Kuopio has a total area of 4,326.35 square kilometres (1,670.41 sq mi), of which 719.85 km2 (277.94 sq mi) is water[3] and half is forest. Although the city'spopulation is spread over 39/km2 (100/sq mi), the city'surban areas are comparatively densely populated (urban area: 1,618 /km²),[9] making Kuopio the second most densely populated city in Finland. At the end of 2018, its urban area had a population of approximately 90,000.[10] Together withJoensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic and cultural centres ofEastern Finland.
Kuopio is nationally known as one of the most importantstudy cities and centres of attraction and growth.[11][12][13] The city's history has been marked by severalmunicipality mergers since 1969, as a result of which Kuopio now encompasses much of the countryside; Kuopio's population surpassed 100,000 when the town ofNilsiä joined the city in early 2013. WhenMaaninka joined Kuopio at the beginning of 2015, Kuopio became the largestmilk-producing municipality in Finland and the second largestbeef-producing municipality in Finland. In addition, at the end of the 2010s, Kuopio was characterised by numerous large projects, the largest in the country after theHelsinki metropolitan area.[14] Kuopio has also become a majortourist city with the large tourist centre inTahkovuori.Kuopio Airport, located in the municipality of Siilinjärvi, is Finland's fifth busiest airport with over 235,000 passengers in 2017.[15]
According to the Kuntarating 2017 survey, Kuopio has the most satisfied residents among the 20 largest cities,[16] and according to the 2018 survey, Kuopio is the best city forproperty investors.[17] In theKuntien imago 2018 survey, Kuopio ranks second among Finland's large cities afterSeinäjoki inSouth Ostrobothnia.[18] InT-media's study on the attractiveness and influence of the ten largest cities in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Kuopio is the second most attractive city in Finland, withTampere in first place.[19][20][21]
There are several theories regarding the origins of the name "Kuopio". One theory proposes that in the 16th century, a local notable named Kauhanen inTavinsalmi, a village approximately 32 km to the northwest of the city, changed his name to Skopa. It is possible that this was derived from the Swedish word "Skopa", asFinland was under Swedish rule at the time and many members of the localFinnish nobility would adoptSwedish or Swedish-sounding names. This may explain why the word waspronounced differently when rendered incolloquial Finnish: first as "Coopia" and later "Cuopio". Another explanation is thatKuopio comes from the Finnish verb "kuopia", meaning "to paw (at)" or "to dig", as when ahorse paws the ground with itshoof. The final theory, endorsed by theResearch Institute for the Languages of Finland, is that the name "Kuopio" originates fromProkopij, the name of aKarelian man who lived in theMiddle Ages and was said to have migrated from the village ofRuokolahti inSouthern Karelia to the shores ofLake Kallavesi near present-day Kuopio, possibly to establish atrading post.[25][26][27][28]
Thecoat of arms of Kuopio was designed in 1823 based on a drawing by either the town councilor Karl Hårdh[29] or his son, Adolf Hårdh, who was anartist.[30] The coat of arms was approved for use in 1823 by the Kuopio Magistrate in accordance with adecree ofAlexander I of Russia.[31][32] The building depicted in the coat of arms isKuopio Cathedral and is often mistaken forKuopio City Hall, which was only built in 1886.[30]
The current coat of arms was designed by architect Seppo Ruotsalainen and draws inspiration from the original.[30] The current design was approved by the Kuopio City Council at a meeting on November 25, 1957 and was confirmed by theMinistry of the Interior on June 12, 1958.[33]
In the 1550s, theFinnish Church, under the influence ofProtestant reformerMikael Agricola, establishedparish church in Kuopionniemi. GovernorPer Brahe the Younger founded the settlement of Kuopio in 1653. However, the official date of the city's founding is November 17, 1775, when KingGustav III of Sweden ordered the formal establishment of the city as the governmental seat ofSavo-Karjala Province (Swedish:Savolax och Karelens län, Finnish:Savonlinnan ja Karjalan lääni).[34]
Following the conclusion of theFinnish War in 1809, which occurred in the context of the broaderNapoleonic Wars, Finland would be annexed by theRussian Empire as anautonomousGrand Duchy. In the19th century, Eastern Finland would see considerable infrastructural investment and modernization, particularly in the realm oftransportation. The development of infrastructure would lead to the further economic integration of previously isolated, inland areas, with economic and commercial hubs on the Baltic Coast. Majorpublic works projects built during this time include theSaimaa Canal in 1856, which opened up a summer route betweenLake Saimaa and the Baltic Sea, and theSavo railway in 1889,[34] which passed through Kuopio en route toMikkeli,Kouvola,Vyborg, andSt. Petersburg.[35] Kuopio's originaltrain station was built the same year and would serve as the city's main rail terminus until 1934, when it was demolished replaced by thecurrent Kuopio railway station.
