Loimaa (; historical sv, Loimijoki) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It is located in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Western Finland Western Finland ( fi, Länsi-Suomen lääni, sv, Västra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. ...

and is part of the

Southwest Finland Southwest Finland, calqued as Finland Proper ( fi, Varsinais-Suomi ; sv, Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The reg ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is . Loimaa's neighboring municipalities are

Huittinen Huittinen ( sv, Vittis) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Satakunta region, southeast of Pori and southwest of Tampere. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population d ...

Humppila Humppila is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality has a population of (), which make it the smallest municipality in Tavastia Proper in terms of population. It covers an area of of which is wate ...

Koski Tl Koski Tl (; sv, Koskis) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region and was part of the former province of Western Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The po ...

Marttila Marttila (; sv, S:t Mårtens, i.e. " Saint Martin's") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area o ...

Oripää Oripää () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. H ...

Punkalaidun Punkalaidun ( sv, Punkalaidun, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The popul ...

Pöytyä Pöytyä (; sv, Pöytyä, also ) is a municipality of Finland located in the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingua ...

Somero Somero () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Southwest Finland region in the province of Western Finland, located northeast of Salo, east of Turku and northwest of Helsinki. The municipality has a population of () and cov ...

Säkylä Säkylä is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Satakunta region, southeast of the city of Pori. The municipality has a population of () and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water (). The population density is ...

and

Ypäjä Ypäjä is a municipality located in the countryside of South-Western Finland. It belongs to the province of Southern Finland and the region of Tavastia Proper. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. T ...

History

First mentions of Loimaa come from the year 1439 but a parish was founded in the area already a decade earlier. The town was founded in its current form in 1876 as the railway between Turku and Toijala was completed. A legend of

Prättäkitti Prättäkitti (also Rättäkitti) was a Finnish fortune teller or a witch from the household of Manninen, Loimaa (present day Ypäjä). Prättäkitti's magical powers are said to come from the fact that when she was born, the person acting as the m ...

is heavily associated with Loimaa. The town of Loimaa merged with

Loimaan kunta Loimaan kunta (; sv, Loimaa kommun; literally "Municipality of Loimaa") is a former municipality of Finland. It was merged to the town of Loimaa in the beginning of 2005. It was located in the province of Western Finland and was part of the Sou ...

(literally "Municipality of Loimaa") on January 1, 2005 and with the municipalities of

Alastaro Alastaro () is a former municipality of Finland. It was merged into the town of Loimaa on 1 January 2009. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality had a population of 2,910 ...

and

Mellilä Mellilä () is a former municipality of Finland. It was merged to the town of Loimaa on 1 January 2009. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality had a population of 1,254 (20 ...

on January 1, 2009. The name ''Loimaa'' comes from the river

Loimijoki The river Loimijoki is a river in Finland and the longest tributary of the river Kokemäenjoki. The river originates at the lake Pyhäjärvi in Tammela and joins the river Kokemäenjoki in Huittinen. There is a difference in elevation between the ...

which flows through the town.

Politics

After the 2021 municipal election the municipal council of Loimaa is as follows: * The National Coalition Party and Christian Democrats formed an electoral alliance for the election.

Culture

A local speciality is , a version of

kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...

. ''Rompepäivät'' (lit. "junk days") is an annual event that takes place in August. It brings together

trunk show A trunk show is an event in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or customers at a retail location or another venue such as a hotel room. In many cases it allows store personnel to preview and/or purchase merchandise bef ...

enthusiasts selling both old and new merchandise as well as food and entertainment. The trunk show is located at the historic market square of Loimaa, now known as Peltoinen, and draws in 8,000–10,000 visitors. The local newspaper is called '' Loimaan Lehti''. It first started publishing in 1915 and today comes out three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Subdivisions and villages

Alastaron-Mäenpää, Eura, Haara, Haaroinen, Haitula, Hartoinen, Hattula, Hirvikoski, Hurskala, Ilmarinen, Inkilä, Joenperä, Juva, Karhula, Karsattila, Kartanonmäki, Kauhanoja, Kemppilä, Kesärlä, Klockarla, Koenperä, Kojonkulma, Krekilä, Kuninkainen, Kurittula, Kuttila, Köyliö, Lappijoki, Levälä, Lähde, Metsämaa, Mäenpää, Niemi, Niinijoki, Onkijoki, Pahikainen, Pappinen, Peltoinen, Piltola, Puujalkala, Raikkola, Seppälä, Sieppala, Suopelto, Torkkala, Vesikoski, and Vilvainen.

Sights

* Alpo Jaakola Statue Park *Heikintalo bison farm * The church of Loimaa Proper *Loimaa regional museum *Mill of Krekilä * Sarka, The Finnish Museum of Agriculture *Mill of Vesikoski * Loimaa railway station

Sports

The city is home to the

Bisons Loimaa LoKoKo Bisons Loimaa is a Finnish professional basketball club that is based in Loimaa. History The club was established in 1964 as Loimaan Korikonkarit. The team was renamed Bisons after it was promoted to the Korisliiga in 2011. The team won ...

basketball club, 2012 and 2013 Champion of the

Korisliiga The Korisliiga is the top-tier professional basketball league in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In its current format, each team plays all other teams two times in the regular season, once at home and once away, for a total o ...

