Iisalmi
Encyclopedia
Iisalmi is a town and municipality of Finland
.
It is located in the province
of Eastern Finland
and is part of the Northern Savonia
region
. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of km2 of which km2 is water. The population density
is PD/km2. The municipality is unilingually Finnish
.
was under Swedish control. Sweden was at war with Imperial Russia. The area of Koljonvirta
in Iisalmi is remembered as one of the battlefields
in this war, especially because one of the greatest Swedish victories occurred there. However, Sweden
lost the actual war and had to surrender Finland to the Russian empire. Iisalmi gained its status as town in 1891.
, the last big independent beer brewery
in Finland (other big Finnish breweries have been bought by multinational companies), has its factory and headquarters in Iisalmi.
Genelec
, a firm making high-quality active speaker
s used in recording studios worldwide, has its factory and headquarters in Iisalmi.
Normet, engineers and manufactures underground mechanized equipment for underground hard rock mining and tunneling works in its factory and headquarters in Iisalmi.
Profile Vehicles Oy, makes ambulances and police cars.
Iisalmi has its own railway station
on the VR
network. The line between Iisalmi and Oulu was electrified in December 2006, replacing diesel haulage of trains.
20th-century composer Joonas Kokkonen
was born here, as were singer-songwriter Jaakko Teppo and jazz pianist and composer Jarmo Savolainen
.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
It is located in the province
Provinces of Finland
The state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
of Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia.- History :...
and is part of the Northern Savonia
Northern Savonia
Northern Savonia is a region in eastern Finland. Kuopio is the largest city in the region.- Historical provinces :For history, geography and culture see: Savonia- Municipalities :Northern Savonia includes 21 municipalities.Seven of them are cities....
region
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of km2 of which km2 is water. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is PD/km2. The municipality is unilingually Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
History
Iisalmi traces its roots back to the 17th century when the area of Iisalmi was formed with the local church in 1627. In the mid 18th century FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
was under Swedish control. Sweden was at war with Imperial Russia. The area of Koljonvirta
Battle of Koljonvirta
The Battle of Koljonvirta was fought between Swedish and Russian troops on October 27, 1808. After the main Swedish army had been defeated at the Battle of Oravais the army under Johan August Sandels in Savonia had to retreat in order not to be outflanked by the Russians...
in Iisalmi is remembered as one of the battlefields
Battle of Koljonvirta
The Battle of Koljonvirta was fought between Swedish and Russian troops on October 27, 1808. After the main Swedish army had been defeated at the Battle of Oravais the army under Johan August Sandels in Savonia had to retreat in order not to be outflanked by the Russians...
in this war, especially because one of the greatest Swedish victories occurred there. However, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
lost the actual war and had to surrender Finland to the Russian empire. Iisalmi gained its status as town in 1891.
Economy
OlviOlvi
Olvi is a Finnish brewery and soft drinks company founded in 1878. It currently holds 18.7% of Finland's market share in beverages, making it the largest Finnish-owned business in its sector. Its subsidiary, A. Le Coq, is the second largest beverage company in Estonia...
, the last big independent beer brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in Finland (other big Finnish breweries have been bought by multinational companies), has its factory and headquarters in Iisalmi.
Genelec
Genelec
Genelec, founded in 1978 by Ilpo Martikainen and based in Iisalmi, Finland, is a manufacturer of active loudspeaker systems especially for professional studio recording, mixing and mastering applications as well as in broadcast and movie production...
, a firm making high-quality active speaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s used in recording studios worldwide, has its factory and headquarters in Iisalmi.
Normet, engineers and manufactures underground mechanized equipment for underground hard rock mining and tunneling works in its factory and headquarters in Iisalmi.
Profile Vehicles Oy, makes ambulances and police cars.
Iisalmi has its own railway station
Iisalmi railway station
Iisalmi railway station is located in Iisalmi, Finland. The station is operated by VR.In December 2006 the electrification of the railway between Iisalmi and Oulu was completed.-External links:*...
on the VR
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
network. The line between Iisalmi and Oulu was electrified in December 2006, replacing diesel haulage of trains.
Music
Currently the most famous Iisalmi-based band is a humorous country-rock orchestra Halavatun Papat. A rough translation of the name is "Damn Grandfathers".20th-century composer Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen was a Finnish composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius; his opera The Last Temptations has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.-...
was born here, as were singer-songwriter Jaakko Teppo and jazz pianist and composer Jarmo Savolainen
Jarmo Savolainen
Jarmo Savolainen was a Finnish jazz pianist and composer. He was born in Iisalmi, Eastern Finland, and first studied classical piano...
.