Vaasa
Encyclopedia
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland
. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden
and is named after the Royal House of Vasa
. Today, Vaasa has a population of (approximately 90,000 in the Vaasa sub-region), and is the regional capital of Ostrobothnia
.
The city is bilingual with of the population speaking Finnish
as their first language and speaking Swedish
. The city is an important centre for Finland-Swedish culture.
(Swedish) remains as the name of the surrounding mostly rural municipality, which since 1973 surrounds the city. The city was known as Wasa between 1606 and 1855, (Swedish) and (Finnish) between 1855 and 1917, (Swedish) and (Finnish) beginning from 1917, with the Finnish spelling of the name being the primary one from ca 1930 when Finnish speakers became the majority in the city.
The history of Korsholm
and also of Vaasa begins in the 14th century, when seafarers from the coastal region in central Sweden
disembarked at the present Old Vaasa, and the wasteland owners from Finland Proper
came to guard their land.
In the middle of the century, Saint Mary's Church was built, and in the 1370s the building of the fortress at Korsholm
, Crysseborgh, was undertaken, and served as an administrative centre of the Vasa County. King Charles IX of Sweden
founded the town of Mustasaari/Mussor on October 2, 1606, around the oldest harbour and trade point around the Korsholm church approximately seven kilometres to the southwest from the present city. In 1611, the town was chartered and renamed after the Royal House of Vasa
.
Thanks to the sea connections, ship building and trade, especially tar trade, Vaasa flourished in the 17th century and most of the inhabitants earned their living from it.
In 1683, the three-subject or 'trivial' school moved from Nykarleby
to Vaasa, and four years later a new schoolhouse was built in Vaasa. The first library
in Finland was founded in Vaasa in 1794. In 1793, Vaasa had 2,178 inhabitants, and in the year of the catastrophic town fire of 1852 the number had risen to 3,200.
, fought between Sweden
and Russia
in 1808–1809, Vaasa suffered more than any other city. In June 1808, Vaasa was occupied by the Russian forces, and some of the local officials pledged allegiance to the occupying force.
On June 25, 1808, the Swedish colonel Johan Bergenstråhle
was sent with 1,500 troops and four cannons to free Vaasa from the 1,700 Russian troops who were led by generalmajor Nikolay Demidov
. The Battle of Vaasa
started with the Swedish force disembarking north of Vaasa in Österhankmo and advancing all the way to the city where they attacked with 1,100 troops, as some had to be left behind to secure the flank. There was heavy fighting in the streets and in the end the Swedish forces were repelled and forced to retreat back the way they came.
Generalmajor Demidov suspected that the inhabitants of Vaasa had taken to arms and helped the Swedish forces, even though the provincial governor had confiscated all weapons that spring, and he took revenge by letting his men plunder the city for several days. During those days 17 civilians were killed, property was looted and destroyed, many were assaulted and several people were taken to the village of Salmi in Kuortane
where they had to endure the physical punishment called Running the gauntlet
. The massacre in Vaasa was exceptional during the Finnish war as the Russian forces had avoided that kind of cruelty that far. It was probably a result of the frustration the Russians felt because of intensive guerilla activity against them in the region.
On June 30, the Russian forces withdrew from Vaasa, and all officials that had pledged allegiance to Russia were discharged, and some were assaulted by locals. On September 13, the Russian forces returned and on the next day the decisive Battle of Oravais
, which was won by Russia, was fought some 50 kilometre further north. By winter 1808, the Russian forces had overrun all of Finland, and in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn (September 17, 1809) Sweden lost the whole eastern part of its realm. Vaasa would now become a part of the newly formed Grand Duchy of Finland
within the Russian Empire
.
The mainly wooden and densely built town was almost utterly destroyed in 1852. A fire started in a barn belonging to district court judge J.F. Aurén on the morning of August 3. At noon the whole town was ablaze and the fire lasted for many hours. By evening, most of the town had burned to the ground. Out of 379 buildings only 24 privately owned buildings had survived, among them the Falander–Wasastjerna patrician house (built in 1780–1781) which now houses the Old Vaasa Museum.
