Pernå (, Sweden ; ) is a former municipality 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, ...

. Pernå is located in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Southern Finland Southern Finland (, ) 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 On September 1, 1997 the Uusimaa Province, the Ky ...

and was part of the Eastern Uusimaa

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. The municipality had a population of 3,961 (31 December 2009) and covered an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . The municipality was bilingual, with the majority being Swedish and minority Finnish speakers. Sarvlaks

Pernå is the oldest municipality in the Eastern Uusimaa region. The current municipalities of Lapinjärvi, Liljendal and

Loviisa Loviisa (; ; formerly Degerby) is a town in Finland, located on the southern coast of the country. Loviisa is situated in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Loviisa is approximately , while the Loviisa sub-region, sub-regi ...

were originally part of it. Mikael Agricola, the founder of written Finnish was born in Pernå in the early 16th century. He is also considered to be the "Reformator of Finland" in the transfer from Catholicism to Lutheranism. Situated conveniently by the coast, and engulfing also a small river, the lands of Pernå were attractive at a time when waterways rather than proper roads provided the means of transport. There are a number of manor houses in the Pernå area - most notably Sarvlaks manor, which dates back to the 1450s - at a time when Finland was a part of Sweden. The origin of the name "Pernå" is uncertain; some think it links with the Uralic word "Pern" meaning lime- or lindentree. "Å" is Swedish for a small river, i.e. the name then being Lindenriver if translated. On 1 January 2010 Pernå was amalgamated with

Ruotsinpyhtää Ruotsinpyhtää (; ) is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality of Finland. Ruotsinpyhtää, Pernå and Liljendal were consolidated to Loviisa on January 1, 2010. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Sou ...

and Liljendal to form a new municipality of Loviisa.

People born in Pernå

* Mikael Agricola (1510 – 1557) * Axel Rudolf Danielson ( 21 March 1888 Pernå - 17 October 1938 ) was a Finnish 27th Jaeger Battalion Major and pharmacist. His parents were * Karl Gustaf Danielson ( 2 December 1856 Pernå - 7 August 1924 ), a gardener and Naval Officer, and Emilia Sofia Johansson (10 August 1864 - 10 January 1939). His wife, Anna Maria Arlander, was a Senior nurse. * Oscar Johansson (1882 – 1947) * Ernst von Born (1885 – 1956) * Ola Rosendahl (1939 – 2008)

References

External links

Municipality of Pernå
– Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Perna Populated places disestablished in 2010 Former municipalities of Finland Loviisa