Kuopio's old railway station building and passengers in 1910.
FollowingWorld War II, Kuopio's population would grow significantly due in part to the settlement ofKarelian evacuees and a high birth rate. Population growth necessitated the expansion of schools. At the end of the 1940s, support was also provided forschool transports[36] and the provision of freeschool meals, expanding awelfare program that had been active since 1902.[37] In the 1960s, the construction ofsuburbs began with the development ofPuijonlaakso. Since then, Kuopio has seen the further construction and growth of suburban areas. These include Tiihotar (as part ofSaarijärvi) in the 1960s, Saarijärvi, Kelloniemi, and Levänen in the 1970s, and Jynkkä and Neulamäki in the 1980s.[citation needed]
Kuopio is almost completely surrounded by lakeKallavesi.
The city is surrounded by LakeKallavesi,[39] and several parts of it are built on islands. With an area of 472.76 square kilometres (182.53 sq mi) Lake Kallavesi is thetenth largest lake in Finland. In the wake of theYoldia Sea, which followed theWeichselian glaciation and preceded theBaltic Sea, there are ancient beaches up to 140 m above the current sea level, of which the current Lake Kallavesi is 82 m above sea level.[40] Kuopio's ample waterfronts and islands are also used in theSaaristokaupunki (lit.Archipelago city) -project, the biggest residential area currently being built in Finland.[41] Saaristokaupunki will accommodate a total of 14,000 inhabitants in 2015. All houses will be situated no more than 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the nearest lakeshore.[42]
Kuopio Market Square is the undisputed center of the city[39] and the city center follows a densely built grid pattern with several parks and narrow gutter streets.[43] The environment of the city is quite distinctive; the surface shapes of the waterfront-lined center are so variable that a flat property is a desired rarity.[44] The settlement has spread outside the center of Kuopio according to a dense and sparse finger model that is affordable forpublic transport,[45] and the new districts have been built in a municipal drive at once; for example, the Saaristokaupunki was banned for building for the previous 25 years,[46] and this Kuopio zoning tradition has a long history.[46] Due to the above-mentioned factors, thepopulation density of the Kuopio city center is the highest in Finland.[47]
With the surrounding lakes, theshoreline in Kuopio is 4,760 kilometers.[48] The terrain is also characterized by rich forests, and the clear center of the Kuopio's lund forest is mainly located in the area between Kuopio,Nilsiä andSiilinjärvi.[49][50] Of the Finnish municipalities, Kuopio has the second largest number ofsummer cottages andholiday homes. In 2013, the number of summer cottages was 8,684. The number of summer homes in Kuopio has increased in recent years due to municipal associations.[51] Due to the abundance of water bodies, Kuopio also has a remarkably favorable climate compared to the latitude. The annual sum of the effective temperature is about as high in Kuopio as in places further south than it, for example,Tampere andLahti.[52]
Kuopio falls in thecontinental climate zone (Köppen climate classification Dfb), bordering onsubarctic climate zone (Köppen "Dfc"). Winters are long and cold, with average highs staying below freezing from November until March, and summers are short and relatively mild. Most precipitation occurs in the late summer and early fall. The summers are relatively warm for its latitude, especially the lows. This is due to influence from the lake, making it much warmer on summer nights than in areas away from water. In winter, maritime moderation is eliminated as the lake freezes over. Average temperatures for all seasons have warmed in recent decades.