The Court of Appeal (built in 1775, nowadays the Church of Korsholm
), some Russian guard-houses along with a gunpowder storage and the buildings of the Vaasa provincial hospital (nowadays a psychiatric hospital) also survived the blaze. The ruins of the greystone church, the belfry, the town hall and the trivial school can still be found in their original places. Much of the archived material concerning Vaasa and its inhabitants was destroyed in the fire. According to popular belief, the fire got started when a careless visitor fell asleep in Aurén's barn and dropped his pipe in the dry hay.
, rose in 1862 about seven kilometres to the northwest from the old town. The town's coastal location offered good conditions for seafaring. The town plan was planned by Carl Axel Setterberg
in the Empire style. In the master plan the disastrous consequences of the fire were considered. Main streets in the new town were five broad avenues which divided the town into sections. Each block was divided by alleys.
The town was promptly renamed Vasa (Vaasa) after the Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown
in 1917.
, Vaasa was the capital of Finland from January 29 to May 3, 1918. As a consequence of the occupation of central places and arresting of politicians in Helsinki
the Senate decided to move the senators to Vaasa, where the White Guard
s that supported the Senate had a strong position and the contacts to the west were good.
The Senate of Finland
began its work in Vaasa on February 1, 1918, and it had four members. The Senate held its sessions in the Town Hall. To express its gratitude to the town the senate gave Vaasa the right to add the cross of freedom, independent Finland's oldest mark of honour designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela
, to its coat of arms
. The coat of arms is unusual not only in this respect, but also because of its non-standard shape and that decorations and a crown are included. Because of its role in the civil war, Vaasa became known as "The White City". A Statue of Freedom, depicting a victorious White soldier, was erected in the town square.
The language conditions in the city shifted in the 1930s, and the majority became Finnish. Therefore the primary name also changed from "Vasa" to "Vaasa", according to Finnish spelling.
, which is located in the neighbourhood of Palosaari. Palosaari is a peninsula near the center of Vaasa, connected to it by bridges. The other two universities are Åbo Akademi, headquartered in Turku
, and the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
, or Hanken, headquartered in Helsinki
. Unique to Vaasa is the Finland-Swedish teachers training school, part of Åbo Akademi. The University of Helsinki
also has a small unit, specialized in law studies, in the same premises as the University of Vaasa.
The city has two universities of applied sciences: Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (former Vaasa Polytechnic)
, located right next to the University of Vaasa, and Novia University of Applied Sciences
(former Swedish University of Applied Sciences).
), faculties of Åbo Akademi and Hanken, and two universities of applied sciences
in the town. Many workers commute from Korsholm
(Mustasaari), Laihia
, and other municipalities nearby.
Major employers, in order:
The film production company Future Film has its head office in Vaasa. Kotipizza
has its head office in the Vaskiluodon Satamaterminaali.
treaties or treaties of cooperation signed with the following ten cities:
Godfather TownTwin TownCooperation TreatySister City
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 received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
and is named after the Royal House of Vasa
House of Vasa
The House of Vasa was the Royal House of Sweden 1523-1654 and of Poland 1587-1668. It originated from a noble family in Uppland of which several members had high offices during the 15th century....
. Today, Vaasa has a population of (approximately 90,000 in the Vaasa sub-region), and is the regional capital of Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia (region)
Ostrobothnia is a region of Finland. It is located in Western Finland. It borders the regions Central Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta and is one of the four regions making up the historical province of Ostrobothnia....
.
The city is bilingual with of the population speaking 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...
as their first language and speaking Swedish
Finland-Swedish
Finland Swedish is a general term for the closely related cluster of dialects of Swedish spoken in Finland by Swedish-speaking Finns as their mother tongue...
. The city is an important centre for Finland-Swedish culture.
Name
Over the years, Vaasa has changed its name several times, due to alternative spellings, political decisions and language condition changes. At first it was called or after the village where it was founded in 1606, but just a few years later the name was changed to Wasa to honor the royal Swedish lineage. Mustasaari (Finnish) or KorsholmKorsholm
Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...
(Swedish) remains as the name of the surrounding mostly rural municipality, which since 1973 surrounds the city. The city was known as Wasa between 1606 and 1855, (Swedish) and (Finnish) between 1855 and 1917, (Swedish) and (Finnish) beginning from 1917, with the Finnish spelling of the name being the primary one from ca 1930 when Finnish speakers became the majority in the city.
