Kuopio
Encyclopedia
Kuopio is a city and a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 located in the region of 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....

, Finland
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...

. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of km2, of which km2 is water and half forest. 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 only PD/km2, but the city's urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...

s are populated very densely (urban area: 1 617.6 /km²), nationally second only to 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...

 (urban area: 1,690.0/km²). The population of the entire Kuopio region is 119,472.

Name

There are several explanations behind the name Kuopio. The first is that in the 16th century, a certain influential person named Kauhanen in Tavinsalmi changed his name to Skopa and the people's pronunciation was Coopia and finally Cuopio. The second explanation is that it comes from the verb kuopia, meaning when, for example, a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

 paws the ground with its hoof
Hoof
A hoof , plural hooves or hoofs , is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, strengthened by a thick horny covering. The hoof consists of a hard or rubbery sole, and a hard wall formed by a thick nail rolled around the tip of the toe. The weight of the animal is normally borne by both the sole...

. A third theory is that it came from a certain Karelian
Karelian
Karelian refers to something from or related to the region of Karelia, in present-day Russia and FInland*Karelians*Karelian language*Karelian foods* Karelian pasties* Karelian hot pot* Karelian Birch, a cultivar of Betula pendula...

 man's name Prokopij, from Ruokolahti
Ruokolahti
Ruokolahti is a municipality of Finland, situated in south-eastern Finland, in the region of South Karelia. Neighbouring municipalities are Imatra, Lappeenranta, Taipalsaari, Puumala, Sulkava, Punkaharju, Parikkala and Rautjärvi...

 in the Middle Ages. This is the most probable explanation, supported by the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland
Research Institute for the Languages of Finland
The Research Institute for the Languages of Finland is a governmental linguistic research institute of Finland geared at studies of Finnish, Swedish , the Sami languages, Romani language, and the Finnish Sign Language....

.

History

Kuopio was founded in 1653 by Governor Peter Brahe, but the official date is recognized as November 17, 1775, when King Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....

 ordered the establishment of the city of Kuopio. The municipality of Karttula
Karttula
Karttula is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the city of Kuopio on January 1, 2011.The municipality was located in the Northern Savonia region. It had a population of 3,483 and covered a land area of . The population density was .The municipality was unilingually...

 joined the city of Kuopio in 2011, like did Vehmersalmi
Vehmersalmi
Vehmersalmi is a former municipality of Finland. It is a part of the city Kuopio since January 1, 2005.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality had a population of 2,053 and covered an area of 550.59 km² of which...

 in 2005, Riistavesi
Riistavesi
-References:* *...

 in 1973 and Kuopion maalaiskunta in 1969.

Geography

The city is surrounded by lake Kallavesi
Kallavesi
Kallavesi is a lake in Northern Savonia, eastern Finland located around the town of Kuopio. Combined with the lakes Suvasvesi, Juurusvesi, Muuruvesi, Melavesi, and Riistavesi Kallavesi forms an lake system named Iso-Kalla....

, and several parts of it are built on islands. Kuopio's ample waterfronts and islands are also utilized in the Saaristokaupunki (lit. Archipelago city) -project, the biggest residential area currently being built in Finland. Saaristokaupunki will accommodate a total of 14,000 inhabitants in 2015. All houses will be situated no more than 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) from the nearest lakeshore.

Transport

The city has a nationally unique feature in its street network, where every second street is practically a pedestrian and cycle street, so called "rännikatu" (lit. rain gutter
Rain gutter
A rain gutter is a narrow channel, or trough, forming the component of a roof system which collects and diverts rainwater shed by the roof....

 street
). These streets provide pedestrians a calm environment aside from the main street traffic. This setup dates back all the way to 1776 and the first town plan by Pehr Kjellman. Originally rännikatu, gränd
Alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting...

 (in Swedish) were created as a fire barrier to prevent a possible fire escalating in a city mostly built with wood.

