Teljä (also Telja or Tälje) was a late

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

and early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

settlement in

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, ...

at the historical province of Satakunta. According to tradition it was located by the river

Kokemäenjoki The Kokemäenjoki (" Kokemäki River", ) is a river in southwestern Finland. Geography The river originates at Lake Liekovesi in the Pirkanmaa region, and flows to the Gulf of Bothnia at Pori in the Satakunta region. Primary tributaries of the ...

in the present municipality of

Kokemäki 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 ...

. It is uncertain whether Teljä was a town-like settlement or more of a market place for

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

traders.

History

Teljä is considered to be the predecessor of Medieval

Ulvila Ulvila (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is one of the six medieval cities of Finland, as well as the third oldest city in the country. Ulvila was granted charter as a ...

town and the 1558 founded city of

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 ...

. The settlement and its harbor moved downstream as the river went shallow due to

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

. Some tradition claims Teljä was preceded by an ancient settlement named Hahlo which was located few kilometers upstream.Mikä oli Telja?
Municipality of Kokemäki. (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 November 2013. There is no archaeological evidence of Teljä; in 1960 an Excavation (archaeology), excavation led by professor Unto Salo found no traces of an Iron Age town but the archaeologists discovered remains of Medieval village that was later destroyed by fire. Some Viking Age and Medieval objects were also found. According to Salo and an earlier historian Jalmari Jaakkola, Teljä was established in the 11th century by Sweden, Swedish merchants. River Kokemäenjoki was the waterway connecting sea to the inland lakes of Satakunta (historical province), Upper Satakunta, which is a part of modern-day Pirkanmaa region. The most important export since Iron Age was fur.Tapio Salminen: Joki ja sen väki – Kokemäen ja Harjavallan historia jääkaudesta 1860-luvulle (The history of Kokemäki and Harjavalta municipalities). . Retrieved 2 November 2013.

Location

Teljä's assumed location is at the site of 1857 built St. Henry's Chapel. It is a brick chapel which covers a small wooden granary used by Henry (bishop of Finland), Bishop Henry in 1150s as a sermon room. It is possible that St. Henry was preaching at Teljä on the First Swedish Crusade, although the expedition itself might be just a myth. The granary was later converted to a chapel that was a destination for pilgrimages until the Swedish Reformation, Reformation era.St. Henry's Chapel
Spotting History. Retrieved 2 November 2013.

Name

In documents the name Teljä was first mentioned in 1650 Swedish geography description ''Epitome descriptionis Svecia, Gothiae, Fenningiae et subjectarum provinciarum'' by professor Mikael Wexionius. The name is assumed to be same origin as the "Tälje"-named places in Sweden. Some 18th-century descriptions call Teljä as "Öster-Tälje" (East Tälje) to distinguish it from Swedish Norrtälje (North Tälje) and Södertälje (South Tälje).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Telja Medieval Finland Former populated places in Finland Lost cities and towns Satakunta