Pellinge
Encyclopedia
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...
made up of several small islands, the main ones linked by bridges. It is located 80 km east of the capital Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, and 30 km south of the town of Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
/Borgå. It is administered as part of the municipality of Porvoo/Borgå.
Pellinge is accessible from the Finnish mainland via a small vehicle/pedestrian ferry from Tirmo. The ferry runs at 15-minutes intervals and is provided free, as such ferries are considered an integral part of the national road network.
Approximately 260 persons live on Pellinge. 95% of the population are Swedish-speakers. There is a school which teaches pupils in grades 1-4 of the Finnish education system (from grade 5, pupils must attend schools on the mainland). There is also a daycare centre for pre-school children. Both these institutions use the Swedish language as the medium for instruction.
Pellinge has its own graveyard and also a chapel dedicated to St. Olaf
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
. The community has several organisations that are well attended and participated. For instance, there is a voluntary fire brigade and two Martha unions (a Finnish women's society).
Traditional ways of life on Pellinge include fishing, boat building, forestry, axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
throwing and agriculture - although these have all declined significantly in recent times. Today many of the island's inhabitants commute to work to workplaces on the mainland.