Foundation
Korsholm
Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...
and also of Vaasa begins in the 14th century, when seafarers from the coastal region in central 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....
disembarked at the present Old Vaasa, and the wasteland owners from Finland Proper
Finland Proper
Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...
came to guard their land.
In the middle of the century, Saint Mary's Church was built, and in the 1370s the building of the fortress at Korsholm
Korsholm
Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...
, Crysseborgh, was undertaken, and served as an administrative centre of the Vasa County. King Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
founded the town of Mustasaari/Mussor on October 2, 1606, around the oldest harbour and trade point around the Korsholm church approximately seven kilometres to the southwest from the present city. In 1611, the town was chartered and renamed after the Royal House of Vasa
House of Vasa
The House of Vasa was the Royal House of Sweden 1523-1654 and of Poland 1587-1668. It originated from a noble family in Uppland of which several members had high offices during the 15th century....
.
Thanks to the sea connections, ship building and trade, especially tar trade, Vaasa flourished in the 17th century and most of the inhabitants earned their living from it.
In 1683, the three-subject or 'trivial' school moved from Nykarleby
Nykarleby
Nykarleby is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality is bilingual, with the majority speaking Swedish and the minority Finnish ....
to Vaasa, and four years later a new schoolhouse was built in Vaasa. The first library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
in Finland was founded in Vaasa in 1794. In 1793, Vaasa had 2,178 inhabitants, and in the year of the catastrophic town fire of 1852 the number had risen to 3,200.
Massacre of Vaasa
During the Finnish WarFinnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
, fought between 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....
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1808–1809, Vaasa suffered more than any other city. In June 1808, Vaasa was occupied by the Russian forces, and some of the local officials pledged allegiance to the occupying force.
On June 25, 1808, the Swedish colonel Johan Bergenstråhle
Johan Bergenstråhle
Johan Bergenstråhle was a Swedish military officer who participated in Russo-Swedish War , and the Finnish War. In June 1808 he was sent as a colonel of the Swedish Army, with 1,000 men and four cannon to Vasa in order to retake the city from the Russians...
was sent with 1,500 troops and four cannons to free Vaasa from the 1,700 Russian troops who were led by generalmajor Nikolay Demidov
Nikolay Demidov
Count Nikolai Nikitich Demidov was a Russian industrialist, collector and arts patron of the Demidov family.-Life:...
. The Battle of Vaasa
Battle of Vaasa
The Battle of Vasa was fought between Sweden and Russia during the Finnish War 1808-09.While the Swedish army was celebrating its victory at Nykarleby, another Swedish force, led by Johan Bergenstråhle, landed in Vaasa. Adlercreutz had forgot about this landing and didn't send any troops to help...
started with the Swedish force disembarking north of Vaasa in Österhankmo and advancing all the way to the city where they attacked with 1,100 troops, as some had to be left behind to secure the flank. There was heavy fighting in the streets and in the end the Swedish forces were repelled and forced to retreat back the way they came.
Generalmajor Demidov suspected that the inhabitants of Vaasa had taken to arms and helped the Swedish forces, even though the provincial governor had confiscated all weapons that spring, and he took revenge by letting his men plunder the city for several days. During those days 17 civilians were killed, property was looted and destroyed, many were assaulted and several people were taken to the village of Salmi in Kuortane
Kuortane
Kuortane is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
where they had to endure the physical punishment called Running the gauntlet
Running the gauntlet
Running the gauntlet is a form of physical punishment wherein a captive is compelled to run between two rows—a gauntlet—of soldiers who strike him as he passes.-Etymology:...
. The massacre in Vaasa was exceptional during the Finnish war as the Russian forces had avoided that kind of cruelty that far. It was probably a result of the frustration the Russians felt because of intensive guerilla activity against them in the region.
On June 30, the Russian forces withdrew from Vaasa, and all officials that had pledged allegiance to Russia were discharged, and some were assaulted by locals. On September 13, the Russian forces returned and on the next day the decisive Battle of Oravais
Battle of Oravais
The Battle of Oravais is sometimes regarded as the turning point of the Finnish War: the last chance for Sweden to turn the war to her advantage...
