza ...

. After the sable was hunted to extinction in Finland, the word was applied to any dark-coated fur animal, such as the

marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

, which are found in the area to this day. The sable is enshrined on the Nokia coat of arms. However, later research has appeared to indicate that sables never inhabited Finland in the first place, and the name ''nois'' may actually refer to the

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...

. The coat of arms was designed by Gustaf von Numers and was confirmed on October 25, 1951.

History

The first literary reference to Nokia is in a 1505 document, which mentions two farms ''Stoora och Lilla Nokia'', Swedish for "Big and Little Nokia". The Nokia manor was formed out of these two farms. The area was a part of the

parish. Nokia was the setting of one of the largest battles in the Club War, a 1596 peasant uprising against feudal lords. The peasants, armed with clubs, took up residence in Nokia Manor and won several skirmishes against the feudal cavalry, but were decisively defeated by

Klaus Fleming Baron Klaus Eriksson Fleming ( sv, Clas Eriksson Fleming; 1535 in Pargas – 13 April 1597 in Pohja) was a Finnish-born member of the Swedish nobility and admiral, who played an important role in Finnish and Swedish history during the rise o ...

on 1–2 January 1597. Thousands of clubmen were slain and their leader

Jaakko Ilkka Jaakko Pentinpoika Ilkka (1550s, Ilmajoki – late January, 1597, Isokyrö) was a wealthy Ostrobothnian landowner and leader of the Cudgel War, a 16th-century Finnish peasant revolt against Swedish rule. Life Early years Ilkka's father, Pen ...

, who had fled, was captured a few weeks later and executed. The Club War was the last major peasant revolt in Finland, and it permanently consolidated the hold of the nation state. Much later, in the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

(1918), Nokia (along with neighboring Tampere) was a stronghold for the

Red Guards Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...

and saw some combat. In 1922, Suur-Pirkkala was split into Pohjois- and Etelä-Pirkkala (Northern and Southern). Nokia used to reach out to the current heart of Tampere, as the

Pispala Pispala is a city area 2.5 km from the centre of Tampere, Finland. It is located on the northern slope of Pispalanharju, the highest esker in Finland. Together with Pyynikki, Pispala is widely considered the most beautiful area of Tamper ...

area was part of Nokia (Pohjois-Pirkkala) until 1937. In 1938 Pohjois-Pirkkala was renamed to Nokia while Etelä-Pirkkala became simply Pirkkala. Two municipalities have been consolidated with Nokia:

Suoniemi Suoniemi may refer to: * Suoniemi, Finland, village and former municipality * Kalevi Suoniemi Kalevi Ensio Suoniemi (14 July 1931 – 17 June 2010) was a Finnish gymnast. He competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in all artistic gymnastics event ...

in 1973 and

Tottijärvi Tottijärvi is a village and a former municipality in Nokia, Finland. It is located by the lake Pyhäjärvi, about 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Tampere. The population of Tottijärvi is 717 (2008). History The history of Tottijärv ...

in 1976. Nokia was designated as a city in 1977.

Industrial history

The eponymous telecommunications giant

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...

was founded by

Fredrik Idestam Knut Fredrik Idestam (28 October 1838, Tyrväntö, Grand Duchy of Finland – 8 April 1916, Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland) was a Finnish mining engineer and businessman, best known as a founder of Nokia. In May 1865, Idestam obtained a permit ...

in 1865 as a

pulp mill A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber sources into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or ...

. The Finnish Rubber Works Ltd (''Suomen Gummitehdas Oy'') (founded 1898) set up a factory in Nokia in 1904. These two companies and the Cable Company Ltd (''Kaapelitehdas Oy'') amalgamated in 1967 forming Nokia Corporation. Different branches of this

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** ...

were split into several companies or sold off around 1990. The rubber works still operates in Nokia as

Nokian Tyres Nokian Tyres plc ( fi, Nokian Renkaat Oyj), headquartered in Nokia, Finland, produces tyres for cars, trucks, buses, and heavy-duty equipment. Known for its winter tyres, Nokian is the only tyre manufacturer in the world with its own permanen ...

and the paper mill as

Essity Essity AB is a global hygiene and health company, with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. The products portfolio contains one-use products such as tissue paper, baby diapers, feminine care (menstruation pads etc.), incontinence products, ...

. See

History of Nokia Nokia is a Finnish multinational corporation founded on 12 May 1865 as a single paper mill operation. Through the 19th century the company expanded, branching into several different products. In 1967, the Nokia corporation was formed. In the late 2 ...

for further details. The telecommunication company Nokia no longer has any operations in the city of Nokia. Despite the company having been founded in Nokia, the headquarters were moved to

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärv ...

, and the main factories are in Salo, both nearly 200 kilometres south of Nokia. The only current presence of the company in the city is the Nokia mansion, which is sometimes used for private parties for the company's executive staff. The city has repeatedly been asked to commemorate the company it gave birth to, but it has always declined, on the grounds that mobile phones were never produced there.

does have engineering and design facilities 15 kilometers away in nearby

Present

Today's Nokia is famous for its spa, factory shops, waterways, and events. Nokia also enjoys good road and air connections. The largest companies are

AGCO Power AGCO Power (previously AGCO Sisu Power and Sisu Diesel) is a Finnish company and a subsidiary of US-based AGCO Corporation. The company, situated in Linnavuori, Nokia, Finland, manufactures diesel engines for various applications, such as agricul ...