Climate data for Kuopio Airport,Siilinjärvi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present)
The city of Kuopio has 125,462 inhabitants, making it the 8th most populous municipality in Finland. Theregion of Kuopio is the 7th largest in Finland, after the regions ofHelsinki,Tampere,Turku,Oulu,Jyväskylä andLahti. Kuopio is home to 2% of Finland's population. 7% of the population has a foreign background, which is below the national average.[59]
Population size of Kuopio (and merged municipalities) 1980–2020[58]
Kuopio is a monolingualFinnish-speaking municipality. As of 2024[update], the majority of the population, 117,144 persons (93.2%), spoke Finnish as their first language. In addition, the number ofSwedish speakers was 131 persons (0.1%) of the population. Foreign languages were spoken by6.7% of the population.[59] AsEnglish andSwedish are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon.
At least 100 different languages are spoken in Kuopio. The most common foreign languages areRussian (1.5%),Arabic (0.7%),Ukrainian (0.6%),English (0.5%) andBengali (0.3%).[59]
As of 2024[update], 8,517 people with a foreign background lived in Kuopio, representing 7% of the population.[note 1] There are 8,269 residents who were born abroad, which makes up 7% of the population. The number of foreign citizens in Kuopio is 5,980.[59] Most foreign-born citizens come from the formerSoviet Union,Russia,Ukraine,Sweden,Niger andSyria.[59]
The relative proportion of immigrants in Kuopio's population is below the national average. It is lower than in the major Finnish cities ofHelsinki,Espoo,Tampere,Vantaa orTurku.
In 2023, theEvangelical Lutheran Church was the largest religious group with 65.6% of the population of Kuopio. Other religious groups accounted for 3.8% of the population. 30.6% of the population had no religious affiliation.[61]
The largest church denomination in Finland, Lutheran Church has adiocese in Kuopio, which is shepherded by bishopJari Jolkkonen.[62] One of the most significant Lutheran churches in the city is theKuopio Cathedral, completed in 1816.[63]
Kuopio's economic structure is very diverse. In 2008, there were about 4,200 enterprises in Kuopio,[67] of which approximately 180 were export companies.[68] These provided about 45,000 jobs.[68] In 2016, this grew to a total of about 5,050 companies, of which more than 190 also trade abroad. There are a total of 50,877 jobs. The business service of the City of Kuopio plays a significant role in the development of Kuopio's business life. The business service promotes the development of companies operating in Kuopio and improves the operating environments of companies. The most important thing in developing operating environments is to improve the supply of estate and business premises. TheKuopio University Hospital (KUH) is Kuopio's second largest employer after the City of Kuopio; in 2011, KUH employed a total of 4,113 people.[69]
Tourism is of great importance to Kuopio's business life;[70] the Rauhalahticamping site is one indication of Kuopio's expertise, as it is the only five-star camping site in Finland.[70] The city has also a comprehensive hotel offer for tourism, one of the most notable is Hotel Savonia, part of theBest Western hotel chain, in thePuijonlaakso district. Arranging accommodation and program services gives many jobs. Kuopio's Entrepreneurs (Kuopion Yrittäjät), the local association of Savo's Entrepreneurs (Savon Yrittäjät), operates in Kuopio.
The most significant recent business projects are the centralization ofHoneywell's Finnish operations in Kuopio, the completion of Ark Therapeutics' gene medicine plant, the marine industry concentration built by Bella Boats at the Marine Park inHaapaniemi's Siikaniemi and the construction ofJunttan's EUR 15 million assembly plant at Kylmämäki at the end of 2008. The site of Junttan's current factory in Särkilahti will have space for a large shopping center. The 9.7-hectare plot purchased by Savocon and TKD Finland for EUR 11 million has a building right for 58,500 square meters. The two companies plan to invest a total of about 40 million euros in the project.[71] A significant industrial player is also Savon Sello company in Sorsasalo, which is currently owned by Powerflute Oyj. One of the biggest projects and investments of recent years is the preparation of the construction of Finnpulp's largest and most modernsoftwoodpulp mill in Kuopio.[72] The most significant retail investments are thePrismahypermarket completed in December 2007 and the Päiväranta'sK-Citymarket completed in August 2008. A hardware store Kodin Terra was opened in Pitkälahti, as well as the Ikano Group'sMatkus Shopping Center in theHiltulanlahti area in November 2012[73] and anIKEAdepartment store in May 2013.[74]
Kuopio is known as the cultural center of Eastern Finland. One of Kuopio's most important cultural venues are theKuopio Museum, theKuopio Art Museum and theKuopio City Theatre in the city center. A wide range of musical (from kindergarten to doctorate-level studies) and dance education is available and the cultural life is active. Notable events includeANTI – Contemporary Art Festival, Kuopio Dance Festival,Kuopio Rockcock, Kuopio Wine Festival, Kuopio Marathon and Finland Ice Marathon in winter. A notable place, however, to enjoy the local flavor of Kuopio life and food is Sampo, a fish restaurant loved by locals and tourists as well.
