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Kangasala | |
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City | |
Kangasalan kaupunki Kangsala stad | |
Coordinates: 61°28′N024°04′E / 61.467°N 24.067°E | |
Country | Finland |
Region | Pirkanmaa |
Sub-region | Tampere |
Metropolitan area | Tampere |
Charter | 1865 |
Government | |
• City manager | Oskari Auvinen |
Area (2018-01-01) [1] | |
• Total | 870.86 km2 (336.24 sq mi) |
• Land | 658.02 km2 (254.06 sq mi) |
• Water | 212.83 km2 (82.17 sq mi) |
• Rank | 130th largest in Finland |
Population (2024-12-31) [2] | |
• Total | 33,966 |
• Rank | 34th largest in Finland |
• Density | 51.62/km2 (133.7/sq mi) |
Population by native language | |
• Finnish | 96.4% (official) |
• Swedish | 0.2% |
• Others | 3.4% |
Population by age | |
• 0 to 14 | 18.8% |
• 15 to 64 | 60.2% |
• 65 or older | 20.9% |
Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
Website | www |
Kangasala is a town in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the east of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Kangasala is approximately 34,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 423,000. It is the 34th most populous municipality in Finland.
Kangasala was founded in 1865. The town covers an area of 870.86 km2 (336.24 sq mi) of which 212.83 km2 (82.17 sq mi) is water. [1] The population density is 51.62 inhabitants per square kilometre (133.7/sq mi).
Kangasala is known for its mansions, such as Liuksiala, where the Swedish queen Karin Månsdotter lived as a widow, and Wääksy. Kangasala has a long history of tourism due to its cultural aspect, especially its museums. The landscape includes ridges and lakes. For example, the lakes Roine, Längelmävesi and Vesijärvi are located in Kangasala. These lakes are mentioned in Topelius' poem. Lake Vesijärvi is known as the lake with the scenic view described in the poem.
The municipality of Sahalahti was merged with Kangasala in 2005 and the municipality of Kuhmalahti in 2011. [5]
Kangasala was known to be a popular destination in the 18th century. At that time, the waters of Kuohu Spring (Kuohunlähde) were believed to have healing powers on those who ventured into it and Kangasala became known among tourists as a place to rest. Refreshing in a health spa, bathing, taking outdoor exercise and "taking the waters" were popular amongst the aristocracy. It was also the reason why the first tourists came to Kangasala to spend their holidays there.
A water well building was built by the Kuohu Spring, which was later followed by a separate restaurant and hotel. [6] Spa tourism if often considered to be a predecessor of modern holiday making. However, at the time, it was primarily a pastime of the nobles and the prosperous bourgeoisie only.
The golden age of spa tourism lasted about a hundred years, as interest in health springs began to decline in the 1840s. The artists of the Romantic period admired nature and frequently praised its beauty. Artists were drawn to Kangasala to view the landscapes. Amongst university students, wandering their homeland's natural environment became a way of showing patriotic love.
In 1775, the king of Sweden, Gustav III, was so taken by the scenery of the Syrjänkorkee ridge that he believed it to have been the very place where Satan tempted Jesus and promised him all the wonders of the world. Syrjänkorkee also made an impression on the Russian tsar and Grand Duke of Finland, Alexander I, in 1819. Thus, it was later renamed Keisarinharju, which can be translated as 'Emperor's Ridge'.
In addition to Keisarinharju, there are three other ridges that are popular panoramic sightseeing locations. The largest and highest of these is Kirkkoharju, also called Helaamäki, which stretches from Vatiala to the church of Kangasala. Kuohunharju (Kuohu Ridge) and Vehoniemenharju (Vehoniemi Ridge) are also well known for their views. Haralanvuori, or Haralanharju, located in Suinula, northern Kangasala, is a rocky hill, despite its second name.
In the Summer of 1853, Helsinki suffered from a cholera epidemic. Zacharias Topelius escaped the disease by retreating to the countryside. He visited lieutenant-colonel Aminoff's farm near Haralanvuori with his female acquaintance, Lotta Lindqvist. Topelius became fond of the views from the "Harjula ridge" and wrote his famous poem "A Summer's Day in Kangasala". Later, Gabriel Linsén composed a melody for the poem. From 1995, the melody has been the provincial hymn of the Pirkanmaa region, and it is one of the most widely known Finnish melodies.
