Kokemäki (; sv, Kumo) is a

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

and

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 the Satakunta Region 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 ...

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

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

is . Finland is constitutionally

bi-lingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all Eu ...

with a Swedish speaking minority. The

is unilingual with the vast majority of the population speaking Finnish. Many, mostly younger, residents are able to understand or speak some English. The American battery company Æsir Technologies Inc. has announced that it will establish a

nickel hydroxide Nickel(II) hydroxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Ni(OH)2. It is an apple-green solid that dissolves with decomposition in ammonia and amines and is attacked by acids. It is electroactive, being converted to the Ni(III) oxy-hydroxi ...

plant producing material for nickel-zinc batteries in the village of Peipohja of Kokemäki. The Kokemäki coat of arms depicts the bishop's

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in t ...

Geography

The long Kokemäki River (''Kokemäenjoki'') flows from Lake Liekovesi, in the Pirkanmaa region, through Kokemäki and in to the Gulf of Bothnia at Pori. The Kolsi hydro-electric power plant is located at Kokemäki. Kokemäki River has long been an important waterway, well known for its salmon, whitefish and lamprey.

History

It is believed that the Iron Age town of

Teljä Teljä (also Telja or Tälje) was a late Iron Age and early Middle Ages settlement in Finland at the historical province of Satakunta. According to tradition it was located by the river Kokemäenjoki in the present municipality of Kokemäki. ...

was located next to the Kokemäenjoki river at Kokemäki. The oldest stone carving yet found in Finland, dated at 8,000 to 9,000 years old, was discovered in nearby Huittinen in 1903. The 10 cm elk's head is in a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Finland in the capital,

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 ...

. Archeological finds from in and around Kokemäki have been dated to the Middle Ages. Kokemäki is thought to have been founded in the 12th century, maybe even earlier. The Kokemäki parish was established in 1324. While part of the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually t ...

, the administrative area (

slottslän A slottslän ( fi, linnalääni) was a type of secularThe church had its own administrative system. administrative division throughout the Kingdom of Sweden (800–1521), Kingdom of Sweden from late 13th century to 1634. The administrative center wa ...

) of Kokemäenkartanon was created in 1331. Kokemäki served as the administrative centre of the

historical province of Satakunta Satakunta (, or ''Satagundia'') is a historical province of Finland. It borders the historical provinces of Finland Proper, Tavastia and Ostrobothnia, also the Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska vik ...

until 1634. The Medieval

Kokemäki Castle Kokemäki Castle ( fi, Kokemäen linna, sv, Kumo slott) was a Medieval castle in Kokemäki in the province of Satakunta in Finland. The time of its foundation is unclear, but the castle was most likely completed in 1324–25. It was demolished i ...

was demolished in 1367. The medieval trading route of Huovintie goes 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''; ...

, by Kokemäki and the river of Kokemäenjoki. Along the Huovintie were guild houses where travellers could stay overnight. This was located near the Kokemäki church. The legend states that in 1156 Bishop Henry of

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

visited Satakunta on a preaching tour as a part of Eric IX of Sweden's

first crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...

to Finland.

St. Henry's Chapel St. Henry's Chapel ( fi, Pyhän Henrikin kappeli, sv, Biskop Henriks bönehus) is a neogothic style brick chapel in the town of Kokemäki, Finland. The chapel was built in 1857 to cover a medieval wooden granary which was used by St. Henry, t ...

is a neogothic style brick chapel one kilometre east of the town centre of Kokemäki. The chapel was built in 1857 on the site of a medieval wooden granary which was used by Bishop Henry. It is possible that the original building dates back to between the 12th and 15th century, making it the oldest remaining wooden building in Finland. Kokemäki was granted a town charter in 1869. During the Revolution of 1918 some one-hundred-fifty-three individuals were killed in the municipality of Kokemäki. The municipality of Kauvatsa was merged with Kokemäki in 1969. Kokemäki was granted city status in 1977.

Transport

The transport system of Finland is well-developed with an extensive road system.

Road

Highway 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

passes to the south, running from Helsinki to Pori on the Baltic coast; Highway 11 runs from Pori to

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finlan ...

only briefly in the northern part of the municipality; and

Highway 12 Route 12 or Highway 12 can refer to: For a list of roads named A12, see A12 roads. International * Asian Highway 12 * European route E12 * European route E012 Argentina * National Route 12 Australia NSW * Western Sydney Airport Motorway ( ...

runs from Rauma to

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 ...

and Nokia, passing through nearby Huittinen. Helsinki is or two and a half hours away by car. There are two electric vehicle (EV) charging points in Kokemäki, with another 55 within a radius. The private

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

companies OnniBus and ExpressBus operate services to all major towns and regions in Finland.

Rail

Finnish trains have a reputation for being spacious, comfortable and clean. The state-owned rail company VR operates a service between

and Pori, stopping at Kokemäki. The train station is to the west of the town centre at Peipohja.

Air

The nearest airport is

Pori Airport Pori Airport ( fi, Porin lentoasema) is an airport in Pori, Finland. The airport is located south of the Pori town centre. It has two check-in desks, and a cafeteria service. During 2011 Pori Airport served 54,056 passengers, an increase of 25. ...

, which is or 40 minutes away by Highway 2. Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is or an hour and ten minutes away by Highway 12. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is two hours and twenty minutes away by Highway 2.

Tourist attractions

* Tulkkila - Museum Bridge * Vestry of Saint Maria's Church *

Puurijärvi-Isosuo National Park Puurijärvi-Isosuo National Park ( fi, Puurijärven ja Isosuon kansallispuisto) is a national park in the Pirkanmaa and Satakunta regions of Finland. It was established in 1993 and covers . The area consists mainly of large swamp areas and the P ...

* Museum of Agriculture or "''Maatalousmuseo''" * Open-air Museum * Kokemäenjoki river * Kriivari Reindeer Farm * Sapila Suspension Bridge * Church of Gustav lll

Education

The Finnish education system is based on

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is r ...

ing and is publicly funded. Kokemäki has six schools offering primary and

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...

. These are; Tuomaala, Tulkkila, Riste, Peipohja, Lahteenmaki and Korkeaoja

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. There is free pre-school education for all children aged 6. The Peipohjan day-care nursery caters for children aged 9 months to 5 years. There is a

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

Forsby School for children aged 0–9. Vocational training is provided by Satakunta Training Consortium, known as SATAEDU and Huittinen Business and Vocational College.

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Kokemäki is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Falköping, Sweden * Lier, Norway * Mariagerfjord, Denmark * Põltsamaa, Estonia

References

External links

Town of Kokemäki
– Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Kokemaki Cities and towns in Finland Populated places established in 1869 1869 establishments in the Russian Empire