, Purso,

Patria Aviation Patria Plc ( fi, Patria Oyj, sv, Patria Abp) is a Finnish provider of defence, security and aviation life-cycle support services. Patria is owned 50.1% by the Finnish government and 49.9% by Norwegian defense group Kongsberg Defense & Aerospa ...

and

paper mill. From a religious perspective, Nokia is best known for the charismatic

Nokia Revival Nokia Revival (also known as Nokia Missio) is a charismatic Christian movement originating in Finland in the town of Nokia. The starting point of the movement was in 1991, when Markku Koivisto, the vicar of Nokia Lutheran Church, experienced a ...

which began in 1990. Nokia is also known for its own fast food cuisine, Kuuma koira. and as a home town of Nokian Brewery. Due to the closeness of Tampere studio facilities, Nokia has been also used as a filming location. For example,

Eric Sykes Eric Sykes (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012) was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor, and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading com ...

' The Big Freeze and Finnish TV production Korpelan Kujanjuoksu have been prominently filmed there.

Demographics

The following graph shows the population development of the town since 1964.

Notable natives and residents

Markku Aro Markku Aro (; born Markku Tuomas Puputti on 3 February 1950 in Mouhijärvi, Finland), is a Finnish singer who represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Ireland with the pop-duo . They appeared with the song " Tie uuteen päivä� ...

– singer *

Marko Asell Marko Asell (born 8 May 1970 in Ylöjärvi) is a Finnish wrestler and Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was also a politician and member of Finnish Parliament in 2007–2011. Olympics Asell competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics ...

– olympic wrestler * Kikka – pop singer *

Toivo Kärki Toivo Pietari Johannes Kärki (; 3 December 1915 – 30 April 1992) was a Finnish composer, musician, music producer and arranger. He is especially remembered for his collaboration with Reino Helismaa. Kärki composed approximately 1400 reco ...

– composer, musician, producer and arranger was born in Pirkkala, in an area which is now Nokia *

Jari Niemi Jari Niemi (born 2 February 1977 in Nokia) is a retired Finnish footballer. He has played for R.A.E.C. Mons, Standard Liège and K. Sint-Truidense V.V. in Belgium. In the Finnish Veikkausliiga Niemi has also played for TPV Tampere, FC Haka a ...

– football player * Kari Peitsamo – musician * Tapio Rautavaara – athlete, musician, actor was born in Pirkkala, in an area which is now Nokia *

Elsa Rautee Elsa Elina Rautee (February 7, 1897 Tottijärvi – February 15, 1987 Nokia) was a Finnish poet of the labor movement who wrote the lyrics in the 1930s to the song "Brother Sister (Veli Sisko)". The song is an anti-war song written after the ...

– poet *

Anssi Salmela Anssi Salmela (born 13 August 1984) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with EHC Biel of the National League (NL). Playing career Undrafted, Salmela's professional career started in the 2003–04 season with ...

– ice hockey player *

Sami Sandell Sami Sandell (born March 1, 1987) from Nokia, Finland is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for HC Davos of the National League (NL). He previously played for Ilves Tampere Ilves (; Finnish for "Lynx") is a F ...

– ice hockey player * Juuso Välimäki – ice hockey player *

Sami Välimäki Sami Välimäki (born 16 July 1998) is a Finnish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. On his 6th European Tour start he won the 2020 Oman Open. Amateur career During 2018 Välimäki was selected for the Europe team in the Bonalla ...

– professional golfer

Statistics

Distances to the other cities and towns

– *

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of ...

– *

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- ...

– * Rauma – *

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''; ...

– *

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 ...

– *

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

–

Twin towns – sister cities

Nokia is twinned with: *

Karlstad Municipality Karlstad Municipality (''Karlstads kommun'') is a municipality in Värmland County in west central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Karlstad. The present municipality was established in 1971 when the former City of Karlstad was amalga ...

, Sweden *

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

, Norway *

Horsens Municipality Horsens municipality is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Endelave, and covers an area of 524.21 km2. It has ...

, Denmark * Blönduós, Iceland

Gallery

File:Pyhäjärven_luusua.jpg, Lake Pyhäjärvi seen from Nokia File:Siuronkosken_pato.JPG, Siuronkoski dam File:Viholan_venesatama.JPG, Vihola

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or ...

File:Nokian_kirkko_2014_2.JPG, Nokia church File:Nokian_lukio.jpg,

Nokian lukio Nokian lukio (Nokia Senior High School) is a school located in the town of Nokia, Finland. There are about 415 students and 30 teachers. The principal of the school is Juha Sainio. The school was founded in Karelia, Ladoga Karelia in the year 191 ...

(high school) File:Murhasaaren_silta.jpg, Finnish national road 11

Notes

References

External links

Town of Nokia
– Official Website * {{authority control Cities and towns in Finland Populated places established in 1922