Saltvik is a

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' ...

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

, an autonomous territory of

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, ...

. The total area is 1 161,8 km², of which 150,7 km² is land, 4,7 km² lakes and 1006,4 km² sea. The archipelago north of Saltvik is perhaps the most beautiful one in Åland. Closest to land are the big islands Boxö, Sommarö, Flatö and Ryssö. Beyond, the horizon opens up and after passing Saggö it is more or less unbroken.

History

The municipality has a rich history. When Åland emerged from the sea about 8,000 BC, Saltvik was the first land to be seen. During the Viking ages, Kvarnbo used to be a central crown court- and place of merchandise. Today, people can visit the medieval church and at the court place see the memorial monument. The church St:a Maria is located by Kvarnboviken in the east of Saltvik. The red granite church is one of the oldest in Åland, and was once the main church in the province. The church has been rebuilt and extended several times. The oldest parts are from the late 13th century, but various reconstructions have been made from the 14th century until today. For example, the chalk drawings on the walls have first been painted, then covered and then uncovered again. Around and under the church, there are traces of houses from

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. This is not so strange, considering the church is located in the middle of the biggest grave field from

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

in Åland.

Håkan Skogsjö Lars Håkan Skogsjö (born 11 November 1958, in Mölndal, Sweden) is a Swedish-Ålandic journalist and author and a veteran in the Swedish genealogy movement. He lives since 1989 permanently in Mariehamn, Åland, an autonomous region of Finlan ...

has documented the permanently residing population of Saltvik from the 17th century to the present, covering the history of the municipality as a whole, its individual hamlets, down to each original

farmstead A farmstead refers to the buildings and service areas associated with a farm. It consists of a house belonging to a farm along with the surrounding buildings. The characteristics of a specific farmstead reflect the local landscape, which provides ...

and the families who lived there. A former Finnish government lands official claims a 17,800-square-meter (0.004 acre) plot on the island of Saltvik "had been handed over to Russia's Foreign Ministry in 2009, in accordance with a 1947 post-war peace treaty that saw German holdings in Finland transferred to the Soviet Union".

Business

About 50% of the people living in Saltvik work in the service industry or in the public sector. 15% work in transport and 14% in industry. Construction and farming/fishing employ, respectively, 10% and 7%. The head office and one factory of the Chips Group is located in the municipality. The company begun its operations in Saltvik in 1969 and was the first potato chip producer in Finland. Through acquisitions, new establishments and growth, the group has grown and is today the market leader within snacks in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The best-known brands are Taffel, OLW, KiMs and Oolannin. In 2005, the Norwegian industrial group Orkla ASA acquired all the shares in the Chips Group.

Points of interest

* Orrdalsklint, the highest point on Åland Islands *Saltvik Church, Medieval church built in the 1370s

Notable people

Pehr Henrik Nordgren Pehr Henrik Nordgren (19 January 1944 – 25 August 2008) was a Finnish composer. Life Pehr Henrik Nordgren was born in Saltvik, Åland, on 19 January 1944. received composition lessons starting from 1958 in Helsinki and studied musicology at t ...

, composer * Atos Wirtanen, journalist and member of parliament

References

External links

Municipality of Saltvik
– Official website Municipalities of Åland {{Åland-geo-stub