town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the
Pirkanmaa
Pirkanmaa (; ; ), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Southwest Finland. Most of the wate ...
region of
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. It lies on the banks of the Nokianvirta, a river of the
Kokemäki River
Kokemäki (; ) is a town and municipality in the Satakunta Region of Finland. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
Finland is constitutionally bi-lingual with a Swedish speakin ...
watershed, and is situated in the
Tampere metropolitan area
Tampere metropolitan area or Tampere region (, ) is the metropolitan area around the city of Tampere in Finland. The joint municipal authority of the Tampere city region (, ) consists of eight municipalities: Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, No ...
, about west of
Tampere
Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...
proper. The population of Nokia is approximately , while the Tampere metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in Finland, and the second largest in the Pirkanmaa region after Tampere.
Nokia's neighbouring municipalities are
Hämeenkyrö
Hämeenkyrö (; ) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa regions of Finland, region, and is located from Tampere. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. Th ...
Sastamala
Sastamala () is a town in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. Sastamala lies on both sides of River Kokemäenjoki in the southwest corner of Pirkanmaa. The population of Sastamala is approximately , while the South Western Pirkanmaa, sub-reg ...
, Tampere,
Vesilahti
Vesilahti (, also ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the southwest of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Vesilahti is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximat ...
and
Ylöjärvi
Ylöjärvi () is a town in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the west of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Ylöjärvi is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the m ...
The origin of the name ''Nokia'' is obscure. In modern Finnish, means
soot
Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Soot is considered a hazardous substance with carcinogenic properties. Most broadly, the term includes all the particulate matter produced b ...
, and is an inflected plural, although this form of the word is rarely, if ever, used. The most common theory claims the name actually originates from the archaic Finnish word ( pl. ) or ("soot marten"), meaning
sable
The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...
. After the sable was hunted to extinction in Finland, the word was applied to any dark-coated fur animal, such as the
marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...
, which are found in the area to this day. The sable is enshrined on the Nokia coat of arms. However, later research has appeared to indicate that sables never inhabited Finland in the first place, and the name may actually refer to the
beaver
Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
. The coat of arms was designed by
Gustaf von Numers
Gustaf von Numers (31 July 1912 – 21 May 1978) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish civil servant and leading heraldic artist.
Life
Gustaf von Numers studied heraldry in the 1930s under Arvid Berghman and was considered one of the leading Fin ...
and was confirmed on October 25, 1951.
History
The first literary reference to Nokia is in a 1505 document, which mentions two farms ''Stoora och Lilla Nokia'', Swedish for "Big and Little Nokia". The Nokia manor was formed out of these two farms. The area was a part of the Pirkkala parish.
Nokia was the setting of one of the largest battles in the Club War, a 1596–1597 peasant uprising against feudal lords in Finland, which was then part of the
Kingdom of Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic country by both area ...
. The peasants, armed with clubs, took up residence in Nokia Manor and won several skirmishes against the feudal cavalry, but were decisively defeated by
Klaus Fleming
Baron Klaus Eriksson Fleming (; 1535 in Pargas – 13 April 1597 in Pohja) was a Finnish-born member of the Swedish nobility and admiral, who played an important role in Finnish and Swedish history during the rise of Sweden as a Great Po ...
on 1–2 January 1597. Thousands of clubmen were slain and their leader Jaakko Ilkka, who had fled, was captured a few weeks later and executed. The Club War was the last major peasant revolt in Finland, and it permanently consolidated the hold of the nation-state. Much later, in the
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between Whites (Finland), White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition fr ...
(1918), Nokia (along with neighbouring Tampere) was a stronghold for the
Red Guards
The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes
According to a ...
and saw some combat.
In 1922, Suur-Pirkkala was split into Pohjois- and Etelä-Pirkkala (Northern and Southern). Nokia used to reach out to the current heart of Tampere, as the Pispala area was part of Nokia (Pohjois-Pirkkala) until 1937. In 1938 Pohjois-Pirkkala was renamed Nokia while Etelä-Pirkkala became simply Pirkkala. Two municipalities have been consolidated with Nokia: Suoniemi in 1973 and Tottijärvi in 1976. Nokia was designated as a city in 1977.
Industrial history
The early predecessor of eponymous telecommunications giant
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...
mining engineer
Mining engineering is the extraction of minerals from the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer m ...
Fredrik Idestam
Knut Fredrik Idestam (28 October 1838, Tyrväntö, Grand Duchy of Finland – 8 April 1916, Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland) was a Finnish mining engineer and businessman, best known as a founder of Nokia.
In May 1865, Idestam obtained a perm ...
established his second groundwood pulp mill on the banks of Nokianvirta river near the town of Nokia in 1868 and his enterprises were named as Nokia Aktiebolag (Nokia Ltd) in 1871.
