Valkeakoski

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Valkeakoski
Town
Valkeakosken kaupunki Valkeakoski stad
Aerial view of Valkeakoski
Coat of arms
Location of Valkeakoski in Finland
Coordinates: 61°16′N 024°02′E / 61.267°N 24.033°E / 61.267; 24.033
Country	Finland
Region	Pirkanmaa
Sub-region	Southern Pirkanmaa
Charter	1923
Government
• Town manager	Jukka Varonen
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	372.03 km2 (143.64 sq mi)
• Land	272.05 km2 (105.04 sq mi)
• Water	100.06 km2 (38.63 sq mi)
• Rank	240th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	20,701
• Rank	51st largest in Finland
• Density	76.09/km2 (197.1/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	95.7% (official)
• Swedish	0.2%
• Others	4.1%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	15.5%
• 15 to 64	56.8%
• 65 or older	27.7%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.valkeakoski.fi/en/

Valkeakoski (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋɑlkeɑˌkoski]; lit. "white rapids") is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Tampere, 45 km (28 mi) north of Hämeenlinna and 150 km (93 mi) north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of 20,701 (31 December 2023)^[2] and covers an area of 372.03 square kilometres (143.64 sq mi) of which 100.06 km² (38.63 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 76.09 inhabitants per square kilometre (197.1/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Valkeakoski is best known for its paper industry and domestically highly successful football team, FC Haka.

The town and the paper industry have both grown by the Valkeakoski rapids between the lake Mallasvesi in the north and the lake Vanajavesi in the south.

History

The Valkeakoski area is known to have been inhabited since the Iron Age. More than a thousand years ago, the ridges on the area served as a foundation of the Rapola fort. In the following Middle Ages, the mill town Sääksmäki was the center of the area. However, industrialization towards the end of the 19th century increased the importance of what became the contemporary town of Valkeakoski. The channel of Valkeakoski was opened in 1869, and the first paper mill was completed in 1873, marking the beginning of a continuing tradition of the forest industry. The municipality of Sääksmäki, from which the town of Valkeakoski was detached in 1923 was consolidated with Valkeakoski in 1973.^[6]

Districts, neighborhoods and villages

Countryside and villages

The entire countryside of Valkeakoski consists mainly of the former Sääksmäki municipality areas.

• Sääksmäki (consists of Huittula and Ritvala, Kemmola, Mälkiäinen, Haukila, Uskila, Tykölä, Viranmaa, Kasuri / Koivuniemi / Raija, Metsäkansa, Ylenjoki, Konho, Nikkarinhanko / Muti, Rantoo, Yli-Nissi, Kärjenniemi, Vedentaka, Kaapelinkulma, Kannistonmäki, Viuha, Mattila, Vuorentaka, Valto, Paino, Tarttila, Pyörönmaa and Vanhakylä)

Districts

There are 25 districts in what is considered the urban area of Valkeaskoki. These districts are further divided into neighborhoods. The districts and neighborhoods of Valkeakoski are:^[7]

In addition, outside of but in the vicinity of these districts lay Vanhakylä and Viuha.

Sports

Valkeakoski is notable for the football team FC Haka and also other Haka sections, especially the cross-country skiing section. The "skiing Haka" is one of the most successful skiing teams in Finland. The other major local sports organization Koskenpojat has also been really successful, winning many national championships in aerobic gymnastics.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Valkeakoski is twinned with:^[8]

Notable persons from Valkeakoski

• Veikko Hakulinen
• Mika Kallio
• Kari-Pekka Laaksonen
• Pentti Linkola
• Iris Sihvonen
• Emil Wikström
• Juhani Peltonen
• Alpo Suhonen
• Antti Muurinen

Notable places and events

• National Football Museum
• Työväen Musiikkitapahtuma music festival (freely translated as Workers' Music Event)
• Tehtaan kenttä

References

Gallery

• 
  Tehtaan kenttä – the football stadium in Valkeakoski, Finland, home of the football team FC Haka Valkeakoski
• 
  Valtakatu, the main shopping street of Valkeakoski
• 
  Downtown Valkeakoski
• 
  Factories in Valkeakoski

External links

Media related to Valkeakoski at Wikimedia Commons

• Town of Valkeakoski – Official site