The landscapes of Kangasala made an impression on other Finnish authors as well. Poets like Frans Mikael Franzén, Johan Jakob Nervander, Emil von Qvanten, and Johan Ludvig Runeberg wrote about the environment. [7] [ citation needed ]
These landscapes were a source for an arising sense of nationality and arts that were means of concretizing the admiration and pride directed at them. In particular, the early 19th-century art of painting, with its idyllic portraits of country and nature, expresses the intellectual world of Romanticism. The countryside is filled with fields, forests, hills, ridges, lakes, and rivers.
In the 19th century, Kangasala's landscapes were painted by several famous painters. The earliest portrayers of the local landscape include Emanuel Thelning, a Swede sent to Kangasala by baron Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, after he himself had visited the healing spring of Kuohu in 1811, and the German Carl von Kügelgen, royal painter of Alexander I, who painted at least three paintings representing Kangasala. His workpiece Vues pittoresques de la Finlande, which includes 15 lithographs, is often considered the start of Finnish landscape painting. The Hermitage in St. Petersburg contains pieces of art by von Kügelgen.
Other artists who painted Kangasala were Werner Holmberg, Einar Ilmoni, Eero Järnefelt, Hjalmar Munsterhjelm, Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa and Magnus von Wright, who painted six paintings on Kangasala in the 1860s.
The invention of dry plate photography in 1882 made taking photographs easier and cheaper. Furthermore, landscape photography has started to gain popularity in the city. As far as is currently known, the first actual landscape photographs in Kangasala were taken by Gustin Lojander in 1893. His series of photographs presented the landscapes and sightseeing of Kangasala.
The increased popularity of landscape photography decreased artists' interest in the province of Tavastia (Häme). The search for the roots of Finnishness has now turned towards Karelia (Karjala). Still, Kangasala wasn't forgotten by artists. The number of local artists – who often were landscapists of their home district – kept on growing. Photographs helped in making the nation aware of Kangasala's landscapes. At the end of the 19th century, advances in the printing press made it possible to spread pictures throughout the country in the form of affordable picture postcards.
The artists' descriptions of Kangasala lured more and more travelers to the parish. People had to climb high, even up the trees, to be able to see the views. Although the ridgetops were relatively treeless at that time – because of the sawmill industry's great demand for wood – the construction of observation towers was considered necessary to provide new viewpoints. Many lookout spots (except Kuohunharju) got their own observation towers in the 1880s or 1890s. The first observation tower was built on Keisarinharju in 1881. A panoramic pavilion had been built there at the time of the visit of Alexander I, but it had already vanished by the 1850s. The towers at Haralanharju and Keisarinharju were destroyed by an arsonist in 2006 and 2007. Now only the towers at Vehoniemenharju and Kirkkoharju remain, but plans were in progress for rebuilding both towers within a year of the first arson. The Haralanharju tower was rebuilt and finished in 2008, however the Keisarinharju tower was never built into its original height. Instead a shorter observation spot known as Keisarinportaat was built on its place.
The ridges of Kangasala and Tampere are part of the same ridge formation. Travelers often used to visit both the ridges of Kangasala and Pyynikinharju (Pyynikki Ridge) in Tampere. Together, they were the most popular tourist attractions in Western Finland. In 1890, approximately 800 visitors came to Kangasala, 1,200–1,400 visited Pyynikki, and Imatra, the most popular tourist attraction in Finland at the time, was a destination for about 5,000 tourists.
The ideological conceptions created by the artist had a great influence on the Finnish sense of nationality, as had picture postcards and the lake views from the observation towers. When the period of Russification began at the end of the 19th-century, Finnish nature worked as an upbringing force for national self-esteem and as a unifier of Finnish culture. Kangasala played a role in that development.
Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately 260,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 423,000. It is the 3rd most populous municipality in Finland, and the second most populous urban area in the country after the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Nokia is a town in the Pirkanmaa region of Finland. It lies on the banks of the Nokianvirta, a river of the Kokemäki River watershed, and is situated in the Tampere metropolitan area, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) west of Tampere proper. The population of Nokia is approximately 36,000, while the Tampere metropolitan area has a population of approximately 423,000. It is the 33rd most populous municipality in Finland, and the second largest in the Pirkanmaa region after Tampere.
Pirkkala is a municipality in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the southwest of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Pirkkala is approximately 21,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 423,000. It is the 48th most populous municipality in Finland.
