Kökar
Encyclopedia
Kökar is an island
municipality to the south-east of the Åland archipelago
, Finland
.
It is also one of the municipalities of Åland. It is reachable by boat from Långnäs
on Åland or from Galtby with access to mainland Finland
.
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 Swedish
.
The natural reserve of Östra Långskär is located there. Other notable islands include Kyrkogårdsö.
Ulla-Lena Lundberg
, a Finnish
author, was born in Kökar in 1947.
monastery
was founded in Hamnö in the 15th century. Today the monastery is in ruins. The church dedicated to St. Anne was built in 1784 in the place of the old monastery church.
The church of St. Anne was built in the site of the old monastery church during the reign of king Gustav III
and is located on the island of Hamnö. It is next to the ruins of the monastery. The clocktower was built in the 19th century. The clocktower had to be restored after an Autumn storm damaged it in 1978. A model of a sailing ship hangs in the church. It was given by a local sailor who had been captured by Turkish
pirates but who later managed to escape. The model has 64 cannon
s.
The local museum was opened in 1988 and its purpose is to show how the people of Kökar lived in the 19th century and onwards to the 1940s. The now museum building, built in 1913, used to be an old school.
There is also a Bronze Age
site dating back to 1150–1050 BC. It was found in 1918.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
municipality to the south-east of the Åland archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
, 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...
.
It is also one of the municipalities of Åland. It is reachable by boat from Långnäs
Långnäs
Långnäs is a port in Lumparland on the eastern mainland of Åland. Road ferries to Kumlinge and Galtby via Kökar start here. In the early 1960s, Silja Line built a ferry terminal in Långnäs, designed by architect Bengt Lundsten. The terminal was in use 1965-1975 and was then closed and removed in...
on Åland or from Galtby with access to mainland Finland
Mainland Finland
Mainland Finland is a term used for instance in statistics to exclude the autonomous Åland Islands under Finnish sovereignty. Mainland Finland is not to be confused with Finland Proper, which is the province adjacent to Åland...
.
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 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 natural reserve of Östra Långskär is located there. Other notable islands include Kyrkogårdsö.
Ulla-Lena Lundberg
Ulla-Lena Lundberg
Ulla-Lena Lundberg is a Finland-Swedish author living in Porvoo, Finland. Her Swedish language books have been translated into several languages, including Finnish, Danish, German, Russian and Dutch.-Biography:...
, a Finnish
Sweden Finns
Sweden Finns are a Finnish speaking minority in Sweden. The Finnish-speaking Swedes are not to be confused with the Swedish speaking Finland-Swedes in Finland . In 2008 there were over 675 000 people in Sweden who were either born in Finland or have at least one parent or grandparent who was born...
author, was born in Kökar in 1947.
History
Kökar was first inhabited over 3,000 years ago by seal hunters. A FranciscanFranciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
was founded in Hamnö in the 15th century. Today the monastery is in ruins. The church dedicated to St. Anne was built in 1784 in the place of the old monastery church.
Sights
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....
and is located on the island of Hamnö. It is next to the ruins of the monastery. The clocktower was built in the 19th century. The clocktower had to be restored after an Autumn storm damaged it in 1978. A model of a sailing ship hangs in the church. It was given by a local sailor who had been captured by Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
pirates but who later managed to escape. The model has 64 cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s.
The local museum was opened in 1988 and its purpose is to show how the people of Kökar lived in the 19th century and onwards to the 1940s. The now museum building, built in 1913, used to be an old school.
There is also a Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
site dating back to 1150–1050 BC. It was found in 1918.
External links
- Municipality of Kökar – Official website
- The museum of Kökar's web site