Kannonkoski

Kannonkoski is a municipality of Finland.

It is located in the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Karstula, Kivijärvi, Saarijärvi, Viitasaari and Äänekoski.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

Kannonkoski as a settlement name is very new, originally only referring to the rapids which connect the lake Kannonjärvi to the lake Kivijärvi. The toponym ''kannonn Maa'' was mentioned in 1552, referring to hunting grounds of the people of Sysmä in this area. The people of Pälkäne also had hunting grounds around the rapids and the name ''Kannonkoski'' may be derived from ''Kantokylä'', a village in Pälkäne. By 1558 the area had got permanent Savonian settlers, who established the village of ''Kantojärvi'' (transcribed as ''Kandoijerffuij''). Rautalampi, including this area, became a separate parish in 1561.

Viitasaari was separated from Rautalampi in 1635. At the time, it included all of the villages that would later become parts of the municipality of Kannonkoski. Kivijärvi was split off from Viitasaari in 1904.

In 1919 it was decided that the area should get its own parish, which happened in 1931. The parish was formed from parts of Viitasaari and Kivijärvi. The area became a municipality in 1934. The church and administrative center were placed in the village of ''Pudasjärvi'', however because a municipality called Pudasjärvi already existed, the new municipality was named Kannonkoski after the nearby rapids.

Orthodox monks

During the Winter War, 117 monks from the Valamo monastery in the lake Ladoga were evacuated. They arrived in Kannonkoski in 1939, bringing various icons and relics with them. The monks lived in the Piispala school, which at the time was closed due to the ongoing war.

The monks left Kannonkoski in the autumn of 1940 after they had purchased an old manor in Heinävesi, where the New Valamo monastery was soon established. 27 monks died during the evacuation and were buried in the graveyard of the Lutheran Kannonkoski church.

Proposed Suomenselkä municipality

Kannonkoski, Karstula, Kivijärvi and Kyyjärvi planned to merge into the from January 1, 2022. Karstula, Kivijärvi and Kyyjärvi accepted the merger proposal, but Kannonkoski did not. After Kannonkoski left out of the planned merger, Kivijärvi also left out, and later the merger project of the remaining Karstula and Kyyjärvi failed at the Kyyjärvi municipal council meeting held on May 17, 2021, and the Ministry of Finance does not propose a forced merger either.

Nature

There are all together 81 lakes in Kannonkoski. Biggest lakes are Kivijärvi, Vuosjärvi and Kannonselkä.

Notable people

*Mikko Hirvonen, rally driver

Gallery

File:Kannonkoski Lutheran Church.jpg, Kannonkoski Church
File:Kannonkoski rapids.JPG, Kannonkoski rapids
File:The altar of Kannonkoski Church.jpg, The altar of Kannonkoski Church
File:Potmon rautatiesilta Kannonkoski.JPG, Potmo railway bridge

Twinnings

* Mäksa Parish, Estonia

References

External links

Municipality of Kannonkoski
– Official website
Mikko Hirvonen, Kannonkoski born rally driver
- Official website

Populated places established in 1934

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