Suomen Gummitehdas Oy (Finnish Rubber Works Ltd) set up a factory in Nokia in 1904. These two companies and Suomen Kaapelitehdas Oy (Finnish Cable Works Ltd) amalgamated in 1967 forming Nokia Corporation. Different branches of this conglomerate were split into several companies or sold off between 1988 and 1996. The rubber works still operate in Nokia as
Nokian Tyres
Nokian Tyres plc (), headquartered in Nokia, Finland, produces tyres for cars, trucks, buses, and heavy-duty equipment. Known for its winter tyres, Nokian is the only tyre manufacturer in the world with its own permanent winter tyre testing f ...
and originally in 1880 established
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...
as
Essity
Essity AB (commonly known as Essity) is a Swedish multinational company specializing in hygiene and health products headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Established in 2017 through a spin-off from the forest products company Svenska Cellulosa ...
.
Despite the Nokia Corporation having its early roots in Nokia it no longer has any operations in the city.
Telecommunications business get started in the early 1960s as an electronics division of Finnish Cable Works Ltd (later Nokia Cable Ltd) in
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
and later also main office were moved to Capital Region. At this time the headquarters are situated in
Espoo
Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...
.
The only current presence of the company in the city is the Nokia mansion, which is sometimes used for private parties for the company's executive staff.
The city has repeatedly been asked to commemorate the company it gave birth to, but it has always declined, on the grounds that mobile phones were never produced there.
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...
Tampere
Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...
.
Present
Today's Nokia is famous for its spa, factory shops, waterways, and events. Nokia also enjoys good road and air connections. The largest companies are AGCO Power,
Nokian Tyres
Nokian Tyres plc (), headquartered in Nokia, Finland, produces tyres for cars, trucks, buses, and heavy-duty equipment. Known for its winter tyres, Nokian is the only tyre manufacturer in the world with its own permanent winter tyre testing f ...
Essity
Essity AB (commonly known as Essity) is a Swedish multinational company specializing in hygiene and health products headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Established in 2017 through a spin-off from the forest products company Svenska Cellulosa ...
paper mill. From a religious perspective, Nokia is best known for the charismatic Nokia Revival which began in 1990. Nokia is also known for its own fast food cuisine, Kuuma koira and as a home town of Nokian Brewery. Due to the closeness of Tampere studio facilities, Nokia has been also used as a filming location. For example,
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012) was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading com ...
' '' The Big Freeze'' and Finnish TV production Korpelan Kujanjuoksu
Demographics
The following graph shows the population development of the town since 1964.
Notable natives and residents
*
Markku Aro
Markku Aro (; born Markku Tuomas Puputti on 3 February 1950 in Mouhijärvi, Finland), is a Finnish singer who represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is a ...
Toivo Kärki
Toivo Pietari Johannes Kärki (; 3 December 1915 – 30 April 1992) was a Finnish composer, musician, music producer and arranger. He is especially remembered for his collaboration with Reino Helismaa
Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa (12 Jul ...
Tampere
Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...
–
*
Sastamala
Sastamala () is a town in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. Sastamala lies on both sides of River Kokemäenjoki in the southwest corner of Pirkanmaa. The population of Sastamala is approximately , while the South Western Pirkanmaa, sub-reg ...
–
*
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...
–
*
Pori
Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...
Turku
Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
–
*
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
–
*
Vaasa
Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),twinned with:
*
Karlstad
Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 67,122 inhabitants in 2020 with 97,233 inhabitan ...
, Sweden
*
Moss
Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...
, Norway
*
Horsens
Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...
, Denmark
*
Blönduós
Blönduós () is a town and former municipality in the north of Iceland with a population of 895 in 2018.
Like many towns and villages around Iceland, Blönduós did not emerge as a village until the late 19th century. The town is situated on Rou ...
, Iceland
Gallery
File:Pyhäjärven_luusua.jpg, Lake Pyhäjärvi seen from Nokia
File:Siuronkosken_pato.JPG, Siuronkoski dam
File:Viholan_venesatama.JPG, Vihola
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
File:Nokian_kirkko_2014_2.JPG, Nokia church
File:Nokian_lukio.jpg, Nokian lukio (high school)
File:Murhasaaren_silta.jpg,
Finnish national road 11
Finnish national road 11 (, ) is an east–west highway from Nokia, Finland, Nokia of Pirkanmaa to Pori of Satakunta. The road is relatively short, only 101 kilometers, in addition to which the road as a whole is two-lane. Nonetheless, a highwa ...
See also
*
Finnish national road 11
Finnish national road 11 (, ) is an east–west highway from Nokia, Finland, Nokia of Pirkanmaa to Pori of Satakunta. The road is relatively short, only 101 kilometers, in addition to which the road as a whole is two-lane. Nonetheless, a highwa ...
*
Ikaalinen
Ikaalinen (; ) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, located northwest of Tampere. The town has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
.
The municipalities ...