Kaarina

Kaarina [ kɑ ː rinɑ ] (Swedish: S: t Karins ) is a city in southwestern Finland with 31 379 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012). It is located on the Baltic coast in the immediate vicinity of the city of Turku.

Geography

Kaarina is located on the southwest coast of Finland in the landscape Varsinais- Suomi. The coast in front is the vast archipelago of the Archipelago Sea. Kaarina has a land border with the towns and cities of Turku in the northwest, the northeast and Lieto Paimio in the east. Toward the sea Kaarina borders on the south of Parga and Sauvo in the southeast. The distance to the city center of Turku is only eight kilometers, corresponding closely Kaarina is connected to the largest city in Southwest Finland.

Overall, Kaarina has an area of 179.51 square kilometers. Excluding the marine areas are 151.37 square kilometers, of which 1.02 square kilometers further inland waters. For the city of Kaarina also includes a portion of the offshore archipelago region with the island of Kuusisto.

History

Kaarina is one of the oldest places in Finland, although it has the city rights only since 1993. The parish Kaarina was probably founded in the early 13th century, shortly after the Christianization of Finland, its first documentary mention dates back to 1309. A first wooden church was built in the village of Nummi, which had already been an important local center during the Iron Age. Originally the parish was named after his Kirchdorf also known as Nummi, later established the Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of the church, derived name Kaarina. The stone church of Kaarina was probably built mid 15th century in place of the wooden old building.

In September 2013 it was announced that archaeologists from the University of Turku have been excavated in the district Ravattula on the north bank of the River Aurajoki the stone foundations of a church. The building, which is dated by archaeologists to the 12th century and was apparently surrounded by a cemetery, had a length of ten meters and a width of six meters. It would be the oldest church testified in Finland.

Originally the parish Kaarina comprised large parts of present-day urban area of Turku and the island Kakskerta. Gradually, parts of Kaarina were incorporated in Turku, most recently in 1939. With this annexation, the Church of Kaarina to Turku came. The eastern part of Turku but initially stayed with the parish Kaarina, only in 1991 the parishes were separated according to the administrative border. On this occasion, the Church of Kaarina in St. Catherine's Church ( Pyhän Katariinan kirkko ) has been renamed.

On the island of Kuusisto was in the medieval castle of the bishops of Turku. After the Reformation it was demolished in 1528 by order of King Gustav I Vasa. The hitherto independent community Kuusisto was incorporated in 1946 in Kaarina.

In the second half of the 20th century Kaarina, favored experienced by its proximity to Turku, high population growth. 1993 Kaarina was given the status of a city. At the beginning of 2009, the neighboring community Piikkiö was incorporated in Kaarina.

Population

Kaarina benefits greatly from the situation in the affluent suburbs of Turku and has a constant increase in population growth for decades. Had Kaarina 1950, around 6,000 inhabitants, it was around the turn of the millennium just over 20,000. Through the incorporation of the neighboring community Piikkiö the 30,000 - population mark was exceeded in 2009. Currently, the population is growing by 1.5 percent a year.

While the coast offshore archipelago region Åboland part of the settlement area of Finland Sweden, the population is predominantly Finnish- Kaarinas. 94.1 percent of the population speak Finnish, 3.6 percent Swedish as their mother tongue. Officially, the city is monolingual Finnish.

Policy

Management

In Kaarina the Conservative-Liberal National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats are the two dominant political forces. In the City Council, the highest decision-making body for local affairs, the National Coalition Party 18, the Social Democrats is represented with 13 of 51 seats. Third- strongest faction is the Green waistband with seven representatives. The Centre Party, although finland far belonging to the three major parties, playing with four seats on the city council as generally in the cities of southern Finland a subordinate role. Furthermore, represented in the City Council, the Left Alliance with four seats, the Christian Democrats and the Swedish People's Party, each with two seats and the right-wing populist True Finns are with one seat

Kaarina coordinated within the framework of the joint management Turku organizational and economic tasks with neighboring communities.

Coat of arms

Since the municipality merger of 2009 Kaarina bears the arms of the former municipality Piikkiö. This was designed in 1955 by Ahti Hammar heraldist and shows in the red shield with three gold prongs with clover leaves at the top. The prongs reference the name Piikkiö ( piikki means in Finnish "top" ), while the shamrocks for agriculture are. Red and gold are the heraldic colors of the landscape Varsinais- Suomi.

Previously Kaarina had a similarly designed by Ahti Hammar crest out. This showed in red a broken silver Marterrad, before the Holy Katahrina, a sword in his right, with the left hand holding up an open book, all gilt. Saint Catherine of Alexandria is the namesake of the city of Kaarina.

Twinning

Kaarina is twinned with:

Enköping, Sweden
Nedre Eiker, Norway
Ølstykke, Denmark
Szentes, Hungary
Sovetsky, Russia
Jõgeva, Estonia
Ansiao, Portugal

Infrastructure

Kaarina is good transport links being close to Turku. The developed as highway state road 1 from Turku to Helsinki leads hardly one kilometer north past the town center of Kaarina. Public transport in and after Kaarina is disputed by the buses in the Turku. The nearest railway station is located in the Turku district Kupittaa.

Economy

The cable operator Teleste Oyj is headquartered in Kaarina. The company was founded in Turku in 1954.

Culture and sights

The wooden church in the island of Kuusisto is a simple nave building from 1792, the free-standing bell tower dates from still earlier building and was built in 1763. The cemetery is surrounded by an approximately equally old stone wall. Protected Monument is like the church and the entire cultural landscape around the bay Piikkiönlahti on the island of Kuusisto with the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and estate of the 18th century. The main building was built in 1738 is one of the oldest residential buildings in Finland. The church was built in 1755 by Piikkiö using field stones from the ruins of the castle Kuusisto.

On the opposite side of the Kuusisto - Sundes on the mainland, the estate Rauhalinna is a two -storey residential buildings from the early 19th century and scattered farm buildings in the " Swiss " style. After a Gutsteilung also was at the eastern end of the district of another good, Vähä - Rauhalinna, built the residential building dates back to 1858. Aurajoki found in the valley of the good Haga another good from the early 19th century historical building stock has also the district Mattelmäki on. The oldest foundation is dated to the year 1600, the current row of houses built in the 19th century. In this cultural landscape even fences are from this period.

Sons and daughters of the town

Tom of Finland (1920-1991), Finnish artist
Mikko Rautee ( born 1979 ), ice hockey player and coach

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