Mikkelin maalaiskunta (abbreviated ''Mikkelin mlk'', sv, Sankt Michels landskommun) is a former municipality of

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 ...

located in the modern region of

Southern Savonia South Savo (or Southern Savonia; fi, Etelä-Savo; sv, Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total are ...

. Together with Anttola, it was consolidated with the town of

Mikkeli Mikkeli (; sv, S:t Michel; la, Michaelia) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of () (around 34,000 ...

in 2001.

Geography

The municipality surrounded the town of Mikkeli. It also bordered

Juva Juva ( sv, Juva, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region some North-East of Helsinki. It was founded on 19 January 1442, and is the oldest parish/municipality in Finland whose exact date of birth is known ...

, Anttola,

Ristiina Ristiina (; in Swedish also known as ''Kristina'') was a municipality of Finland. It was founded in 1649 and it was named after Kristina Stenbock, the wife of Governor General and Count Per Brahe. From the beginning of the year 2013 is a part of ...

Hirvensalmi Hirvensalmi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour municipalities: Joutsa, Kangasniem ...

Kangasniemi Kangasniemi is a municipality in the Southern Savonia region, Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Kangasniemi is located on the Finnish national road 13, north ...

Haukivuori Haukivuori is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality of Finland located in the provinces of Finland, province of Eastern Finland and part of the Southern Savonia regions of Finland, region. The municipality had a populati ...

and

Virtasalmi Virtasalmi is a former municipality of Finland. On January 1, 2004, it was joined to the new municipality of Pieksänmaa with Jäppilä and Pieksämäen maalaiskunta Pieksämäen maalaiskunta is a former municipality of Finland. On January 1, ...

Villages

History

During the late Viking Age, the area was inhabited by

Tavastians Tavastians ( fi, Hämäläiset, sv, Tavaster, russian: Емь, Yem, Yam) are a historic people and a modern subgroup (heimo) of the Finnish people. They live in areas of the historical province of Tavastia (Häme) and speak Tavastian dialects ...

. A Karelian migration to the area occurred in the 12th century. The

Savonian people Savonians ( fi, Savolaiset, Savonian: ''Savolaaset'', ''Savolaeset'') are a subgroup ( ''heimo'') of the Finnish people who live in the areas of the historical province of Savonia. History Savonians are descendants of Tavastian and Kareli ...

formed out of these two groups as well as the possibly Sámic-speaking indigenous population. The initial settlement in the area was known as Savilahti, established in the late 13th century. It was originally part of the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of mod ...

until the 1323 Treaty of Oreshek, when Novgorod ceded it to Sweden along with Jääski and

Äyräpää Baryshevo (russian: Барышево; fi, Pölläkkälä, Äyräpää) is a rural locality on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast. It is situated on the southern shore of Vuoksi River. Until the Winter War and Contin ...

. Savilahti was the first parish in all of Savonia, all other Savonian parishes were separated from it directly or indirectly, the first one being

in 1442/1460. In the early 16th century, the Savilahti parish was divided into two administrative areas: Visulahti (Vesulahti) and Pellosniemi, both first mentioned in 1541. The parish of

was separated from Savilahti (Visulahti) and Juva in 1573, but the parish was soon renamed ''Pieksämä'' (

Pieksämäki Pieksämäki () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region, about north of Mikkeli, east of Jyväskylä and south of Kuopio. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. Th ...

) in 1577. Haukivuori only became a parish center again in 1873. The name ''Mikkeli'' for the parish first appears in 17th century documents after the church dedicated to

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

. The administrative division of Visulahti was renamed ''Mikkeli'' in 1664, but ''Visulahti'' was still occasionally used until the 1680s.

was separated in 1649. In 1838, the town of

was established in the main village of the parish. Three more parishes were separated from the Mikkeli parish:

in 1851, followed by Anttola in 1872 (administratively 1875). The last one was Mikkeli's town parish in 1908. The municipality was consolidated with the town of Mikkeli in 2001 alongside Anttola.

Geography

Villages

History

Services

Education

References