Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, ,
Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of
Nicholas
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and it ...
),
[Vaasa oli ennen Nikolainkaupunki ja Aurinkolahti Mustalahti – paikannimiä ei kuitenkaan pidä muuttaa heppoisin perustein](_blank)
– '' Kaleva'' (in Finnish) is a city on the west coast 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 Bo ...
. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a c ...
and is named after the Royal
House of Vasa.
Vaasa has a population of ()
(approximately 120,000 in the Vaasa sub-region), and is the regional capital of
Ostrobothnia ( sv, Österbotten; fi, Pohjanmaa). Vaasa is also well-known as a major
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
and
college
A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
city in Finland.
The city is bilingual with of the population speaking
Finnish as their first language and speaking
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
.
The surrounding Ostrobothnian municipalities (such as
Korsholm and
Malax) have a
clear Swedish-speaking majority, which is why the Swedish language maintains a strong position in the city, making it the most significant
cultural center for Swedish-Finns.
Vaasa is also known for Tropiclandia Water Park, which is located in the
Vaskiluoto Island right next to a local
spa hotel. In the immediate vicinity of Tropiclandia was the now deserted
Wasalandia Amusement Park, which ceased operations in 2015 due to a small number of visitors.
History
Name
Over the years, Vaasa has changed its name several times, due to alternative spellings, political decisions and language condition changes. At first it was called or after the village where it was founded in 1606, but just a few years later the name was changed to ''Vasa'' to honor the royal Swedish lineage.
Mustasaari (Finnish) or
Korsholm (Swedish) remains as the name of the surrounding mostly rural municipality, which since 1973 surrounds the city. The city was known as Vasa between 1606 and 1855, (Swedish) and (Finnish) between 1855 and 1917, named after the then late Czar
Nicholas I of Russia
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date ...
,
(Swedish) and (Finnish) after the
February revolution, with the Finnish spelling of the name being the primary one from around 1930 when Finnish speakers became the majority in the city.
Foundation
The history of
Korsholm and also of Vaasa begins in the 14th century, when seafarers from the coastal region in central
Sweden disembarked at the present Old Vaasa, and the wasteland owners from
Southwest Finland came to guard their land.
In the middle of the century, Saint Mary's Church was built, and in the 1370s the building of the fortress at
Korsholm, Crysseborgh, was undertaken, and served as an administrative centre of the
Vasa County. King
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a c ...
founded the town of Mustasaari/Mussor on October 2, 1606,
[HS: Kaarle IX perusti Vaasan 1606](_blank)
(in Finnish) around the oldest harbour and trade point around the Korsholm church approximately to the southeast from the present city. In 1611, the town was chartered and renamed after the
Royal House of Vasa.
Thanks to the sea connections, ship building and trade, especially tar trade, Vaasa flourished in the 17th century and most of the inhabitants earned their living from it.
In 1683, the three-subject or
Trivial school Trivial schools ( sv, trivialskolan, fi, triviaalikoulu) were schools in Sweden and its integrated part Finland from the early 17th century, in Sweden to 1905.
Trivial schools were the second grade of education in the 1649 school reform of Queen ...
moved from
Nykarleby to Vaasa, and four years later a new schoolhouse was built in Vaasa. The first
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
in Finland was founded in Vaasa in 1794. In 1793, Vaasa had 2,178 inhabitants, and in the year of the catastrophic town fire of 1852 the number had risen to 3,200.
Finnish War
During the
Finnish War
The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a res ...
, fought between
Sweden and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
in 1808–1809, Vaasa suffered more than any other city. In June 1808, Vaasa was occupied by the Russian forces, and some of the local officials pledged allegiance to the occupying force.
On 25 June 1808 the Swedish colonel
Johan Bergenstråhle
Johan Bergenstråhle (13 May 1756 – 7 March 1840 in Stockholm) was a Swedish military officer who participated in Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790), and the Finnish War. In June 1808, he was sent as a colonel of the Swedish Army, with 1,000 men ...
was sent with 1,500 troops and four cannons to free Vaasa from the 1,700 Russian troops who were led by generalmajor
Nikolay Demidov
Count Nikolai Nikitich Demidov (9 October / November 1773 Chirkovitsi village near Saint Petersburg – 22 April 1828) was a Russian industrialist, collector and arts patron of the Demidov family.