. The club regularly qualifies for international competitions. It plays its home games at the ''Loimaa Sports Center'' and on some occasions moves to the

Energia Areena Energia Areena is a multifunctional indoor arena in the Myyrmäki Sports Park, located in the Myyrmäki district of Vantaa, Finland. The arena gets its name from its largest sponsor, the energy company Vantaan Energia. Events The venue is able ...

. The city is also home to the

Hurrikaani Loimaa {{update, date=November 2018 Hurrikaani Loimaa is a Finnish volleyball team, located in Loimaa. Club play in highest level in Finland on volleyball, SM-league. History Hurrikaani Loimaa rise to Finland volleyball league season 2007. Club won 1 ...

volleyball club, regularly qualifies for international competitions such as CLvolleyM and SM-league.

Religion

The most popular religion among the inhabitants is the

Evangelical Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

: 4/5 of the local population is a member of the Loimaa Congregation, this has existed since 1420's. In total there are six lutheran churches scattered around the municipality's area. The following Christian revival movements inside Lutheranism are represented in Loimaa: * ''Forssa-Loimaan Rauhanyhdistys'' (

Conservative Laestadianism Conservative Laestadianism is the largest branch of the Lutheran revival movement Laestadianism. It has spread to 16 countries. As of 2012 there were about 115,000 Conservative Laestadians, most of them in Finland, the United States, Norw ...

): based in Loimaa. * ''The Lutheran Evangelical Association of Finland'' (evangelical movement) * ''Hyvän Paimenen luterilainen seurakunta'' (

Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland The Mission Diocese, officially the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, ( fi, Suomen evankelisluterilainen lähetyshiippakunta, sv, Evangelisk-lutherska missionsstiftet i Finland) is an independent confessional Lutheran "ecclesial s ...

): founded in Loimaa in 2016. Other Christian denominations are

Pentecostalists Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

who are represented by a local association (Finnish ''Elävät Virrat ry'') since 2018. The

Evangelical Free Church of Finland Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

has an office in Loimaa, although it's managed from

Forssa Forssa is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located almost in the centre of a triangle defined by the three largest major cities in Finland (Helsinki, Turku and Tampere), in the Tavastia Proper region, and which is crossed by Highway 2 ...

. Inside the

Finnish Orthodox Church The Orthodox Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko, lit=Finnish Orthodox Church; sv, Ortodoxa kyrkan i Finland, lit=Orthodox Church in Finland; ) is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Const ...

Loimaa belongs to the congregation of

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

and an Orthodox mass is held regularly in Loimaa. Apart from Christian denominations, Loimaa also hosts a

Kingdom Hall A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii. Rutherford's reasoning was that these bui ...

of the Jehovah's Witnesses. There's also a Buddhist meditation center (

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

and

Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

) ran by the Buddhist Dharma Center in its

Tibet Art Center Tibet Art Center is an art museum in Alastaro, Loimaa, Finland in a building that was previously an elementary school. The art center also functions as a Buddhism, Buddhist dharma school, meditation center and yoga school. The art center is owned b ...

, which has bee a registered as a religious association since 1998.

Notable people

* Alpo Jaakola *

Aimo Koivunen Aimo Allan Koivunen (), (17 October 1917 – 12 August 1989) was a Finnish soldier in the Continuation War and the first documented case of a soldier overdosing on methamphetamine during combat. Early life Aimo Allan Koivunen was born in Alas ...

Reino Kuuskoski Reino Iisakki Kuuskoski (18 January 1907 – 27 January 1965) was a Finnish jurist, born in Loimaa. Kuuskoski was a member of the Agrarian League. He performed ministerial duties in Finland on two occasions. His first ministerial appointment wa ...

Nicolaus Rungius Nicolaus Matthiae Rungius (also spelled Ryngius or Ryngen in contemporary sources; born ca. 1560 in Loimaa - died 1629 in Keminmaa) was a vicar of Keminmaa, Finland, known for his mummified body in the Keminmaa old church.Vahtola, JoukoRungius, N ...

* Olavi Ala-Nissilä * Mauno Kurppa * Arto Savonen *

Mato Valtonen Markku Juhani ”Mato” Valtonen (born 21 February 1955 in Loimaa) is a Finnish actor, musician and entrepreneur. Valtonen has been a member of the Finnish band Sleepy Sleepers since 1975 and the Leningrad Cowboys since 1989.Junkkari, MarkoValto ...

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Loimaa is twinned with the following towns. *

Uddevalla Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla ar ...

, Sweden *

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

, Norway *

Jõhvi Jõhvi is a town in northeastern Estonia, and the administrative centre of the Ida-Viru County. The town is also an administrative centre of Jõhvi Parish. It is situated about 50 km west of the Estonia–Russia international border. ...

, Estonia *

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased o ...

, Russia *

Mosfellsbær Mosfellsbær (, colloquially Mosó) is a town in south-west Iceland, east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. The town of Mosfellsbær is a 15-minute drive from midtown Reykjavík. The district includes the Leiruvogur cove, which forms part of ...

, Iceland *

Thisted Municipality Thisted municipality is a municipality ( Danish: '' kommune'') in North Jutland Region, Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,072 km², and has a total population of 45,549 (2008). The main town and the site of its municipal council ...

, Denmark Loimaa, Skien, Uddevalla, Thisted and Mostfellsbær form the oldest Nordic network of twin towns, which is still active.

References

External links

Town of Loimaa
– Official website {{authority control Cities and towns in Finland Populated places established in 1921