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Lapua Lappo | |
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Town | |
| Lapuan kaupunki Lappo stad | |
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 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Lapua in Finland | |
| Coordinates:62°58.2′N023°00.5′E / 62.9700°N 23.0083°E /62.9700; 23.0083 | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | South Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Seinäjoki |
| Charter | 1865 |
| Market town | 1964 |
| City rights | 1977 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Satu Kankare |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 751.82 km2 (290.28 sq mi) |
| • Land | 737.16 km2 (284.62 sq mi) |
| • Water | 13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 115th largest in Finland |
| Population (2025-06-30)[2] | |
• Total | 14,016 |
| • Rank | 79th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 19.01/km2 (49.2/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 95.3% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 4.6% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 17.8% |
| • 15 to 64 | 57.6% |
| • 65 or older | 24.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | lapua |
Lapua (Finnish:[ˈlɑpuɑ];Swedish:Lappo) is atown andmunicipality inFinland'sSouth Ostrobothniaregion.
It is located next to the Lapua River. The town has a population of 14,016(30 June 2025)[2] and covers an area of 751.82 square kilometres (290.28 sq mi) ofwhich 13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi) is water.[1] Thepopulation density is 19.01 inhabitants per square kilometre (49.2/sq mi). The municipality is unilinguallyFinnish.
In the early 14th century, permanent settlement began to spread to the Lapuanjoki Valley. Residents came from, among other areas, the settlement center of Suur-Sastamala in Upper Satakunta, which had good land and water connections to the north. The focus of Ostrobothnia's settlement was initially on the lower reaches of the Kyrönjoki River. The proximity to the sea of the Kvarken area, which is rich in natural resources, was especially attractive. Lapua at that time had someSámi people who considered the region their wilderness area. The name Lapuan was probably given by the coastal Swedes precisely because of the Sámi, then called Lapps, who lived in the area.
TheBattle of Lapua was fought between Swedish andRussian forces near the outskirts of the town on 14 July 1808 as part of theFinnish War.
Lapua is the seat of theEvangelical LutheranDiocese of Lapua. TheLapua Cathedral, designed byCarl Ludvig Engel, was built in 1827.
In 1929 theanti-communistLapua Movement was founded and named after the town. The Lapua Movement was a powerful force in Lapua. They organized large rallies and marches in the town center, drawing huge crowds of supporters. Some of the movement's leaders, likeVihtori Kosola andVilho Annala, were based in Lapua. On 30 October 1930, the Lapua March was hosted, where thousands of their paramilitary members marched through Lapua to protest against leftist threats and government policies they opposed. The Lapua movement was criminalized in 1932, and would be succeeded by thePatriotic People's Movement.
Lapua is also home to a largeammunition factory, which commenced operations in 1927 as theState Cartridge Factory. This factory was the primary supplier ofammunition to theFinnish Army during theWinter War andWorld War II.An explosion occurred in a warehouse of this factory on 13 April 1976, resulting in the deaths of 40 employees. After the explosion, the factory was relocated 6 kilometres (4 mi) away from the town centre and continues production today asNammo Lapua, part of the Nordic Ammunition Group (Nammo). The original site of the factory and the surviving buildings are now an arts centre, a library and a theater.
Hagfors, Sweden
Hohenlockstedt, Germany
Lantana, Florida, United States
Rakvere, Estonia[6]
Kiskőrös, Hungary | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Media related toLapua at Wikimedia Commons
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