Sund 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' ...
of
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 ...
. It is an
autonomous territory
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, zone, entity, unit, region, subdivision, province, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree o ...
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, ...
, and one of the official 27
national landscapes of Finland
National landscapes of Finland were selected by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment (Finland), Ministry of the Environment in 1992 as a part of the 75th anniversary of the Independence of Finland. The 27 selected landscapes represent the specia ...
.
The municipality 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 municipality is
unilingually Swedish-speaking with around 88.41% of the residents of Sund speaking the
Swedish language
Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language from the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, spoken predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, making it the G ...
as their
mother tongue
A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...
. Only 4.40% of the residents of Sund speak the
Finnish language
Finnish (endonym: or ) is a Finnic languages, Finnic language of the Uralic languages, Uralic language family, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official langu ...
as their mother tongue. Sund is the third most Swedish-speaking municipality within Finland.
The old Medieval post route from
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
to
Turku
Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
, Finland passes through Sund.
History
Sund was not populated by humans until the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, however a permanent
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation
*Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money
*Settlement (litigatio ...
was only first established in the 5th century by the
Swedes
Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...
. It is suspected that there may have been a partial Finnish settlement due to the existence of a village called Finby.
The
Sund church
Sund Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Øygarden Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Klokkarvik on the island of Sotra. It is the church for the Sund parish which is part of the Vesthordl ...
was built by the end of the 13th century and the
Kastelholm Castle
Kastelholm Castle (, ) is a medieval castle built by the Swedes in the late 14th century. It is located near Road 2 in the municipality of Sund, Åland, Sund in Åland, Finland, about northeast of Mariehamn, overlooking a fjord near the village ...
was also built at the end of the 14th century on a small island and it became the
administrative centre
An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located.
In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...
of the
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 ...
region until losing importance in 1634 and later on in 1745 following country reforms and fire damage. King
John III of Sweden
John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...
kept his deposed brother
Eric XIV
Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He ...
in captivity in the Kastelholm castle in Autumn 1571. Sund is estimated to have had around 900 inhabitants in 1571 in accordance to the Silver Tax List of that same year.
Following the Russian victory in the
Finnish War of 1808-1809, the Russians began to build the
Bomarsund Fortress in Sund in 1832 in accordance with the orders of
Tsar Nicholas I
Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...
to strengthen the western border, however when the
Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
began the Fortress was only half-finished, the Bommarsund Fortress
surrendered to British forces, who demolished it. In the
Treaty of Paris, it was concluded that the Åland islands is not to be fortified.
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 Sund 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.
Economy
Tourism is one of the biggest lines of business in Sund. Agriculture is also popular, especially keeping livestock. Small businesses are also abundant and the biggest employers are the municipality and the local golf course.
Demographics
Population
Sund had a small population of around 1020 in 2020, however it lowered to 995 in 2023. Sund is a municipality with no
urban areas
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
. At the end of 2017, there were 1,031 inhabitants in Sund, of which 1,019 lived in sparsely populated areas and the residences of 12 were unknown. Sund has 28 villages within its municipality: Berg, Björby, Bomarsund , Brändbolstad, Domarböle, Finby, Gesterby, Gunnarsby, Hulta, Högbolstad, Jussböle, Kastelholm; Kulla, Lappböle, Lövvik, Mångstekta, Persby, Prästgården, Rosenberg, Sibby, Smedsböle, Strömbolstad, Sundby, Svensböle, Tosarby, Tranvik, Träsk and Vivasteby.
Politics
In the
2023 legislative elections, Sund voted as such:
*
Åland Centre
The Åland Centre () is an agrarian-centrist political party on the Åland
Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nati ...
- 29,8 %
*
Non-aligned Coalition
The Non-aligned Coalition () is a conservative political party on the Åland Islands. It was founded in 1987.
In 2013 it was announced that the party would merge with the Moderates. All of the party's parliament members joined the Moderates to f ...
- 24,4 %
*
Liberals for Åland
The Liberals for Åland () is a liberal political party on the Åland Islands. The party is an observer member of the Liberal International. The current party leader is Katrin Sjögren.
Elections
See also
* Liberalism
Liberalism is ...
- 22,5 %
*
Åland Social Democrats
The Åland Social Democrats () is a social-democratic political party on the Åland Islands. In the 2023 parliamentary election, the party won 12.82% of the popular vote and 4 out of 30 seats, a gain of one.
The current organisation was found ...
- 10,6 %
*
Moderate Coalition for Åland
The Moderate Coalition for Åland (, MS) is a liberal-conservative political party in Åland
Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of th ...
- 6,5 %
*
Sustainable Initiative
The Sustainable Initiative (, Hi) is a political party in Åland.
History
Sustainable Initiative was officially formed as a political party in June 2019 ahead of that year's elections. Prior, it had been an unregistered political movement.
In ...
- 4,3 %
*
Future of Åland
The Future of Åland () is a separatist political party on Åland. As a member of the European Free Alliance, the goal of the party is to make Åland an independent state
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in ...
- 1,9 %
Notable people
*
G. A. Wallin (1811–1852), explorer and
orientalist
Image gallery
File:Bomarsund Bridge Sund Finland.jpg, Bridge to Prästö in Sund municipality
File:Haraldsby, Åland.jpg, View from the bridge between Sund and Finström
File:Sund Church.jpg, Church of Sund parish
File:Bomarsund 4.JPG, Bomarsund, Åland
References
External links
Municipality of Sund– Official website
Map of Sund municipality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sund, Aland
Municipalities of Åland