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Hamina (; sv, Fredrikshamn, , Sweden ) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located approximately east of the country's capital Helsinki, in the Kymenlaakso region, and formerly the province of
Southern Finland Southern Finland ( fi, Etelä-Suomen lääni, sv, Södra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia. History O ...
. The municipality's population is (as of ) and covers an area of , of which is water. The population density is . The population of the central town is approximately 10,000. The municipal language of Hamina is Finnish. Highway 7 ( E18) is the town's road connection to Helsinki, after it was upgraded to a continuous motorway in September 2014. Hamina is also the base of one of the most important harbors of Finland, the Port of Hamina-Kotka. The port specializes in forest products and the transit of cargo to Russia. One of Google's five European data centers is situated in Hamina.


History

Vehkalahti was as a municipality first mentioned in 1336. At the proposal of Count Peter Brahe, the area surrounding the Vehkalahti church (today St. Mary's Church) received its charter in 1653 through the establishment of Vehkalahden Uusikaupunki (Veckelax Nystad in
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 New Town of Vehkalahti"). The town was later destroyed during the Great Northern War in 1712.Hamina
/ref> As the commercially vibrant city of Vyborg was lost to Russia in 1721, Fredrikshamn (named in 1723 in the honor of King
Frederick I of Sweden Frederick I ( sv, Fredrik I; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and (as ''Frederick I'') also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730. He ascended the throne f ...
) was dedicated to replace it. The town, hitherto a small domestic port with restricted trading privilege's, was granted extensive rights to conduct foreign trade. The Finnish speaking population soon abbreviated the name of the town to Hamina. The reconstruction of the town was completed between 1722 and 1724. The
star-shaped fortress A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...
and the circular town plan, designed by
Axel Löwen Axel Löwen (1 November 1686 – 25 July 1773) was a count and Swedish Knight of the Seraphim, Commander of the Order of the Sword and privy counsellor. Löwen was a volunteer in the Fortification Corps in 1702, got his main military education a ...
, were based on Central European and Italian Renaissance concepts from the 16th century. Fortress towns with a circular street plan like this are quite rare; one example is Palmanova in Italy. In 1743, Hamina was surrendered to Russia, after the Russo–Swedish War, 1741–1743, and the town of
Loviisa Loviisa (; sv, Lovisa ; formerly Degerby) is a municipality and town of inhabitants () on the southern coast of Finland. It is located from Helsinki and from Porvoo. About 43 per cent of the population is Swedish-speaking. The municipality co ...
was the next Swedish candidate for an Eastern-Finnish trade center. Hamina became a Russian frontier town, for which a fortress was desirable. The Treaty of Fredrikshamn (1809), by which Sweden ceded Finland, including parts of the province of Lappland and Åland, was signed in Hamina. Thus Sweden was split, and the eastern half was formed into the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. In 1812, the previously conquered territories known as Old Finland (including Hamina) were joined to the Grand Duchy.
Hamina Cadet School The Hamina Cadet School and Finland Cadet School were the common names for the Fredrikshamn cadet school during the period 1819–1901. The Cadet School was founded in 1780 by Georg Magnus Sprengtporten at Kuopio and transferred in 1781 to Rantas ...
was founded in 1819 and was in operation until 1903. In 1920 the Reserve Officer School began in the same facilities. Because the town was founded next to the Vehkalahti Church, the municipal center had always been inside the town borders. Vehkalahti and Hamina were consolidated in 2003, and the old coat of arms was replaced with Vehkalahti's coat of arms. The old coat of arms was readopted in January 2013. Results of the
2021 Finnish municipal elections Municipal elections were held in Finland on 13 June 2021 after being rescheduled from 18 April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Context The last municipal elections were held in 2017 and were won by the National Coalition Party with a 20.7 percent ...
, resulted in
The Finns Party The Finns Party, formerly known as the True Finns ( fi, Perussuomalaiset, PS, sv, Sannfinländarna, Sannf.), is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The ...
being the largest group on Hamina council, in Hamina.


Main sights

* Town Hall: Originally built in 1798, it was renovated by Carl Ludvig Engel in 1840. * Reserve Officer School: The site which trains reserve officers in the
Army Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
of the Finnish Army * Town Museum: It is located in a building where King
Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...
and Empress
Catherine II of Russia , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
met in 1783.Hamina
/ref> * Shopkeeper's Museum * Google Data Center: (former Stora Enso pulp factory) *
Hamina Fortress Hamina Fortress ( fi, Haminan linnoitus) is located in Finland on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and it is an integral part of the Hamina city centre. Hamina fortress is a Star fort, representing the Renaissance ideal city embodied by Palmano ...
: Built in the 18th century, it is one of the
star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...
s in Finland. The corners of the fortress form six
bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
s, named after towns in Finland. The Central Bastion was added at the end of the 18th century, and is currently used for cultural events.


Churches

* St. Mary's Church, previously known as Vehkalahti Church, is the oldest building in Kymenlaakso. It was originally built in the Middle Ages, but it was burnt in 1821 and the current neoclassical exterior is designed by Carl Ludvig Engel and completed in 1828. The church has a museum dedicated to the church life from the 18th century onwards. * St. John's Church, formerly known as Hamina Church, was built between 1841-1843. It was designed by Carl Ludvig Engel in the neoclassical style. * Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, the
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
church in Hamina, was built in 1837. It was designed by Italian-
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
architect Louis Visconti. The architecture of the church is combination of neoclassical and Byzantine elements. Image:Hamina Ortho6 s.JPG, The orthodox church of Peter and Paul Image:Hamina aerial 2014.jpg, Aerial view of the town Image:Keskusbastioni jossa 58 varastokasemattia.jpg, Central bastion of the fortress Image:Haminan kaupunginmuseo.JPG, The town museum


Twin towns

* Vordingborg, Denmark * Falun,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
* Paide, Estonia * Røros, NorwayHurmaava Hamina - Info


Notable people

*
Magnus Enckell Knut Magnus Enckell (9 November 1870 in Hamina – 27 November 1925 in Stockholm) was a Finnish symbolist painter. At first he painted with a subdued palette, but from 1902 onwards used increasingly bright colors. He was a leading member of the ...
(1870–1925), symbolist painter * Simo Häyhä (1905–2002), a farmer and military sniper *
Pelle Miljoona Pelle Miljoona (Literally “Clown Million”), real name Petri Samuli Tiili (born 10 February 1955 in Hamina, Finland) is a Finnish punk rock musician, who assembled his first band in 1977. His first single was ''Olen työtön'' (English: ''I ...
(born 1955), a musician * Hugo Simberg (1873-1917), a painter *
Emilie Mechelin Emilie Mechelin (8 April 1838 — 22 December 1917) was a Finnish operatic soprano and pedagogue, notable among other things for being the first singing teacher of the Helsinki School of Music (later to become Sibelius Academy). Early life and ...
(1838-1917), opera singer and pedagogue * Leo Mechelin (1839-1914), a professor, statesman, senator and liberal reformer *
Meri Toppelius Meri Toppelius (9 July 1863 – 1896) was a Finnish-born American educational theorist who was the first to introduce the sloyd system in the United States. Early years and education Jenny Maria ("Meri") Toppelius was born in Hamina, Finland, a d ...
(1863–1896), educational theorist


See also

* Maarianhamina


References


External links


Official website of Hamina in English

Guide map of Hamina

Map of Hamina


{{Authority control Cities and towns in Finland Populated coastal places in Finland Grand Duchy of Finland Port cities and towns in Finland Populated places established in 1653 1653 establishments in Sweden