, which was won by Russia, was fought some 50 kilometre further north. By winter 1808, the Russian forces had overrun all of Finland, and in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn (September 17, 1809) Sweden lost the whole eastern part of its realm. Vaasa would now become a part of the newly formed Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
within the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Town fire
The Court of Appeal (built in 1775, nowadays the Church of Korsholm
Korsholm Church
Korsholm Church is a church building in the city of Vaasa, in the region of Österbotten in Finland.Originally the building was built for the Court of Appeal between 1776 and 1786, and designed by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz...
), some Russian guard-houses along with a gunpowder storage and the buildings of the Vaasa provincial hospital (nowadays a psychiatric hospital) also survived the blaze. The ruins of the greystone church, the belfry, the town hall and the trivial school can still be found in their original places. Much of the archived material concerning Vaasa and its inhabitants was destroyed in the fire. According to popular belief, the fire got started when a careless visitor fell asleep in Aurén's barn and dropped his pipe in the dry hay.
New town
The new town of Nikolaistad , after the late Tsar Nicholas INicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, rose in 1862 about seven kilometres to the northwest from the old town. The town's coastal location offered good conditions for seafaring. The town plan was planned by Carl Axel Setterberg
Carl Axel Setterberg
Carl Axel Setterberg was an architect from Bogsta parish in Södermanland, Sweden. He studied to become an architect at the Swedish Art Academy in Stockholm from 1834-1841. In May 1841, he got a job as building contractor in Gävleborg province, where he worked the following ten years...
in the Empire style. In the master plan the disastrous consequences of the fire were considered. Main streets in the new town were five broad avenues which divided the town into sections. Each block was divided by alleys.
The town was promptly renamed Vasa (Vaasa) after the Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
in 1917.
Site of Government
During the Finnish Civil WarFinnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
, Vaasa was the capital of Finland from January 29 to May 3, 1918. As a consequence of the occupation of central places and arresting of politicians in 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...
the Senate decided to move the senators to Vaasa, where the White Guard
White Guard (Finland)
The White Guard was a voluntary militia that emerged victorious over the socialist Red Guard as part of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918...
s that supported the Senate had a strong position and the contacts to the west were good.
The Senate of Finland
Senate of Finland
The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Republic of Finland from 1917 to 1918....
began its work in Vaasa on February 1, 1918, and it had four members. The Senate held its sessions in the Town Hall. To express its gratitude to the town the senate gave Vaasa the right to add the cross of freedom, independent Finland's oldest mark of honour designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic . His work was considered very important for the Finnish national identity...
, to its coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. The coat of arms is unusual not only in this respect, but also because of its non-standard shape and that decorations and a crown are included. Because of its role in the civil war, Vaasa became known as "The White City". A Statue of Freedom, depicting a victorious White soldier, was erected in the town square.
The language conditions in the city shifted in the 1930s, and the majority became Finnish. Therefore the primary name also changed from "Vasa" to "Vaasa", according to Finnish spelling.
University City
Vaasa has three universities. The largest one is the University of VaasaUniversity of Vaasa
The University of Vaasa is a multidisciplinary, business-oriented university in Vaasa, Finland. The campus of the university is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia adjacent to downtown Vaasa. The university has evolved from a school of economics founded in 1968 to a university consisting of three...
, which is located in the neighbourhood of Palosaari. Palosaari is a peninsula near the center of Vaasa, connected to it by bridges. The other two universities are Åbo Akademi, headquartered in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, and the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
The Hanken School of Economics is a Finnish business school.Hanken is a Swedish-language business school of university standing located in Helsinki and Vasa, Finland. Hanken is one of the oldest business schools in the Nordic countries...
, or Hanken, headquartered in 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...
. Unique to Vaasa is the Finland-Swedish teachers training school, part of Åbo Akademi. The University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
also has a small unit, specialized in law studies, in the same premises as the University of Vaasa.
The city has two universities of applied sciences: Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (former Vaasa Polytechnic)
Vaasa Ammattikorkeakoulu University of Applied Sciences
Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu VAMK, University of Applied Sciences is an international higher education institution educating Bachelors of Business Administration, Engineering, Hospitality Management and Social Services as well as Registered Nurses and Public Health Nurses in Finnish, Swedish and...
, located right next to the University of Vaasa, and Novia University of Applied Sciences
Novia University of Applied Sciences
The Novia University of Applied Sciences is an institution of higher professional education in Finland. It offers Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in Swedish in Vaasa, Turku, Helsinki, Espoo, Raasepori, Pietarsaari and Uusikaarlepyy.The university was formed on August 1, 2008, by the...