Transport connections to Kuopio include Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...

 trains and air service from Kuopio Airport
Kuopio Airport
Kuopio Airport is an airport in Siilinjärvi, Finland, about north of Kuopio city centre.It is currently the seventh busiest airport in Finland , as measured by the number of passengers...

 with Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...

, Blue1 and Finncomm
Finncomm Airlines
Finnish Commuter Airlines Oy operating as Flybe Nordic, trading as Finncomm Airlines, was a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Seinäjoki Airport in Ilmajoki, Finland, near Seinäjoki. The carrier operates flights to Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden and 16...

 (domestic, to Helsinki-Vantaa
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...

), and airBaltic
AirBaltic
A/S Air Baltic Corporation, operating as AirBaltic and styled as airBaltic, is the Latvian flag carrier airline and a low-cost carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality, near the capital, Riga...

 (international, to Riga
Riga International Airport
-Cargo airlines:*DHL Express*Inversija*RAF-Avia*Sprintair*TNT NV*Transavibaltika*UPS-Traffic statistics:Riga International Airport is one of three notable airports in Latvia. The other two are Liepāja International Airport and Ventspils Airport. Riga International Airport's biggest air carrier is...

).

Education and business

>
Higher Education in Kuopio
University Students
University of Eastern Finland
University of Eastern Finland
The University of Eastern Finland is a university in Finland with three campuses in Joensuu, Kuopio, and Savonlinna. It was formed in 2010 by a merger of two previously independent universities.- History :...

6 229
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Savonia University of Applied Sciences is a local municipality-owned Finnish institution of higher education based in the cities of Kuopio, Iisalmi and Varkaus....

5 000
HUMAK University of Applied Sciences ~150
Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...

~100

Kuopio has always been a city of education. Some of the first schools offering education in 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...

 (such as the School for the Blind in 1871, and the Trade School in 1887) were established in Kuopio. Currently the most important institutions are the University of Eastern Finland
University of Eastern Finland
The University of Eastern Finland is a university in Finland with three campuses in Joensuu, Kuopio, and Savonlinna. It was formed in 2010 by a merger of two previously independent universities.- History :...

, the Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Savonia University of Applied Sciences is a local municipality-owned Finnish institution of higher education based in the cities of Kuopio, Iisalmi and Varkaus....

, Vocational College of Northern Savonia and the Kuopio department of the Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...

.

Kuopio is known as a strong center of health (e.g. it has the biggest yearly enrollment rate of medical students in Finland), pharmacy, environment, food & nutrition (all legalized Clinical and Public Health Nutritionists in Finland graduate from the University of Eastern Finland), safety (education in Emergency Services is centered in Kuopio) and welfare professions, as the major organisations University of Kuopio, Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Technopolis Kuopio
Technology Centre Teknia (Kuopio Science Park)
Kuopio Science Park is a university related research park located in Kuopio, Finland. The name is not as such used in marketing purposes.Technology Centre Teknia Ltd. , which is the central enterprise service organisation, is used as the marketing brand of the whole area - hence the lack of logo...

 are particularly oriented to those areas.
There are about 4,200 enterprises in Kuopio, of which approximately 180 are export companies. These provide about 45,000 jobs.

People and culture

Kuopio is known as the cultural center of Eastern Finland. A wide range of musical (from kindergarten to doctorate-level studies) and dance education is available and the cultural life is active. Notable events include ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival, Kuopio Dance Festival, Kuopio Rockcock, Kuopio Wine Festival and Finland Ice Marathon. A notable place, however, to enjoy the local flavor of Kuopio life and food is Sampo, a fish restaurant loved by locals and tourists as well.

Kuopio is known for its association with a national delicacy, Finnish fish pastry (Kalakukko
Kalakukko
Kalakukko is a traditional food from the Finnish region of Savonia made from fish baked inside a loaf of bread. The Cornish pasty from Cornwall has the same basic idea of complete packed lunch. Kalakukko is very polular food in Savonia head city Kuopio. There is even Finland "Kalakukko" competition...

