Suonenjoki

Suonenjoki (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsuo̯nenjoki]; literally means "vein river") is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Savonia region, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of the Kuopio city.

Suonenjoki
Town
Suonenjoen kaupunki
Suonenjoki stad
Suonenjoki railway station
Coat of arms
Location of Suonenjoki in Finland
Coordinates: 62°37.5′N 027°07.5′E
Country Finland
RegionNorthern Savonia
Sub-regionInner Savonia sub-region
Charter1865
Market town1967
City rights1977
Government
 • Town managerOlavi Ruotsalainen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total862.34 km2 (332.95 sq mi)
 • Land713.55 km2 (275.50 sq mi)
 • Water148.78 km2 (57.44 sq mi)
Area rank119th largest in Finland
Population
 (2020-07-31)[2]
 • Total7,014
 • Rank134th largest in Finland
 • Density9.83/km2 (25.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish98.8% (official)
 • Others1.2%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1414.6%
 • 15 to 6460.9%
 • 65 or older24.5%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Municipal tax rate[5]19.5%
Websitewww.suonenjoki.fi
J. Kutvonen Furniture Store (Finnish: J. Kutvonen Huonekalumyymälä), founded by Julius Kutvonen in years 1933-34,[6] at Asemakatu in the Suonenjoki centre

The town has a population of 7,014 (31 July 2020)[2] and covers an area of 862.34 square kilometres (332.95 sq mi) of which 148.78 km2 (57.44 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 9.83 inhabitants per square kilometre (25.5/sq mi). Neighbour municipalities are Kuopio, Leppävirta, Pieksämäki, Rautalampi and Tervo.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Culture

Suonenjoki is famous for its strawberries.[7] It is also known as "the Strawberry Town". Many foreigners, mainly from Ukraine and Russia, come to Suonenjoki in summer to work on strawberry farms. That makes Suonenjoki the most international town of Finland at summer. There is a party in Suonenjoki in July called Mansikkakarnevaalit, "Strawberry Carnival".[8][9][10][11] There was also a rock festival named Jörisrock, the last "Jöris" was held in 2006. Nowadays, "Jöris" has been replaced by a music event called Iisrock.

There is also three museums, library and artshow.

Newspaper Sisä-Savo is published in Suonenjoki and nearby municipalities.

History

Suonenjoki is thought to have served as a milestone in the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323. In the 16th and 17th centuries, more and more people began to change in the area, and in the 18th century, a preacher room was established in Suonenjoki, then a chapel. In the current agglomeration, bridges over the river of Suonenjoki were built early, Kruunusilta (literally means "Crowns Bridge") already existed in 1780, and Siioninsilta (means "Zion Bridge") at the beginning of the river was replaced by a bridge in the 1830s.[12]

When Suonenjoki gained municipal rights in 1865, the population was about 4,000. In the same year, Suonenjoki Church, the current church in Suonenjoki was completed, replacing the cramped first church built in the late 18th century. A railway station was built on Suonenjoki in connection with the completion of The Savonian Railway (also known as Kouvola–Iisalmi railway) in 1889. In the early 20th century, the sawmill industry became the most important industry in the area. Strawberry cultivation became more widespread from the 1940s, and Suonenjoki became known as "the Strawberry Town".[12][7] The Suonenjoki co-educational school began operations in 1930, and it moved to the current high school building in 1950.[13]

Geography

The neighbouring municipalities of Suonenjoki are Rautalampi in the west, Tervo and Karttula in the north, Kuopio in the east, Leppävirta in the southeast, and Pieksämäki in the south on the Southern Savonia side. Suonenjoki River flows through the town from Lake Suontee to Lake Iisvesi.[14] Near the city center is the 10-kilometer-long and at most a couple of kilometers wide scenic Lintharju, which is also part of the European Union's Natura 2000 conservation program.[14][15]

Villages

Herrala, Hulkkola, Jauhomäki, Karkkola, Kukkola, Kutumäki, Kutunkylä, Kuvansi, Käpylä, Kärkkäälä, Lempyy, Liedemäki, Luukkola, Lyytilänmäki, Markkala, Nuutila, Piispalanmäki, Pörölänmäki, Rajalanniemi, Rieponlahti, Sydänmaa, Toholahti, Tyyrinmäki, Vauhkola, Vehvilä, Viippero, Jalkala, Karsikonmäki, Suontee, Suihkola, Kolikkoinmäki, Kinnula

Traffic

Suonenjoki is situated between two important cities, Kuopio and Jyväskylä, and the main road 9 (E63) between those cities goes through Suonenjoki. The railway between Kuopio and Helsinki goes also through the center of Suonenjoki.

Notable people from Suonenjoki

See also

References
  1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. "Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Väestön ennakkotilasto [verkkojulkaisu]. Heinäkuu 2020" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  3. "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  4. "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  5. "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  6. Kutvonen (in Finnish)
  7. Suonenjoen mansikka 100 vuotta: kaikki alkoi kansakoulunopettaja Leskisen 12 taimesta (in Finnish)
  8. The Suonenjoki Strawberry Carnival
  9. About Suonenjoki
  10. President Niinistö on virtual visits to Suonenjoki and Seinäjoki: Municipalities have shown their ability to respond and adapt
  11. Visit Suonenjoki
  12. Suonenjoen keskustan ja Iisveden kulttuuriympäristö (in Finnish)
  13. Suonenjoen lukio: Koulun historiaa (in Finnish)
  14. VisitSavo - Luonto (in Finnish)
  15. Lintharjun ulkoilualue - Suonenjoki (in Finnish)

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