(former Swedish University of Applied Sciences).
Economy
Vaasa is generally speaking an industrial town, with several industrial parks. Industry comprises one-fourth of jobs. There is a university (University of VaasaUniversity of Vaasa
The University of Vaasa is a multidisciplinary, business-oriented university in Vaasa, Finland. The campus of the university is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia adjacent to downtown Vaasa. The university has evolved from a school of economics founded in 1968 to a university consisting of three...
), faculties of Åbo Akademi and Hanken, and two universities of applied sciences
Ammattikorkeakoulu
An ammattikorkeakoulu , abbreviated amk, is a Finnish institution of higher education.- Significance :...
in the town. Many workers commute from Korsholm
Korsholm
Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...
(Mustasaari), Laihia
Laihia
Laihia is a municipality of Finland, founded in 1576 through a separation from Isokyrö and Korsholm.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is a part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, and other municipalities nearby.
Major employers, in order:
- City of Vaasa
- ABBAsea Brown BoveriABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....
Strömberg – industrial and power electronics and automation equipment - Vaasa Central Hospital
- State institutions
- WärtsiläWärtsiläWärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
– diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s - VaconVaconVacon is a manufacturer of variable-speed AC drives, or frequency converters. AC drives can be used to control of the rotation speed of electric motors or to help generate power from renewable sources. Vacon has R&D and production units in Finland, the United States, China and Italy, and sales...
– frequency converters - KWH GroupKWH GroupKWH Group is one of Finland's leading companies in plastics, abrasives and logistics services. It is headquartered in Vaasa, Finland.From a modest start in the timber industry, by 1939 it was the biggest timber exporter in Finland, accounting for 26% of the country’s total lumber exports and some...
– plastics, abrasives and logisticsLogisticsLogistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
services - TeliaSoneraTeliaSoneraTeliaSonera AB is the dominant telephone company and mobile network operator in Sweden and Finland. The company has operations in other countries in Northern, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Spain, with a total of 150 million mobile customers...
– telephony - Vaasa Engineering
- Posti – mail
- Anvia (old Vaasa Area Telephone)
- KemiraKemiraKemira Oyj is a chemical industry group that consists of three main segments. Kemira is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland.Kemira’s main shareholder is Oras Invest Oy and its owners, members of the Paasikivi family. Its former main owner, the State of Finland, sold the largest part of its holding...
Chemicals
The film production company Future Film has its head office in Vaasa. Kotipizza
Kotipizza
Kotipizza Oyj is the largest pizza restaurant chain in the Nordic countries. Its head office is in the Vaskiluodon Satamaterminaali in Vaasa, Finland....
has its head office in the Vaskiluodon Satamaterminaali.
Notable people from Vaasa
- Olli Ahvenniemi – Basketball player
- Fanny ChurbergFanny ChurbergFanny Churberg was a Finnish painter and one of the great masters of her time.Her father, Matias Churberg, was a doctor from a family of farmers and her mother Maria was the daughter of the vicar in Liperi parish, Nils Johan Perander. Fanny was the third of seven children...
(1893–1944) – Painter - Annika Eklund – Singer
- Seppo EvwarayeSeppo EvwarayeSeppo Evwaraye is a retired Finnish NFL offensive guard first signed by Carolina Panthers as a free agent in 2006., and also played for Minnesota Vikings as an international practice squad member.-Career:...
– Professional American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player - Marika FingerroosMarika FingerroosMarika Fingerroos is a Finnish model who together with Martina Aitolehti form the singer duo Salarakkaat...
(born 1979) – Yellow press favourite - Rabbe GrönblomRabbe GrönblomRabbe Grönblom is a businessman from Vaasa, Finland. His first company—a pizzeria—was called Pizzeria No 1 and it was founded in 1976 in the center of Vaasa. Nowadays he is known as the "Pizza-emperor" , because he is the founder of a well known pizza franchise chain called Kotipizza...
– Businessman - Kai HahtoKai HahtoKai Hahto is a Finnish musician and drummer.-Career:Hahto starting playing drums using a handmade Kumu drumkit.Hahto was a member of the grindcore band Rotten Sound....