), and the dialect of Savo, as well as the hill of Puijo
Puijo
Puijo is a 150 metres high hill, the famous landmark of city of Kuopio in Finland and a tourist attraction.-Puijo Ridge:The ridge of Puijo is a well-known and popular recreation area. A 75 metres high observation tower, Puijo tower is atop the hill, near the city centre of Kuopio. The tower affords...

 and the Puijo tower
Puijo tower
The Puijo tower is a 75 metre high observation tower in Kuopio, Eastern Finland. The tower has a revolving restaurant with 100 seats, which has worked flawlessly since its opening in 1963. It was the first tower with a revolving restaurant in the Nordic countries...

. Besides being a very popular outdoor recreation area, Puijo serves also as a stage for a yearly World Cup ski jumping
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...

 competition.

In Finland the inhabitants of Kuopio have a special reputation: they are known as jovial and verbally joking. Within the Savo culture, the onus
Onus
Onus, from Latin, indicates accountability/responsibilityOnus may also refer to:* Blame* Burden * Burden of proof...

 is placed on the listener to interpret the story. People of Kuopio region and Eastern Finland have always had many health problems and the mortality has been higher than on an average in Finland. Because of this, Eastern Finland has been a sweetspot for Public Health studies. The North Karelia Project by the University of Kuopio in coordination with the National Public Health Institute and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

, beginning in the 1970s was one of its first steps towards world class research.

During the 2000s, Kuopio has placed very well in a number image, popularity and city-attractiveness surveys. In 2007 it was placed third, behind Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...

 and Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....

.

Religion

The largest church of Finland, Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....

 has a diocese in Kuopio
Diocese of Kuopio
The Diocese of Kuopio is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It was founded in 1939.-Bishops of Kuopio:*Eino Sormunen 1939–1962*Olavi Kares 1962–1974*Paavo Kortekangas 1974–1981*Jukka Malmivaara 1981–1984*Matti Sihvonen 1984–1996...

, which is shepherded by bishop Wille Riekkinen.

Kuopio is home of the Finnish Orthodox Church
Finnish Orthodox Church
The Finnish Orthodox Church is an autonomous Orthodox archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Church has a legal position as a national church in the country, along with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland....

 where its primate, archbishop of Karelia and all Finland Leo (Makkonen)
Leo (Makkonen) of Finland
Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland, head of the Finnish Orthodox Church, was born in Pielavesi in eastern Finland on June 4, 1948. After completing studies in 1972 at the Kuopio seminary, he was ordained deacon on 20 July 1973 and priest two days later.He was consecrated Bishop of Joensuu...

 is seated. This is an autonomous cell within the autocephalous jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is the only mainstream Orthodox faction to celebrate Easter on the Latin date. The late Archbishop Paul had been successful in producing literature of popular theology.

The town is also home to the first Burmese Buddhist monastery in Finland, named the Buddha Dhamma Ramsi monastery.

Climate

Notable persons

  • Juhani Aho
    Juhani Aho
    Juhani Aho, originally Johannes Brofeldt, was a Finnish author and journalist.Aho's literary output is wide-ranging since he pursued different styles as time passed....

  • Martti Ahtisaari
    Martti Ahtisaari
    Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari is a Finnish politician, the tenth President of Finland , Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United Nations diplomat and mediator, noted for his international peace work....

  • Atso Almila
    Atso Almila
    Atso Almila is a Finnish orchestral conductor, musical director, composer, trombonist and teacher.He has worked with most Finnish orchestras as a guest conductor or otherwise. Though he primarily operates in Finland he also works heavily in Sweden and Estonia...

  • Minna Canth
    Minna Canth
    Minna Canth was a Finnish writer and social activist. Canth began to write while managing her family draper's shop and living as a widow raising seven children...

  • Pekka Halonen
    Pekka Halonen
    Pekka Halonen was a painter of Finnish landscapes and people. He lived with his family in a home and studio on Lake Tuusula in Järvenpää, Finland that he, himself, designed and named Halosenniemi. The beautiful and serene building is now a museum that includes original furnishings and Halonen’s...

