Kauhava is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It is part of the

Southern Ostrobothnia South Ostrobothnia ( ; ) is one of the 19 regions of Finland. It borders the regions of Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, and Satakunta. Among the Finnish regions, South Ostrobo ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, northwest of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

and by the main railway from Helsinki to

Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is . The popular

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

PowerPark PowerPark is a large scale karting and amusement park in Alahärmä, Finland. It is located along Finnish national road 19, Highway 19, north of Seinäjoki and east of Vaasa. The main karting track already resembles an F1 circuit and has previo ...

, is located in

Alahärmä Alahärmä is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated, together with Kortesjärvi and Ylihärmä, to Kauhava on 1 January 2009. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. T ...

, Kauhava.PowerPark - Official website in English
/ref> The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Geography

The surrounding country is flat and well suited to agriculture, alternating between fields and forests. The town probably takes its name from the small river which passes through it.

Climate

History

Kauhava was the home of the Finnish Training Air Wing from 1929 until the end of 2014. The surrounding municipalities of

Kortesjärvi Kortesjärvi is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated, together with Alahärmä and Ylihärmä, to Kauhava on 1 January 2009. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The m ...

and

Ylihärmä Ylihärmä is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated, together with Alahärmä and Kortesjärvi, to Kauhava on 1 January 2009. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The ...

were consolidated with Kauhava on 1 January 2009.

Knife making

A traditional industry in Kauhava is knife making, and many Finns recognize the name of this small town because of knives made there. At one time, as many as five different knife-making enterprises were underway in the town, but today there is only one – Iisakki Järvenpää Oy, which has been making knives in Kauhava since 1879. The puukko (one of the styles of Finnish knife) made in Kauhava are sometimes referred to as being in the Ostrobothnian style. Each June sees the Kauhava International Knife Festival, lasting a couple of days and including knife exhibitions, knife making and knife throwing.

Museums

As with many Finnish localities, there are museums in Kauhava (Kauhava-Seura). One in the center of town features both the knifemaking tradition as well as the local textiles. An out-of-place fishing lure is one interesting feature of this museum. Another museum on the outskirts of Kauhava features the 19th century home and farm of Iisakin Jussi. It provides a view of late 19th century life in Western Finland. The Iisakin Jussi House is not open during the winter months.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kauhava is twinned with: *

Rapla Rapla ( (the name ''Rappel'' was also used in other languages in the past) is a Populated places in Estonia, town in north-central Estonia'','' the capital of Rapla County and the centre of Rapla Parish. History The oldest records date back ...

, Estonia * Rygge, Norway * Skærbæk, Denmark *

Vimmerby Municipality Vimmerby Municipality () is a municipality in Kalmar County, south-eastern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Vimmerby. Stångån is a small river running through the municipality. The municipality was created by the local government ref ...

, Sweden *

Þorlákshöfn Þorlákshöfn (, ) is a town on the southern coast of Iceland in the Municipality of Ölfus. The town is named after Saint Thorlak who was a bishop at Skálholt. Its main importance is as a port as it has the only harbour on Iceland's southern c ...

, Iceland

Notable people

* Susanna Haapoja (1966–2009), politician * Jussi Pernaa (born 1983), professional ice hockey player *

Antti Tuuri Antti Elias Tuuri (born 1 October 1944, Kauhava, Southern Ostrobothnia) is a Finnish writer, known for his works dealing with Southern Ostrobothnia. The ''Äitini-suku''-series tells the stories of the Finns who immigrated to the United State ...

(born 1944), writer * Kyösti Virrankoski (born 1944), politician * Raimo Vistbacka (born 1945), politician

References

External links

Town of Kauhava
— Official website {{authority control Cities and towns in Finland Populated places established in 1867 1867 establishments in Finland