Loimaa | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Loimaan kaupunki Loimaa stad | |
 Loimaa Municipal office building | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Loimaa inFinland | |
| Coordinates:60°51′N023°03.5′E / 60.850°N 23.0583°E /60.850; 23.0583 | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Southwest Finland |
| Sub-region | Loimaa |
| Market town | 1921 |
| Town privileges | 1969 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Jari Rantala |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 851.93 km2 (328.93 sq mi) |
| • Land | 848.09 km2 (327.45 sq mi) |
| • Water | 3.96 km2 (1.53 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 92nd largest in Finland |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 15,304 |
| • Rank | 72nd largest in Finland |
| • Density | 18.05/km2 (46.7/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 93.7% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 6.1% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 13.6% |
| • 15 to 64 | 55.7% |
| • 65 or older | 30.7% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 32200 |
| Climate | Dfc |
| Website | www |
Loimaa (Finnish:[ˈloi̯mɑː]; historicalSwedish:Loimijoki) is atown andmunicipality ofFinland.
It is located in theprovince ofWestern Finland and is part of theSouthwest Finlandregion. The municipality has a population of 15,304 (31 December 2024)[2] and covers an area of 851.93 square kilometers (328.93 sq mi) of which 3.96 km2 (1.53 sq mi) is water.[1] Thepopulation density is 18.05 inhabitants per square kilometer (46.7/sq mi).
Loimaa's neighboring municipalities areHuittinen,Humppila,Koski Tl,Marttila,Oripää,Punkalaidun,Pöytyä,Somero,Säkylä andYpäjä.
First mentions of Loimaa come from the year1439 but a parish was founded in the area already a decade earlier. The town was founded in its current form in 1876 as the railway between Turku and Toijala was completed.[5]
A legend ofPrättäkitti is heavily associated with Loimaa.
The town of Loimaa merged withLoimaan kunta (literally "Municipality of Loimaa") on January 1, 2005 and with the municipalities ofAlastaro andMellilä on January 1, 2009.
The nameLoimaa comes from the riverLoimijoki which flows through the town.
After the2021 municipal election the municipal council of Loimaa is as follows:[6]
| Party | Share of votes (%) | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Centre Party | 27.4 | 11 |
| National Coalition Party * | 17.4 | 6 |
| Finns Party | 15.1 | 6 |
| Our Loimaa | 12.6 | 5 |
| Left | 11.4 | 4 |
| Social democrats | 11.3 | 4 |
| Christian democrats * | 1.6 | 1 |
* The National Coalition Party and Christian Democrats formed an electoral alliance for the election.
A local speciality ispiapo, a version ofkama.[7]
Rompepäivät (lit. "junk days") is an annual event that takes place in August. It brings togethertrunk show enthusiasts selling both old and new merchandise as well as food and entertainment. The trunk show is located at the historic market square of Loimaa, now known as Peltoinen, and draws in 8,000–10,000 visitors.[8]
The local newspaper is calledLoimaan Lehti. It first started publishing in 1915 and today comes out three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.[9]
Alastaron-Mäenpää, Eura, Haara, Haaroinen, Haitula, Hartoinen, Hattula, Hirvikoski, Hurskala, Ilmarinen, Inkilä, Joenperä, Juva, Karhula, Karsattila, Kartanonmäki, Kauhanoja, Kemppilä, Kesärlä, Klockarla, Koenperä, Kojonkulma, Krekilä, Kuninkainen, Kurittula, Kuttila, Köyliö, Lappijoki, Levälä, Lähde, Metsämaa, Mäenpää, Niemi, Niinijoki, Onkijoki, Pahikainen, Pappinen, Peltoinen, Piltola, Puujalkala, Raikkola, Seppälä, Sieppala, Suopelto, Torkkala, Vesikoski, and Vilvainen.
The city is home to theBisons Loimaa basketball club, 2012 and 2013 Champion of theKorisliiga. The club regularly qualifies for international competitions. It plays its home games at theLoimaa Sports Center and on some occasions moves to theEnergia Areena. The city is also home to theHurrikaani Loimaa volleyball club, regularly qualifies for international competitions such as CLvolleyM and SM-league.
The most popular religion among the inhabitants is theEvangelical Lutheranism: 4/5 of the local population is a member of the Loimaa Congregation, this has existed since 1420's.[10] In total there are six lutheran churches scattered around the municipality's area.[11]
The followingChristian revival movements inside Lutheranism are represented in Loimaa:
Other Christian denominations arePentecostalists who are represented by a local association (FinnishElävät Virrat ry) since 2018.[15] TheEvangelical Free Church of Finland has an office in Loimaa, although it's managed fromForssa.[16] Inside theFinnish Orthodox Church Loimaa belongs to the congregation ofTurku and an Orthodox mass is held regularly in Loimaa.[17]
Apart from Christian denominations, Loimaa also hosts aKingdom Hall of theJehovah's Witnesses.[18][19] There's also a Buddhist meditation center (Mahayana andVajrayana) ran by the Buddhist Dharma Center in itsTibet Art Center, which has bee a registered as a religious association since 1998.[20]
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Loimaa istwinned with the following towns.
Uddevalla, Sweden
Skien, Norway
Jõhvi, Estonia
Staraya Russa, Russia (discontinued until further noted due toRussian invasion of Ukraine)[21]
Mosfellsbær, Iceland
Thisted Municipality, DenmarkLoimaa, Skien, Uddevalla, Thisted and Mostfellsbær form the oldestNordic network of twin towns, which is still active.[22]
Media related toLoimaa at Wikimedia Commons
Places adjacent to Loimaa | |
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