- Metal Drummer/drum teacher - Kenneth Haglund (*?) – author of computer programme YAWCYAWCYet Another Wersion of Citadel BBS is a variant of Dave's own version of Citadel that was developed to run under Linux. The project was started in 1994 By Kenneth Haglund a student from Vaasa in Finland...
- Jarl HemmerJarl HemmerJarl Robert Hemmer was a Finland-Swedish author from Vaasa, Finland where he was born into a wealthy family. His first collection of poems was called Rösterna and it was published in 1914. He made his breakthrough in 1922 with another collection of epic poetry called Rågens rike...
– Author - Edvin HevonkoskiEdvin HevonkoskiEdvin Hevonkoski was a Finnish sculptor and contemporary artist who lived his later years in Vaasa....
– Sculptor - Mikaela IngbergMikaela IngbergMikaela Johanna Emilia Ingberg is a female javelin thrower from Finland. Her personal best throw is 64.03 metres, achieved in September 2000 in Berlin. She was nicknamed "Mikke" during her career....
– Javelin thrower - Fritz JakobssonFritz JakobssonFritz Jakobsson is a painter living in Vaasa, Finland most known for his portraits. He started his career in 1967 and has since then had about 110 art exhibitions in Finland, Sweden, Germany and Italy. He has done over 2000 works of art, of which about 800 are portraits...
– Painter - Vesa 'Vesku' JokinenVesa 'Vesku' JokinenVesa 'Vesku' Jokinen is the lead singer in Finnish punkrock bands Klamydia, which hails from Vaasa on the Finnish west coast, and Kylähullut. He has released at least one solo album called Outo Kunnia...
– Musician - Mikael JungnerMikael JungnerMikael Jungner is the current party secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, a member of the Finnish parliament and a former managing director of the Finnish national broadcaster YLE. He grew up on the Finnish west coast in the city of Vaasa. He started a five-year term as Managing...
– MD of YleisradioYleisradioThe Finnish Broadcasting Company , abbreviated to YLE , is Finland's national broadcasting company, founded in 1926. YLE is a public-broadcasting organization which shares many of its characteristics with its British counterpart, the BBC, on which it was largely modelled... - Heli Koivula-Kruger – Athlete
- Susanna 'Suski' Korvala – Singer
- Björn KurténBjörn KurténBjörn Olof Lennartson Kurtén was a distinguished vertebrate paleontologist. He belonged to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. He was a professor in paleontology at the University of Helsinki from 1972 up to his death in 1988...
– Paleontologist, author - Joachim KurténJoachim KurténAnders Joachim Kurtén was born in Kokkola into the family of sea captain Henrik Kurtén. In 1841 the family moved to Vaasa where he finished his upper-secondary final examination at the age of 17. He went on to study at a business college in Turku after which he went to work as a clerk for...
– Businessman, politician - Toivo KuulaToivo KuulaToivo Timoteus Kuula was a Finnish conductor and composer. He was born in the city of Vaasa , when Finland still was a Grand Duchy under Russian rule. He is known as a colorful and passionate portrayer of Finnish nature and people...
– Composer - Artturi Leinonen – Newspaperman, politician, author
- August Alexander LevónAugust Alexander LevónAugust Alexander Levón was born in Raahe. The original name of his family was Leinonen. He came to Vaasa at the age of 19 and started to work at a pharmacy. He wanted to start his own pharmacy in the town but did not get the permission to do so...
– Industrialist, businessman - Nandor MikolaNandor MikolaNándor Mikola was a watercolor painter from Vaasa, Finland, but born in Budapest, Hungary....
– Painter - Jorma OjaharjuJorma OjaharjuJorma Ojaharju was an author from Vaasa, Finland. He had been described as a "boxer of rough prose" because of his background as a sailor and a boxer, but also because of his relaxed narrative...
– Author - Oskar OsalaOskar OsalaOskar Osala is a Finnish professional ice hockey Left Wing currently playing with the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Playing career:He started his career with Vaasa-based Sport...
– ice hockey player - Sari KrooksSari KrooksSari Krooks is a Finnish female ice hockey player. She played on the women's ice hockey team for Finland at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and won a bronze medal.- References :...