Kuopio is known for its association with a national delicacy, Finnish fish pastry (Kalakukko), and the dialect ofSavo, as well as the hill ofPuijo and thePuijo tower.[39] Besides being a very popular outdoor recreation area, Puijo serves also as a stage for a yearly World Cupski jumping competition.[39]
In inhabitants of Kuopio have a special reputation: they are known as jovial and verbally joking.[citation needed] Within the Savo culture, theonus is placed on the listener to interpret the story. People of the Kuopio region and Eastern Finland have always had many health problems and the mortality has been higher than on an average in Finland. Because of this, Eastern Finland has been a hotspot for Public Health studies. TheNorth Karelia Project by theUniversity of Kuopio in coordination with theNational Public Health Institute and theWorld Health Organization, beginning in the 1970s was one of its first steps towards world class research.[75]Niuvanniemi a historicalpsychiatric hospital is also located in the western part of the city in theNiuva district.[76]
During the 2000s, Kuopio has placed very well in a number of image, popularity and city-attractiveness surveys. In 2007 it was placed third, behindTampere andOulu.
Kuopio bid for the2012 Winter Youth Olympics, a youth sports festival in the tradition of the Olympics. It became a finalist in November 2008, but ultimately lost toInnsbruck, Austria. Kuopio's image as a small city with a large University and many active young people was considered a model of what theInternational Olympic Committee seeks for the Games.[77]
The city has a nationally unique feature in its street network, where every other street is reserved for pedestrian and cycle traffic,[78] so-called "rännikatu" (derived from the Swedishgränd, alley). These streets provide pedestrians a calm environment away from vehicular traffic.[79] This setup dates back to Kuopio's first town plan by Pehr Kjellman in 1776. Originally, rännikadut were created as a fire barrier to prevent a possible fire escalating in a mainly wood-constructed city.[80]
Kuopio has always been a city of education. Some of the first schools offering education inFinnish (such as the School for the Blind in 1871, and the Trade School in 1887) were established in Kuopio. Currently the most important institutions are theUniversity of Eastern Finland, theSavonia University of Applied Sciences, Vocational College of North Savo and the Kuopio department of theSibelius Academy. One of the oldest schools in the city isKuopio Lyceum High School, which was officially established in 1872, but was originally built in 1826 and designed byCarl Ludvig Engel.
Kuopio is known as a strong center of health (e.g. it has the biggest yearly enrollment rate of medical students in Finland), pharmacy, environment, food & nutrition (all legalized Clinical and Public Health Nutritionists in Finland graduate from the University of Eastern Finland), safety (education in Emergency Services is centered in Kuopio[85]) and welfare professions, as the major organisations University of Kuopio (now part of theUniversity of Eastern Finland since January 2010.[86]), Savonia University of Applied Sciences andTechnopolis Kuopio are particularly oriented to those areas.
^"Taajamissa asuu 84 prosenttia väestöstä" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. 15 January 2008. Retrieved7 January 2009.Tiheimmin asuttu oli Helsingin keskustaajama, jossa oli 1 690 asukasta maaneliökilometrillä. Seuraavaksi tiheimmin asuttuja olivat Kuopion keskustaajama (1 618 as./maa-km2)
^"Karttula sulautuu Kuopioon" & "Karttula ja Kuopio yhteen".Myöhänen, Pentti & Manner, Matias & Hartikainen, Jarno; Savon Sanomat. 1 July 2008. pp. 1 and 3.
^Juutilainen, Jouko (19 January 2008). ""Junttanin tiloihin kauppajätti" ja "Moottoritien varteen uusi kauppajätti"".Savon Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 18.
