Iniö

Iniö is an island and a former municipality in the archipelago off the coast of Southwest Finland. Today Iniö belongs to the city of Parga ( Parainen ).

History

Iniö was first mentioned in 1554 as a chapel of the church located on the mainland parish Taivassalo. As a separate parish Iniö was in 1908. At the beginning of 2009, Iniö teamed up together with the communities Nagu, Korpo and Houtskär and the city of Parga to the city Väståboland, which was in 2012 renamed again in Parga.

Geography

The former municipality of Iniö is located about 50 kilometers in a straight line west of Turku in the western part of the archipelago sea off the coast of Southwest Finland. South of Iniö is Houtskär, in the west separates the Skiftet (Finnish Kihti ) Iniö of the autonomous Åland archipelago associated community Brändö, beyond a Iniöfjärden (Finnish Iniönaukko ) above open sea area lying to the north of the archipelago neighboring community Kustavi.

The archipelago of Iniö is highly structured: the former municipality of Iniö comprises more than 1,000 islands and cliffs, coastline length is more than 700 km. Excluding the marine areas Iniö had an area of ​​65.20 km ². Eleven islands are inhabited year-round. The main island is the eponymous Iniö. On it are the Kirchdorf Norrby and villages Skagen, Söderby and Dalen. The second largest island of the municipality is the west of the main island located Keistiö with the homonymous village. North of the main island of the island Jumo is with the port Kannvik. Also inhabited the islands abseitigeren Kolko, Åselholm and Perkala.

Population

With last 259 inhabitants Iniö the time of its incorporation, the smallest Finnish community outside Åland. The Åboland region part of the traditional settlement area of ​​Finland Sweden. Last 69.9 % of the population Iniös Swedish and 34.0% were finnischssprachig. Officially, the municipality was bilingual with Swedish as majority and Finnish as a minority language. The Swedish People's Party, the traditional political representation of Finland Sweden, received in the municipal elections 2004 100 % of the vote and placed all 13 members of the municipal council.

Economy and infrastructure

Economy

The main industries of the inhabitants Iniös are agriculture, fishing, shipping and tourism. With marinas, bed - and-breakfast offerings, holiday homes, cafes and restaurants the town has a tourist infrastructure that has attracted many tourists especially after completion of the Archipelago Trail. In the summer, the population Iniös sixfold by the numerous holiday guests.

Services

Despite the small population found in Iniö because of its secluded location, the most important municipal services on site. It is represented in the main village Norrby a government health center, a Swedish-speaking primary school, around ten students in grades 1-9 are taught in a housed in the school building library, a post office and a Nordea Bank branch. Served as a community center the " Allaktivitetshus Snäckan " in Norrby. In addition, the community entertained with their own radio station Iniö the only local radio station in Finland.

Traffic

Iniö is connected to the Archipelago Trail, a route that serves as a tourist route and transportation between the islands of the archipelago sea at the same time. Coming from the mainland can be reached Iniö over the northern neighboring community Kustavi which is connected by bridge to the mainland. The ferry M / s Aurora of the Finnish Maritime Office operates weekdays seven to eight times daily between Heponiemi Kustavi and the port of Kannvik on the island belonging to Iniö Jumo. The crossing takes around 25 minutes; In early 2007 the ferry route was declared a part of the road network and has since been free. With the southern neighboring community Houtskär, the next station of the Archipelago Trail, Iniö is connected by the Maritime Administration, also managed by ferry M / s Antonia. The one-hour crossing leads from Dalen in Iniö after Mossala in Houtskär and is chargeable.

Since the distances between the main island and the islands Iniö Jumo and Keisitö are only briefly here free ferries run of the road duties. The remote islands Åselholm Kolko and are connected by a ferry of seafaring duties with the port of Kannvik.

Culture and sights

On the main island Iniö there is a 2.5 km long nature trail that leads through a varied landscape on the 40 -meter-high Kasberg Rock, the highest peak of Iniö. On the Kasberg is an observation tower from which offers a view of the archipelago sea to the mainland and the archipelago of Åland.

Another attraction of Iniö is the church of the community. The stone- Sophia - Wilhelmina Church was built in 1797-1800 and named after a Swedish princess. A fire in 1880 damaged the church difficult, but it was shortly afterwards repaired, 1967/68, the church was renovated again. The idyllic village landscapes of Norrby, Jumo, Keistiö, Kolko and Åselholm are officially recognized as culturally and historically valuable environments. Also worth seeing is the windmill of Åselholm.