– ice hockey player - Pekka PuskaPekka PuskaPekka Puska is a Finnish professor and expert on public health and policy. Professor Puska has held the position of Director General of the National Institute for Health and Welfare , Finland, since the beginning of 2009...
– Doctor, expert on public health - Viljo RevellViljo RevellViljo Revell was a Finnish architect of the functionalist school. Internationally Revell is best known for designing the Toronto City Hall....
– Architect, works included Toronto City HallToronto City HallThe City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the home of the city's municipal government and one of its most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965...
in Canada. - Seppo SanaksenahoSeppo SanaksenahoSeppo Sanaksenaho was a Finnish politician who served as the Mayor of Vaasa from 1997 to 2001.Sanaksenaho was born in Oulu, Finland, in 1938. He earned an engineering degree from the Helsinki University of Technology, which now forms part of Aalto University...
- Mayor of Vaasa 1997-2001, Deputy Mayor from 1979-1996 - Carl Axel SetterbergCarl Axel SetterbergCarl Axel Setterberg was an architect from Bogsta parish in Södermanland, Sweden. He studied to become an architect at the Swedish Art Academy in Stockholm from 1834-1841. In May 1841, he got a job as building contractor in Gävleborg province, where he worked the following ten years...
– Architect, creator of the new Vaasa - Pekka StrangPekka StrangPekka Kristian Strang is an actor and the artistic director of Lilla Teatern in Helsinki since 2005. He grew up in Vaasa on the Finnish west coast. In 1997 he was admitted to the Theatre Academy of Finland and he graduated in 2001...
– Actor - Jacob Tegengren – Poet
- Frithjof Tikanoja – Businessman
- Jani ToivolaJani ToivolaJani Petteri Toivola is a Finnish actor and dancer. He studied in HB Acting Studio, New York in 1999–2002. He has performed in several dance works, television series and plays. Toivola is also openly gay. His father is Kenyan and mother Finnish.Toivola has been a veejay for the chart programme of...
– Actor, television host (Finnish Idols 2007Idols (Finland)Idols is a Finnish reality-television singing competition that airs on MTV3 . It debuted in the summer of 2003, and went on to become one of the most popular shows on Finnish television...
, The Voice TVThe Voice TVThe Voice TV is a network of music television channels that is owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media . In 2004 it started broadcasting from Finland with localized feeds for Denmark, Norway and Sweden . In Finland The Voice TV is broadcast only in digital...
) - Allu Tuppurainen – Actor, creator of RölliRölliRölli-peikko is a character from Finnish television portrayed by Allan "Allu" Tuppurainen. The character originally appeared in segments on the children's TV show Pikku Kakkonen on YLE's Channel 2...
- Jenny WilhelmsJenny WilhelmsJenny Wilhelms is a Finnish musician. She studied classical and folk music in many Nordic countries. She was the lead singer of the innovative folk band Gjallarhorn from 1994 to its disbandment in 2007...
– Musician - Carl Gustaf WolffCarl Gustaf WolffCarl Gustaf Wolff was a prominent Finnish shipowner and businessman during his time. He was born in either Noormarkku or Suomenlinna in Finland, when it still was a part of Sweden. His father Dietrich Wolff lead the military orchestra in Suomenlinna and later he became the conductor for the...
– Businessman - Mathilda WredeMathilda WredeMatilda Wrede is known in Finland as "Friend of the prisoners". She was an evangelist, a baroness, but she is most known for being a precursor in the rehabilitation of prisoners. Her father, Carl Gustaf Fabian Wrede, was the provincial governor of the Vasa province...
– "Friend of the inmates" - Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-KoskinenYrjö Sakari Yrjö-KoskinenBaron Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen was a freiherr, senator, professor, historian, politician and the chairman of the Finnish Party after Johan Vilhelm Snellman. He was a central figure in the fennoman movement...
(Georg Zacharias Forsman) – Politician, professor, fennomanFennomanThe Fennomans were the most important political movement in the 19th century Grand Principality of Finland. They succeeded the fennophile interests of the 18th and early 19th century.-History:... - Sari Haapaniemi – Painter
- Juha Tammenpää - Artist
- Jani LiimatainenJani LiimatainenJani Allan Kristian Liimatainen is the former guitar player and one of the founding members of the power metal band Sonata Arctica....