  • Matti Hautamäki
    Matti Hautamäki
    Matti Antero Hautamäki is a Finnish ski jumper.-Biography:Matti made his first ski-jumping attempts at the age of seven near his home town of Oulu. When his older brother Jussi and his friend Lauri Hakola moved to Kuopio, Matti followed them...

  • Marco Hietala
    Marco Hietala
    Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a heavy metal vocalist and bassist. Internationally, he is most known as the current bassist, male vocalist and composer, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish...

  • Zachary Hietala
    Zachary Hietala
    Sakari "Zachary" Hietala is guitarist, co-songwriter and founding member of Finnish heavy metal band Tarot in early 80's, together with his younger brother Marco Hietala, who joined Nightwish in 2001...

  • Janne Tolsa
    Janne Tolsa
    Janne Tolsa is a Finnish heavy metal musician. Known for his keyboard work in Tarot from the late 1980s, Tolsa also takes part in the melodic death metal band Eternal Tears of Sorrow, which he joined in 2005 for their album Before the Bleeding Sun, as well as the industrial metal band Turmion...

  • Olli Jokinen
    Olli Jokinen
    Olli Jokinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was initially drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1997, third overall after Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. He was the captain of the Florida Panthers from 2003...

  • Sami Kapanen
    Sami Kapanen
    Sami Hannu Antero Kapanen is a Finnish professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for KalPa of the SM-liiga. He has played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers...

  • Mika Kojonkoski
    Mika Kojonkoski
    Mika Kojonkoski is a Finnish ski jumping coach and politician. Kojonkoski was a ski jumper himself in the 1980s, but he never reached the level of the best Finnish jumpers like Matti Nykänen...

  • H. Olliver Twisted
    H. Olliver Twisted
    Olli Herman Kosunen is a Finnish singer who was the former frontman to the Swedish glam metal band Crashdïet. Twisted is currently a member of the Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love.-Career:...

  • Hannes Kolehmainen
    Hannes Kolehmainen
    Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner. He is considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish long distance runners, often named the "Flying Finns". Kolehmainen competed for a number of years in the United States, wearing the Winged Fist of the Irish...

  • Lasse Lehtinen
    Lasse Lehtinen
    Lasse Lehtinen is a Finnish politician, former Member of the Finnish Parliament and former Member of the European Parliament...

  • Paavo Lipponen
    Paavo Lipponen
    Paavo Tapio Lipponen is a Finnish politician and former reporter. He was Prime Minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003, and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 1993 to 2005...

  • Archbishop Leo
  • Pertti "Spede" Pasanen
    Spede Pasanen
    Pertti Olavi "Spede" Pasanen was a Finnish film director and producer, comedian, humorist, inventor, TV personality and practitioner of gags....

  • Aarno Ruusuvuori
    Aarno Ruusuvuori
    Aarno Emil Ruusuvuori was a Finnish architect, professor and director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture...

  • Aulis Rytkönen
    Aulis Rytkönen
    Taavi Aulis Rytkönen is a Finnish football legend. He became the country's first professional player when he signed for France's Toulouse FC in 1952....

  • Tuomo Saikkonen
  • Johan Vilhelm Snellman
    Johan Vilhelm Snellman
    Johan Vilhelm Snellman was an influential Fennoman philosopher and Finnish statesman, ennobled in 1866.Snellman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, as son of Kristian Henrik Snellman, a ship's captain...

  • Kimmo Timonen
    Kimmo Timonen
    Kimmo Timonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenseman and an alternate captain for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

  • Jenni Vartiainen
    Jenni Vartiainen
    Jenni Mari Vartiainen is a Finnish pop singer. Before her professional musical endeavours, she was a figure skater in her teen-age years and attended the Kuopio Senior High of Music and Dance...

  • Brothers von Wright: Magnus
    Magnus von Wright
    Magnus von Wright was a Finnish painter and ornithologist.Born into a wealthy family in Kuopio, von Wright went to school in Turku and afterwards studied art in Stockholm under C. J. Fahlgranz and J. F. Julin...