Life
The son of Nikita Akinfiyevich Demidov ...
. The
Battle of Vaasa
The Battle of Vaasa was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire during the Finnish War (1808-1809).
While the Swedish army was celebrating its victory at Nykarleby, another Swedish force, led by Johan Bergenstråhle, landed ...
started with the Swedish force disembarking north of Vaasa in
Österhankmo and advancing all the way to the city where they attacked with 1,100 troops, as some had to be left behind to secure the flank. There was heavy fighting in the streets and in the end the Swedish forces were repelled and forced to retreat back the way they came.
Generalmajor Demidov suspected that the inhabitants of Vaasa had taken to arms and helped the Swedish forces, even though the provincial governor had confiscated all weapons that spring, and he took revenge by letting his men plunder the city for several days. During those days 17 civilians were killed, property was looted and destroyed, many were assaulted and several people were taken to the village of Salmi in
Kuortane where they had to endure the physical punishment called
running the gauntlet. The massacre in Vaasa was exceptional during the Finnish war as the Russian forces had avoided that kind of cruelty that far. It was probably a result of the frustration the Russians felt because of intensive guerilla activity against them in the region.
On 30 June the Russian forces withdrew from Vaasa, and all officials that had pledged allegiance to Russia were discharged, and some were assaulted by locals. On 13 September the Russian forces returned and on the next day the decisive
Battle of Oravais
The Battle of Oravais ( fi, Oravaisten taistelu; sv, Slaget vid Oravais) was one of the decisive battles in the Finnish War, fought from 1808 to 1809 between Sweden and the Russian Empire as part of the wider Napoleonic Wars. Taking place i ...
, which was won by Russia, was fought some further north. By winter 1808, the Russian forces had overrun all of Finland, and in the
Treaty of Fredrikshamn (17 September 1809) Sweden lost the whole eastern part of its realm. Vaasa would now become a part of the newly formed
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...
within the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
.
Town fire
The mainly wooden and densely built town was almost utterly destroyed in 1852. A fire started in a barn belonging to district court judge
J. F. Aurén
''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...
on the morning of August 3. At noon the whole town was ablaze and the fire lasted for many hours. By evening, most of the town had burned to the ground. Out of 379 buildings only 24 privately owned buildings had survived, among them the
Falander–
Wasastjerna
Jakob Frans Oskar Wasastjerna (1819–1889) was a nineteenth-century Finnish-Swedish historian, genealogist and author. He was the father of Karl Oskar Wasastjerna (1853–1923)
PublicationsTull-taxa för Storfurstendömet Finland å såv ...
patrician house (built in 1780–1781) which now houses the Old Vaasa Museum.
The
Court of Appeal (built in 1775, nowadays the
Church of Korsholm), some Russian guard-houses along with a gunpowder storage and the buildings of the Vaasa provincial hospital (nowadays a psychiatric hospital) also survived the blaze. The ruins of the greystone church, the
belfry, the town hall and the trivial school can still be found in their original places. Much of the archived material concerning Vaasa and its inhabitants was destroyed in the fire. According to popular belief, the fire got started when a careless visitor from Vörå fell asleep in Aurén's barn and dropped his pipe in the dry hay.
New town
The new town of Nikolaistad ( fi, Nikolainkaupunki), named after the late
Tsar Nicholas I, rose in 1862 about to the northwest from the old town. The town's coastal location offered good conditions for seafaring. The town plan was planned by
Carl Axel Setterberg in the
Empire style. In the master plan the disastrous consequences of the fire were considered. Main streets in the new town were five broad avenues which divided the town into sections. Each block was divided by alleys.
The town was promptly renamed Vasa (Vaasa) after the
Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown in 1917.
Capital of Finland
During the
Finnish Civil War, Vaasa was the capital of Finland from 29 January to 3 May 1918.
