Nykarleby
Encyclopedia
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
.
The largest employers in the town are Prevex (member of KWH Group
), a packaging and piping products manufacturer, Westwood, which manufactures wooden staircases, and in the village of Jeppo
, KWH Mirka, a coated abrasives manufacturer. A Swedish-speaking art school () is located in Nykarleby town.
in Nykarleby:
and Vörå
into a new parish. In 1620, the small village of Lepua was chartered
as a city, with the Swedish name Nykarleby, which means "New Karleby", and the Finnish name is a Finnicized version of the same. The town was chartered in the same year as the nearby city of Kokkola
, or in Swedish, Gamlakarleby (later, Karleby).
The battles of Nykarleby
and Jutas
were fought there between Swedish and Russian troops during the Finnish War
in 1808.
Zacharias Topelius
, an important author in Finland, was born in Nykarleby.
In 1995, the small, idyllic town was ranked as "the happiest city in Finland" in a controversial article in Helsingin Sanomat
, the leading newspaper of 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 located in the province
Provinces of Finland
The state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
of Western Finland
Western Finland
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland.- History :...
and is part of the 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....
region
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
. The municipality is bilingual, with the majority 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...
(
) and the minority 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...
.
The largest employers in the town are Prevex (member of KWH Group
KWH Group
KWH 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...
), a packaging and piping products manufacturer, Westwood, which manufactures wooden staircases, and in the village of Jeppo
Jeppo (village)
Jeppo is a former municipality of Finland, now a village of Nykarleby. The population is about 1,100; 82% of whom are Swedish-speaking.KWH Mirka has a factory here that produces coated and non-woven abrasives....
, KWH Mirka, a coated abrasives manufacturer. A Swedish-speaking art school () is located in Nykarleby town.
Politics
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
in Nykarleby:
- Swedish People's Party 63.8%
- Social Democratic Party 24.9%
- Christian DemocratsChristian Democrats (Finland)The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of...
4.6% - True FinnsTrue FinnsTrue Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
2.0% - Centre PartyCentre Party (Finland)The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
1.6% - Left AllianceLeft Alliance (Finland)The Left Alliance is a left-wing political party in Finland. It was founded on the basis of the Finnish People's Democratic League and the Communist Party of Finland in 1990....
1.5% - National Coalition Party 0.7%
- Green LeagueGreen LeagueThe Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
0.6%
History
The town is located at the mouth of the Lapua river. The name of the place was Lapuan Joensuu or "mouth of Lapua river". The municipality was founded in 1607 by merging parts of PedersörePedersöre
Pedersöre is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Bennäs .It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich...
and Vörå
Vörå
Vörå is a municipality of Finland. In 2011, it was created from the municipalities of Vörå-Maxmo and Oravais. Vörå-Maxmo was created in 2007 from the municipalities of Vörå and Maxmo...
into a new parish. In 1620, the small village of Lepua was chartered
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
as a city, with the Swedish name Nykarleby, which means "New Karleby", and the Finnish name is a Finnicized version of the same. The town was chartered in the same year as the nearby city of Kokkola
Kokkola
Kokkola is a town and municipality of Finland.The town is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, or in Swedish, Gamlakarleby (later, Karleby).
The battles of Nykarleby
Battle of Nykarleby
The Battle of Nykarleby was fought between Sweden and Russia during the Finnish War 1808–1809.When Carl Johan Adlercreutz continued his summer offensive, he saw an excellent opportunity to encircle the Russian main army at the town of Nykarleby...
and Jutas
Battle of Jutas
The Battle of Jutas was fought on September 13, 1808 between Swedish and Russian troops south of Nykarleby in Ostrobothnia, Finland. Before the battle the Swedish army was in retreat after the campaign of the previous summer. The main Swedish force was retreating from Vaasa to Nykarleby...
were fought there between Swedish and Russian troops during the Finnish War
Finnish 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...
in 1808.
Zacharias Topelius
Zacharias Topelius
Zachris Topelius was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history in Swedish.-Life and career:...
, an important author in Finland, was born in Nykarleby.
In 1995, the small, idyllic town was ranked as "the happiest city in Finland" in a controversial article in Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
, the leading newspaper of Finland.