    , Wilhelm and Ferdinand
    Ferdinand von Wright
    Ferdinand von Wright was a Finnish painter. He is known especially for his paintings of birds and landscapes, but was also a portrait painter....



  • Sports in Kuopio

    Kuopio bid for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics
    2012 Winter Youth Olympics
    The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games , will be an international multi-sport event for youths that will take place in Innsbruck from 13 to 22 January 2012. They will become the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics, a major sports and cultural festival...

    , a youth sports festival in the tradition of the Olympics. It became a finalist in November 2008, but ultimately lost to Innsbruck, Austria. Kuopio's image as a small city with a large University and many active young people was considered a model of what the International Olympic Committee
    International Olympic Committee
    The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

     seeks for the Games.
    • KalPa
      KalPa
      The Kalevan Pallo is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu.-Team history:Established in 1929, the full name of the company that runs the representative team is KalPa Hockey Oy. The majority of the company is owned by NHL players Sami Kapanen and...

       (ice hockey
      Ice hockey
      Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

      )
    • KuPS
      KuPS
      Kuopion Palloseura is a Finnish football club, based in the 8th most populated city of Finland, Kuopio. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga. The team plays its home matches at Kuopion keskuskenttä...

       (football
      Football (soccer)
      Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

      )
    • Kuopion Taitoluistelijat (Figure Skating
      Figure skating
      Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

      )
    • Puijon Hiihtoseura (skiing
      Skiing
      Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

      , ski jumping
      Ski jumping
      Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...

      , nordic combined
      Nordic combined
      The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...

      , biathlon
      Biathlon
      Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...

      )
    • Puijon Pesis (pesäpallo
      Pesäpallo
      Pesäpallo is a fast-moving ball sport that is quite often referred to as the national sport of Finland and has some presence in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Northern Ontario in Canada...

      )
    • Kuopion Reippaan voimistelijat
      Kuopion Reippaan voimistelijat
      Kuopion Reippaan Voimistelijat is a sports club in Kuopio, Finland. It was constituted in 1906 as Kuopion Reipas Ry. It is the only existing sports union that still bears the name Kuopion Reipas, but it has had a difficult time connecting to the origins of its roots.The club was created when...

       (gymnastics
      Gymnastics
      Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...

      )
    • Finland Ice Marathon (ice skating
      Ice skating
      Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...

       event)
    • Kuopio Steelers (american football
      American football
      American 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...

      )

    Twin towns — Sister cities

    Kuopio is twinned
    Town 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 :...

     with:
    Győr
    Gyor
    -Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...

    , Hungary
    Hungary
    Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

     Minneapolis
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

    , Minnesota
    Minnesota
    Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

     USA
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

     Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

     Trabzon
    Trabzon
    Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...

    , Turkey
    Turkey
    Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

     Jönköping
    Jönköping
    -Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...

    , 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....

    Svendborg
    Svendborg
    Svendborg is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark. The town is in Svendborg municipality . Svendborg is the second-largest city on Funen and has a population of 27,009 ....

    , Denmark
    Denmark
    Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

     Pitkyaranta
    Pitkyaranta
    Pitkyaranta is a town and the administrative center of Pitkyarantsky District in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the northeastern coast of Lake Ladoga. Population: Telephone code is 81433.The town was founded in the 19th century....

    , 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...

     Pskov
    Pskov
    Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...

    , 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...

     Castrop-Rauxel
    Castrop-Rauxel
    -Geography:Castrop-Rauxel is between Dortmund to the east, Bochum , Herne , and to the north, Recklinghausen, Datteln and Waltrop.- Urban Area :The urban area of Castrop-Rauxel has an total expanse of...

    , Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

     Bodø
    Bodø
    is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...

    , Norway
    Norway
    Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

    Gera
    Gera
    Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...

    , Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

     Besançon
    Besançon
    Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...

    , France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

     Opole
    Opole
    Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...

    , Poland
    Poland
    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

      Craiova
    Craiova
    Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...

    , Romania
    Romania
    Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...


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