Suonenjoki | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Suonenjoen kaupunki Suonenjoki stad | |
 Suonenjoki railway station | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: The Strawberry Town | |
 Location of Suonenjoki in Finland | |
| Coordinates:62°37.5′N027°07.5′E / 62.6250°N 27.1250°E /62.6250; 27.1250 | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Northern Savonia |
| Sub-region | Inner Savonia |
| Charter | 1865 |
| Market town | 1967 |
| City rights | 1977 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Olavi Ruotsalainen |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 862.34 km2 (332.95 sq mi) |
| • Land | 713.56 km2 (275.51 sq mi) |
| • Water | 148.78 km2 (57.44 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 119th largest in Finland |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 6,633 |
| • Rank | 138th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 9.3/km2 (24/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 95.6% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 4.2% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 13% |
| • 15 to 64 | 54.4% |
| • 65 or older | 32.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | suonenjoki |
Suonenjoki (Finnish pronunciation:[ˈsuo̯nenˌjoki]; literally means "vein's river") is atown andmunicipality ofFinland. It is located in theNorthern Savoniaregion, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest ofKuopio.
The town has a population of 6,633(31 December 2024)[2] and covers an area of 862.34 square kilometres (332.95 sq mi) ofwhich 148.78 km2 (57.44 sq mi)is water.[1] Thepopulation density is9.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (24/sq mi).
The municipality is unilinguallyFinnish.
Suonenjoki is thought to have served as a milestone in theTreaty of Nöteborg in 1323. In the 16th and 17th centuries, more and more people began to settle in the area, and in the 18th century, apreacher room was established in Suonenjoki, then achapel. In the current agglomeration, bridges over the river of Suonenjoki were built early,Kruunusilta (literally means "Crowns Bridge") already existed in 1780, andSiioninsilta (means "Zion Bridge") at the beginning of the river was replaced by a bridge in the 1830s.[6]
When Suonenjoki gainedmunicipal rights in 1865, the population was about 4,000. In the same year,Suonenjoki Church, the current church in Suonenjoki was completed, replacing the cramped first church built in the late 18th century. A railway station was built on Suonenjoki in connection with the completion ofThe Savonian Railway (also known asKouvola–Iisalmi railway) in 1889. In the early 20th century, thesawmill industry became the most important industry in the area.Strawberry cultivation became more widespread from the 1940s, and Suonenjoki became known as "the Strawberry Town".[6][7] The Suonenjoki co-educational school began operations in 1930, moving to its currenthigh school building in 1950.[8]
The neighbouring municipalities of Suonenjoki areRautalampi to the west,Tervo to the northwest,Kuopio to the north,Leppävirta to the east, andPieksämäki to the south on theSouthern Savonia side. Suonenjoki River flows through the town from Lake Suontee toLake Iisvesi.[9] Near the city center is the 10-kilometer-long and at most a couple of kilometers wide scenic Lintharju, which is also part of theEuropean Union'sNatura 2000conservation program.[9][10]
_-_Suonenjoki_-_1.jpg)
Suonenjoki is famous for itsstrawberries[7] giving the town itscoat of arms, three strawberry leaves. It is also known as "the Strawberry Town". Many foreigners, mainly from Ukraine and Russia, come to Suonenjoki in summer to work on strawberry farms. That makes Suonenjoki the most international town of Finland at summer. There is a party in Suonenjoki in July calledMansikkakarnevaalit, "Strawberry Carnival".[12][13][14][15] There was also a rock festival named Jörisrock, the last "Jöris" was held in 2006. Nowadays, "Jöris" has been replaced by a music event called Iisrock.
There is also threemuseums,library and artshow.
NewspaperSisä-Savo is published in Suonenjoki and nearby municipalities.
Suonenjoki is situated between two important cities,Kuopio andJyväskylä, and the main road 9 (E63) between those cities goes through Suonenjoki. The railway between Kuopio andHelsinki goes also through the center of Suonenjoki.
Media related toSuonenjoki at Wikimedia Commons
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