Toivakka 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 ...

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 Bo ...

. It is located in the

Central Finland Central Finland ( fi, Keski-Suomi; sv, Mellersta Finland) is a region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, North Savo, and South Savo. The cit ...

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 and t ...

, near

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city and municipality in Finland in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is located about 150 km north-east from Tampere, the third largest city in Finland; and about 270 km north from Helsinki, the capit ...

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

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The sower pictured in the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

of Toivakka refers to

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 peop ...

but also to hope for the future. The coat of arms was designed by

Gustaf von Numers Gustaf von Numers (31 July 1912 – 21 May 1978) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish civil servant and leading heraldic artist. Life Gustaf von Numers studied heraldry in the 1930s under Arvid Berghman and was considered one of the leading Fin ...

and was confirmed for use on April 23, 1957.

Geography

Neighbouring municipalities are

Hankasalmi Hankasalmi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Ha ...

, Joutsa,

Kangasniemi Kangasniemi is a municipality in the Southern Savonia region, Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Kangasniemi is located on the Finnish national road 13, nort ...

Laukaa Laukaa (; sv, Laukas) is a municipality of Finland. It is located next to Jyväskylä and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The ...

and Muurame. There are altogether 82 lakes in Toivakka. The biggest lakes are Päijänne, Maunonen and Palosenjärvi. The largest forest tree and the deepest inland water point in Finland are both located in Toivakka.

History

A farm named Toivakka has existed since 1540. Its name is derived from the Savonian surname ''Toivakainen''. It was a part of the village of Leppävesi in

, which was included in the

Rautalampi Rautalampi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Neig ...

parish after its establishment in 1561. Laukaa became an independent parish in 1628 and Toivakka remained a part of it until 1871, when it was transferred to

Jyväskylän maalaiskunta Jyväskylän maalaiskunta ( sv, Jyväskylä landskommun), 'The Rural Municipality of Jyväskylä' is a former municipality of Finland. Together with Korpilahti, Jyväskylän maalaiskunta was consolidated with Jyväskylä on 1 January 2009. It ...

, which was split off from Laukaa a few years earlier in 1868. Toivakka became a separate parish in 1909 and a municipality in 1910.

Twinnings

Kambja Parish Kambja Parish is a rural municipality in Tartu County, Estonia. Settlements ;Small boroughs: Kambja - Külitse - Räni - Tõrvandi - Ülenurme ;Villages: Aakaru - Ivaste - Kaatsi - Kammeri - Kavandu - Kodijärve - Kõrkküla - Kullaga ...

, Estonia

Gallery

File:Toivakka2.jpg, Toivakka school File:Toivakka - kirjasto.jpg, A library in Toivakka File:Houses in Toivakka.jpg, Houses in Toivakka

References

External links

Municipality of Toivakka
– Official website Populated places established in 1910 {{WesternFinland-geo-stub