Pirkanmaa, also known as Tampere Region in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Southwest Finland. Most of the water area in the Kokemäki River watershed is located in the Pirkanmaa region, although Lake Vanajavesi is partly in the Kanta-Häme region. The region got its name from Pirkkala, which in the Middle Ages comprised most of present-day Pirkanmaa. Tampere is the regional center and capital of Pirkanmaa, and at the same time the largest city in the region.
Karstula is a municipality of Finland founded in 1867. It is located in the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of 3,575 and covers an area of 963.19 square kilometres (371.89 sq mi) of which 76.22 km2 (29.43 sq mi) is water. The population density is 4.03 inhabitants per square kilometre (10.4/sq mi).
Päijät-Häme is a region in Southern Finland south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, South Savo and Kymenlaakso. The biggest city in the region is Lahti.
Nastola is a former municipality of Finland. It was merged with the city of Lahti on 1 January 2016.
Orivesi is a town in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the northeast of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Orivesi is approximately 9,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 423,000. It is the 110th most populous municipality in Finland.
Pälkäne is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of 6,236 and covers an area of 738.15 square kilometres (285.00 sq mi) of which 177.65 km2 (68.59 sq mi). The population density is 11.12 inhabitants per square kilometre (28.8/sq mi). Onkkaala is the administrative center of the municipality. Tampere is located 38 kilometres (24 mi) northwest of the center of Pälkäne.
Turku Cathedral is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Finland, Tapio Luoma. It is also regarded as one of the major records of Finnish architectural history.
Pyynikki Summer Theatre or Pyynikki Open Air Theatre is a theatre operating in Tampere, Finland, known especially for its revolving auditorium. It is one of the largest summer theatres in Finland and has been running uninterrupted longer than any other open-air theatre in the country.
Mänttä-Vilppula is a town and municipality of Finland. The municipalities of Mänttä and Vilppula were consolidated into a single municipality on January 1, 2009. It is located in the Pirkanmaa region.
Pispala is a city area 2.5 km from the centre of Tampere, Finland. It is located on the northern slope of Pispalanharju, the highest esker in Finland.
Längelmävesi is a lake in southwestern Finland. The lake is located mostly in the Pirkanmaa region at an elevation of 84.2 metres (276 ft). Längelmävesi is within the municipalities of Jämsä, Kangasala, Kuhmalahti, and Orivesi.
Roine is a medium-sized lake in Finland. The lake is located in the Pirkanmaa region, mostly in the municipality of Kangasala and for a lesser part in the municipality of Pälkäne.
The Pyynikki observation tower is a 26 meter observation tower in Pyynikki, Tampere, Finland. It was completed in 1929 by the design of the city architect Vilho Kolho, and built using local red granite. The tower stands 75 meters above the level of the adjacent lake Pyhäjärvi on the ridge crest of the Pyynikki Esker.
Pyynikki is a district and a nature reserve in Tampere, Finland. It is located in the Pyynikinharju ridge, between the city center and the western district of Pispala. Pyynikinharju is the highest esker in the world, rising 85 meters above the level of lake Pyhäjärvi.
The Finnish national road 9 is a main route. It runs from Turku through Loimaa, Tampere, Jämsä, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Outokumpu and Joensuu to the Niirala border guard station in Tohmajärvi, right next to the Russian border. The length of the road is 663 kilometres (412 mi).
The Pyynikki Esker is the tallest longitudinal esker in the world, located in Pyynikki, Tampere, Finland. The ridge rises to a height of 160 meters above sea level and 80 meters above the surface of Lake Pyhäjärvi. The Pyynikki Esker belongs to the ridge formation that extends from South Ostrobothnia to Salpausselkä. The ridge formation continues west of the Pyynikki Esker as a rocky ridge known as the Pispala Esker (Pispalanharju) and Tahmela. To the east, after the settlement of Tampere, the ridge becomes the Kalevankangas esker, where there has been a cemetery by same name for almost 150 years. In Kangasala, the ridge formation continues as the four ridges called Kirkkoharju, Kuohunharju, Keisarinharju and Vehoniemenharju. The Pyynikki Esker, like longitudinal ridges, is mainly gravel and sand.
Aitolahti is a former municipality in Pirkanmaa region, Finland. It was consolidated in 1966 with Tampere, and at the same time Tampere got new districts: Sorila, Nurmi and Aitoniemi. Until 1947, the neighboring municipalities of Aitolahti included Messukylä, which was consolidated with the city of Tampere. Highway 9 (E63) between Tampere and Jyväskylä and the regional road 338 between Tampere and Ruovesi pass through Aitolahti.