[Vaasa, Finland – Britannica](_blank)
/ref> As a consequence of the occupation of central places and arresting of politicians in Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
the Senate decided to move the senators to Vaasa, where the White Guards that supported the Senate had a strong position and the contacts to the West were good.
The Senate of Finland began its work in Vaasa on 1 February 1918, and it had four members. The Senate held its sessions in the Town Hall. To express its gratitude to the town the Senate gave Vaasa the right to add the Cross of Freedom, independent Finland's oldest mark of honour designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, to its coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...
, to the town's coat of arms. The coat of arms is unusual not only in this respect, but also because of its non-standard shape and a crown are included. Because of its role in the civil war, Vaasa became known as "The White City". A Statue of Freedom, depicting a victorious White soldier, was erected in the town square.
Post-war
The language conditions in the city shifted in the 1930s, and the majority became Finnish-speaking. Therefore, the primary name also changed from "Vasa" to "Vaasa", according to Finnish spelling.
Post-war, Vaasa was industrialized, led by the electronics manufacturer Strömberg, later merged into ABB.
In 2013 the municipality of Vähäkyrö was merged into Vaasa. It is currently an exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
area of the city, since it is surrounded by other municipalities.
Climate
Near the Polar Circle
A polar circle is a geographic term for a conditional circular line (arc) referring either to the Arctic Circle or the Antarctic Circle. These are two of the keynote circles of latitude (parallels). On Earth, the Arctic Circle is currently ...
, Vaasa falls in continental subarctic climate ( Köppen: ''Dfc'') with severe dry winters and almost warm summers. The prevailing direction of the winds, North Atlantic Current
The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five ocean ...
and the proximity of the Gulf of Bothnia give the climate a certainly livability in spite of the latitude, similar to the south of Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
, where continentality, proximity to the poles and moderation intersect. The Föhn wind
A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range.
It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of i ...
, for example, passes over the Scandinavian Mountains
The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the fjords of Norway, whereas to the ...
and leaves a milder and drier weather in the lee of the mountains where Vaasa is found, affecting especially in the winter which explains sunny days even in the season of short solar duration.
The location of some sea distance gives a seasonal delay of spring and summer at the same time that autumn and winter are affected late. The average annual temperature is 4.7 °C (normal from 1991-2020). The low Ostrobothnia usually receives little snow but the contact of cold air with warmer and humid air can generate heavy snowfall. Early summer (as well as spring) tends to be drier and the wettest month does not coincide with the warmer month. End of April is usually the growing season with 250–300 mm approximately. The maritime breeze explains the difference in temperature, distribution of precipitation and sunshine, different from the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia brings the sea wind in places further distant about 50 km from the coast. The city gets more sun than inland places, although current log are unavailable. The highest ever recorded temperature was 32.2 °C (89.6 °F), on 18 July 2018, although a record of 33.7 °C (92.7 °F) was recorded in the city center the same day, which in fact was the hottest day of Finland in 2018 by slightly edging a temperature recorded in Turku Artukainen of 33.6 °C (92.5 °F), also on 18 July 2018, making it the highest temperature ever recorded in Vaasa.
Demographics
Economy
Vaasa is generally speaking an industrial town, with several industrial parks. Industry comprises one-fourth of jobs.
There is a university (University of Vaasa
The University of Vaasa ( fi, Vaasan yliopisto, sv, Vasa universitet) is a multidisciplinary, business-oriented university in Vaasa, Finland. The campus of the university is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia adjacent to downtown Vaasa. The univ ...
), faculties of Åbo Akademi
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city and former Capital city, capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura (Archipelago Sea), Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland, Finland Proper ...
and Hanken, and two universities of applied sciences
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied ar ...
in the town. Many workers commute from Korsholm, Laihia, and other municipalities nearby.
The Vaskiluoto power stations
The Vaskiluoto power stations complex situated on the Gulf of Bothnia island of Vaskiluoto in Vaasa, Finland, comprises three separate power stations connected to the Finnish national grid, Fingrid.
*Vaskiluoto 1, a 38 MW coal-fired power st ...
complex is situated on the island of Vaskiluoto, supplying electricity to the national grid as well as district heat
District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating a ...
to the city.