- Guitar player
Twin towns — Sister cities
, Vaasa has town twinningTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
treaties or treaties of cooperation signed with the following ten cities:
| City | State | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malmö Malmö Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County... |
 ScaniaScania Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the... |
 Sweden |
1940 |
| Umeå Umeå - Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport... |
 VästerbottenVästerbotten ', English exonym: West Bothnia, is a province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders Ångermanland, Lapland, Norrbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is famous for the cheese with the same name as the province.- Administration :... |
Sweden |
1940 |
| Harstad Harstad is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in... |
Troms Troms or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea... |
 Norway |
1949 |
| Helsingør |  Capital Region of Denmark |
 Denmark |
1949 |
| Pärnu Pärnu Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga... |
 Pärnu CountyPärnu County Pärnu County , or Pärnumaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south... |
 Estonia |
1956 |
| Schwerin Schwerin Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:... |
 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
 Germany |
1965 |
| Kiel Kiel Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the... |
 Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig... |
Germany |
1967 |
| Šumperk Šumperk Šumperk is a town and district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It is called "The Gate to Jeseníky mountains."- History :Šumperk was founded by German colonists in 1269. The German name Schönberg means "beautiful hill", and the name Šumperk is a Czech garbling of the original German... |
 Olomouc RegionOlomouc Region Olomouc Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia and in a small part of the historical region of Silesia . It is named for its capital Olomouc.-External links:* *... |
 Czech Republic |
1984 |
| Morogoro Morogoro Morogoro is a city with an urban population of 206,868 in the southern highlands of Tanzania, 190 km west of Dar es Salaam. It is the capital of the Morogoro Region... |
 Morogoro RegionMorogoro Region Morogoro Region is one of the regions of Tanzania. Its capital is Morogoro. It is bordered to the North by the Tanga Region, to the East by the Pwani and Lindi Regions, to the South by the Ruvuma Region and to the West by the Iringa and Dodoma Regions.... |
Tanzania |
1988 |
| Bellingham Bellingham, Washington Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia... |
 Washington |
 United States |
2009 |
Godfather TownTwin TownCooperation TreatySister City
External links
- Vaasa – Official website
- Vaasa – Official website
- Vasa – Official website
- Tourist's Vaasa
- Ostrobothnian Museum and Terranova Kvarken Nature Centre
- Vaasa Pages.com Vaasa history timeline, old maps and aerial photos, hundreds of photos, housing exhibition.
Maps
Media
- PohjalainenPohjalainenPohjalainen is a morning broadsheet newspaper published in Finland. It is based in Vaasa. Established in 1903, as of 2009 it has a circulation of 26,670 papers....
– local newspaper - Vasabladet – local newspaper
- Radio Vaasa – local radiostation
- Pohjanmaan Radio – Regional public service radio in Finnish (part of Radio Suomi)
- Radio Vega Österbotten – Regional public service radio in Swedish (part of Radio Vega)
- Vaasan Ylioppilaslehti – Monthly paper for the students at Vaasa University
- The Vaasa Centaur - International students e-zine
- Vaasalaisia.info – Local "townblog" and message-board.
Education
- University of Vaasa
- Åbo Akademi, Vasa
- Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
- Vaasa University of Applied Sciences
- Swedish Polytechnic
- University of Helsinki, Vaasa Unit of Legal Studies
- Western Finland Design Center MUOVA, University of Art and Design
- The Tritonia Academic Library
- Vaasa Consortium of Higher Education
- The Vaasa Region Sports Academy
- Vaasan Steinerkoulu – Vaasa Steiner School
Sports
- Vaasa Airsoft Association - The only registered airsoft association in the Vaasa region
- Airsoft-Vaasa – the largest Airsoft club in Vaasa
- VPS-Vaasa – the biggest football club in Vaasa
- Vasa IFK – football club
- FC Kiisto – football club
- FC Sport – football club
- Vaasan Sport – icehockey team
- Vaasan Salama – basketball club
- Vaasan Maila – Finnish baseball club
- Vaasan Diana-57 – archery club
- Vaasan keilailuliitto – bowling club
- High Sport – climbing club
- Vasa Idrottssällskap – athletics club
- Tennis-61 – tennis club
- Vaasa Saints – ultimateUltimate (sport)Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
club - Vaasa Golf – golf club
- Vaasan Urheiluautoilijat – motorsport club