Leppävirta
Leppävirta [ lɛp ævirtɑ ː ] is a municipality in the Finnish Savo region, with 10,280 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012). It is 24 kilometers north of the city Varkaus and 52 kilometers south of Kuopio in the countryside Savo.
Overview
The 1519.44 square kilometers, the municipality of Leppävirta covers a large part of Soisalo, the largest inland island in Finland. About a quarter of the municipal area consists of water. The State Road 5, one of the most important north -south connections in the country, crosses Leppävirta. The largest settlement center of the municipality is the village church Leppävirta with 4,624 inhabitants ( 31 December 2004). Other villages in the area of Leppävirta are Sorsakoski ( 1019 ), Timola ( 562) Paukarlahti (510) and Oravikoski (325).
The congregation was founded in 1639 Leppävirta. In the 19th century opened up the waterways of the area by the construction of the canal of Konnus. The stone church was built in 1846 Leppävirta designed by Carl Ludwig Engel. At the industrial history of the church remembers the resulting historically valuable factory around 1900 cultural milieu of Sorsakoski. From 1959 to 1987, in Kotalahti in the area of Leppävirta a major nickel mine in operation.
Policy
Parish council
Dominant political force in Leppävirta is the rural - liberal center party. She is also after the local elections in 2012 with over 40 % of the vote and 16 of the 35 seats by far the strongest party in the municipal council. The second strongest party was the Social Democrats with seven seats. Also represented in the City Council are the conservative National Coalition Party with four seats, the right-wing populist True Finns with three seats, the Left Alliance and the Christian Democrats and with two deputies, and the green collar with a representative.
Community partnerships
Sons and daughters of the town
- Keijo Korhonen ( b. 1956 ), ski jumpers
- Sanna Markkanen (* 1990), biathlete