The multi-use cargo and passenger Port of Vaasa is located in Vaskiluoto, connecting Vaasa with Umeå
Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, U ...
, Sweden, and destinations further afield.
The film production company Future Film has its head office in Vaasa.[Contact Information]
." Future Film. Retrieved on 19 January 2011. "Office Oy Future Film Ab Hovioikeudenpuistikko 9 65100 VAASA FINLAND" Kotipizza has its head office in the ''Vaskiluodon Satamaterminaali''.
Transport
Main roads, including highway 3 ( E12) and highway 8 ( E8), connect Vaasa to Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Tampere
Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclo ...
, Oulu, Pori, Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä () is a city and municipality in Finland in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is located about 150 km north-east from Tampere, the third largest city in Finland; and about 270 km north from Helsinki, the capit ...
, Kokkola and Seinäjoki. There are from Helsinki to Vaasa, from 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''; ...
, from Tampere, from Oulu, from Kokkola, from Jakobstad, from Pori, from Lapua and from Seinäjoki. It is also a relatively short distance from Sweden to Vaasa. The tourist route called Blue Highway also runs from the port of Vaasa and through the city. In 1962–1964, other Finnish cities introduced regional speed limits of 50 km/h, but in Vaasa the limit was 60 km/h for a long time.
Vaasa Airport is located about nine kilometers southeast of the city center. Finnair and Scandinavian Airlines operate from Vaasa Airport, but Norwegian Air Shuttle terminated the Vaasa–Helsinki route on January 10, 2020. There is scheduled traffic from Vaasa Airport to Helsinki (flight time 45 min) and Stockholm (flight time 1 h 5 min).
Culture
* Ostrobothnian Museum
The Ostrobothnian Museum ( fi, Pohjanmaan museo) is a provincial museum of cultural history, which also serves as provincial art museum and a museum of natural science. The museum building, designed by in 1927, and the museum’s exhibition wing ...
* Terranova Museum
* Meteoriihi
* Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art
* Vaasa Car & Motor Museum
* Platform, artist run gallery for contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...
, media art, & sound art
Other sights
* The Statue of Liberty (''Suomen Vapaudenpatsas'')
Sport
* Vaasan Sport, men's ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
team playing in the Liiga, home ice is Vaasan Sähkö Areena
Vaasan Sähkö Areena (, Vaasa Energy Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Vaasa, Finland. It was previously called the ''Kuparisaaren jäähalli'' (Copper Island Ice Rink) and locals often use the old name in conversation. The arena first opened i ...
* Mailattaret, Vaasa, a women's Finnish baseball team playing in the Superpesis
The Superpesis, known as SM-sarja from 1955 to 1989, is the top professional pesäpallo league in Finland. It was created in 1990 to replace the SM-sarja which was fundamentally an amateur league. The Superpesis is directly overseen by the Finnis ...
.
* Vaasan Sport Naiset
Vaasan Sport Naiset were a women's ice hockey team in Finland. They played in Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland, at the Vaasan Sähkö Areena. Founded in 1983, the team most recently played in the Naisten Liiga from the 2018–19 season un ...
, women's ice hockey team playing in the Naisten Liiga
The Kansallinen Liiga ('National League') is the premier division of women's football in Finland. It was previously called the Jalkapallon naisten SM-sarja ('Women's Football Finnish Championship Series') during 1974 to 2006 and the Naisten Lii ...
, home ice is Vaasan Sähkö Areena
* Vaasan Palloseura, men's football club playing in the Ykkönen, home ground is Hietalahti Stadium
* Vasa IFK, men's football club playing in the Kakkonen, home ground is Hietalahti Stadium
* FC Kiisto, men's football club playing in the Kolmonen, home ground is Kaarlen kenttä
* Vaasa Rugby Club
**Vaasa Wolves, inactive men's rugby union team, played in the Finnish Championship Rugby League until 2019
**Vaasa Foxes, women's rugby sevens team playing in the Finnish Championship 7's Series
Education
Vaasa has three universities. The largest one is the University of Vaasa
The University of Vaasa ( fi, Vaasan yliopisto, sv, Vasa universitet) is a multidisciplinary, business-oriented university in Vaasa, Finland. The campus of the university is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia adjacent to downtown Vaasa. The univ ...
, which is located in the neighbourhood of Palosaari. Palosaari is a peninsula near the center of Vaasa, connected to it by bridges. The other two universities are Åbo Akademi
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city and former Capital city, capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura (Archipelago Sea), Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland, Finland Proper ...
, headquartered in 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 the Hanken School of Economics headquartered in Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
. Unique to Vaasa is the Finland-Swedish teachers training school Vasa övningsskola, part of Åbo Akademi. The University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
also has a small unit, specialized in law studies, in the city centre.
The city has two universities of applied sciences: Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (former Vaasa Polytechnic), located right next to the University of Vaasa, and Novia University of Applied Sciences
The Novia University of Applied Sciences ( sv, Yrkeshögskolan Novia) is an institution of higher professional education (vocational university) in Finland. It offers Bachelor's degree, Bachelor's and Master's degree, Master's degree programmes i ...
(former Swedish University of Applied Sciences).
City has about 13,000 university students and about 4,000 vocational school students.[Todellinen opiskelijakaupunki – Vaasa](_blank)
(in Finnish)
Notable people
* Fanny Churberg
Fanny Churberg (12 December 1845, in Vaasa – 10 May 1892, in Helsinki) was a Finland, Finnish landscape painter.
Biography
Her father, Matias Churberg, was a doctor from a family of farmers and her mother Maria was the daughter of the vicar in L ...
(1845–1892) – Painter
* Sebastian Da Costa – Musician
* Seppo Evwaraye – Professional American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
player
* Rabbe Grönblom – Businessman
* Kai Hahto - Metal Drummer/drum teacher
* Nanny Hammarström (1870–1953) – Author
* Jarl Hemmer – Author
* Edvin Hevonkoski
Edvin Hevonkoski (10 September 1923, Alavus – 8 September 2009, Vaasa) was a Finnish sculptor and contemporary artist who lived his later years in Vaasa.
Hevonkoski's occupation was a sheet-metal worker. In 1982 he was idle and decided to start ...
– Sculptor
* Mikaela Ingberg
Mikaela Johanna Emilia Ingberg (born 29 July 1974 in Vaasa) is a female javelin thrower from Finland. Her personal best throw is 64.03 metres, achieved in September 2000 in Berlin. She was nicknamed "Mikke" during her career.
Her achievements in ...
– Javelin thrower
* Fritz Jakobsson – Painter
* Vesa 'Vesku' Jokinen
Vesa "Vesku" Jokinen (born 1970) is the lead singer in Finnish punk rock band Klamydia, based in Vaasa on the Finnish west coast, and in Kylähullut.
He and his friends in the band created the record label Kråklund Records in the begin ...
– Musician, the lead singer of Klamydia
* Mikael Jungner
Mikael Jungner (born 20 April 1965, in Helsinki), is the former party secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, a member of the Finnish parliament, and a former managing director of the Finnish national broadcaster Yle.
Junger grew up ...
– MD of Yleisradio
* Heli Koivula-Kruger – Athlete
* Susanna 'Suski' Korvala
Gimmel were a Finnish girl group.
In the spring of 2002, a ''Popstars'' competition was held in Finland to find members to form a pop band. 454 young women participated in the singing trials. 25 girls made it to the final selection round. Membe ...
– Singer
* Björn Kurtén Björn Olof Lennartson Kurtén (19 November 1924 – 28 December 1988) was a Finnish vertebrate paleontologist, belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority of his country.
Early life and education
Kurtén was born in Vaasa.
Career
He was a p ...
– Paleontologist, author
* Joachim Kurtén
Anders Joachim Kurtén (15 January 1836–28 June 1899) was born in Kronoby into the family of sea captain Henrik Kurtén. In 1841 the family moved to Vaasa where he finished his upper-secondary final examination at the age of 17. He went on t ...
– Businessman, politician
* Toivo Kuula – Composer
* August Alexander Levón
August Alexander Levón (14 November 1820 – 30 August 1875) was a Finnish businessman. He started Finland's first steam-powered mill which first focused on milling rye for bread producers, in 1849. This mill was the beginning of Vaasan & Vaasa ...
– Industrialist, businessman
* Jani Liimatainen – Guitar player
* Nandor Mikola – Painter
* Camilla Nylund – Opera singer
* Jorma Ojaharju – Author
* Oskar Osala – Ice hockey player
* Sari Krooks – Ice hockey player
* Pekka Puska – Doctor, expert on public health, politician
* Viljo Revell – Architect, works included Toronto City Hall in Canada.
* Seppo Sanaksenaho – Mayor of Vaasa 1997–2001, Deputy Mayor 1979–1996
* Leif Segerstam – Musician, composer, conductor
* Monica Aspelund – Singer
* Carl Axel Setterberg – Architect, creator of the new Vaasa
* Pekka Strang – Actor
* Jani Toivola
Jani Petteri Toivola (born 27 November 1977 in Vaasa, Finland) is a Finnish actor, dancer, author and an ex-politician. He studied in HB Acting Studio, New York City in 1999–2002. He has performed in several dance works, television series and p ...
– Member of parliament, actor, television host ( Finnish Idols 2007, The Voice TV)
* Onni Tommila – Actor ( Big Game, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale)
* Allu Tuppurainen – Actor, creator of Rölli
* Jenny Wilhelms
Jenny Wilhelms (born 1974) is a Finnish musician. She studied classical and folk music in many Nordic countries. She has been the lead singer of the innovative folk band Gjallarhorn from 1994. Later, according to her bio for her appearance at ...
– Musician
* Carl Gustaf Wolff – Businessman
* Mathilda Wrede – "Friend of the inmates"
* Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen (Georg Zacharias Forsman) – Politician, professor, fennoman
* Daco Junior
Sebastian Da Costa (born 1990 in Luanda, Angola), better known by his stage name Daco Junior, is a singer/songwriter, rapper and a record producer from Vaasa, Finland. Daco Junior debuted in December 2010 with the single "Sane", which is an offic ...
– Finnish singer and rapper
* Håkan Nyblom Håkans mother is Helena Susanne Konster. Born in Vasa Finland 30.12.1964
Håkan Erik Nyblom (born 26 November 1981) is a retired Greco-Roman wrestler. He and his twin brother Anders were born in Finland, but competed throughout their careers f ...
– Finnish wrestler
* Miika Koivisto – Ice hockey player
* Jukka Seppo
Jukka-Pekka Seppo (born January 22, 1968) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player who primarily played in the Finnish Liiga and German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Seppo was drafted in the second round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by t ...
- Ice hockey player
* Lauri Tähkä - Singer/songwriter
* Vappu Taipale
Vappu Taipale ( Puustinen; born 1 May 1940) is a Finnish retired politician and physician.
Medical career
In 1966, Taipale graduated with a licentiate's degree in medicine and qualified to practise medicine. In 1980, she obtained her doctorate ...
- Psychiatrist and politician
* Juha Tapio
Juha Leevi Antero Tapio (born 5 February 1974) is a Finnish singer, lyricist, composer and guitarist. His album ''Mitä silmät ei nää'' (2003) sold gold and the album ''Kaunis ihminen'' (2006) reached platinum. He is married to Raija Mattila, ...
- Singer, lyricist, composer and guitarist
Twin towns
, Vaasa has town twinning
A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are ...
treaties or treaties of cooperation signed with the following ten cities:Bellingham Sister Cities Association
Godfather Town
Twin Town
Cooperation Treaty
Sister City
See also
*
Wasa, British Columbia (named after Vasa)
*
Blue Highway (an international tourist route)
*
Seinäjoki (a neighboring city from the South Ostrobothnia region)
Notes
Bibliography
* Julkunen, Mikko: ''Vaasa - Vasa''. ''Vaasa: Vaasa'', 1982. (Photo book with English text.)
References
External links
Vaasa– Official website
Vaasa– Official website
Vasa– Official website
Tourist's Vaasa
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Finland
Populated coastal places in Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
Populated places established in 1606
Former capitals of Finland
1606 establishments in Sweden
Port cities and towns in Finland