Pargas (former municipality)
Parga ( Swedish), Finnish Parainen ( 2009-2011 Väståboland or Länsi- Turunmaa ) is a city in southwestern Finland with 15 576 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012). It is located in the archipelago off the coast of the landscape Varsinais -Suomi and besides the actual core city covers an extensive archipelago. In its present form the bulk municipality was created when the city of Parga united the beginning of 2009 with the communities Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär and Iniö the city Väståboland. This was again renamed in Parga in early 2012. About 60 percent of residents are Finland Sweden. Officially, the city is bilingual with Swedish as majority and Finnish as a minority language.
Geography
Parga is located in the Archipelago Sea off the southwest coast of Finland and is part of the landscape Varsinais- Suomi. The center of Parga is 23 kilometers away from the city of Turku. In addition to the core city, which lies in the far east of Parga, close to the mainland, the administrative city district covers the entire western part of the Åboland region in the southern part of the Archipelago Sea and extends over a vast area of over 10,000 islets and cliffs. The largest east-west and north-south width is around 75 kilometers each. A total of Parga has an area of 1877.9 square kilometers. Excluding the marine areas there are 868.6 square kilometers.
The archipelago of Parga can be in the inner archipelago to the north and subdivide the outer archipelago in the South. In the inner archipelago, the islands are larger and are only separated by narrow sounds, while the outer archipelago consist of barren cliffs on the high seas. On the island of Uto in the outer archipelago of Parga is the southernmost year-round populated settlement of Finland.
The largest islands of Parga are Storlandet (72 square kilometers), aloes (70 square kilometers), Kyrkland (64 square kilometers), Kirjalaön ( 49 square kilometers ), Lillandet (38 square kilometers), Stortervolandet (37 square kilometers), Lemlax (34 square kilometers), Huvudlandet ( 31 square kilometers), Attu (20 square kilometers), Norrskata (15 square kilometers), Kirjais (10 square kilometers) and Keisitö (10 square kilometers). The main settlements are the core city of Parga on aloes, the Kirchdörfer Nagu on Storlandet, Korpo on Kyrkland and Houtskär on Huvudlandet and Norrby, the parish village of the former municipality Iniö.
History
In the archipelago of Parga there were during the Iron Age a sparse settlement by the Finns, who lived from fishing and seal hunting. Agriculture is driving Swedish immigrants settled between the 12th and 14th centuries settled in the area and pushed the Finnish population. At the same time, the area of Parga was incorporated into the Swedish kingdom and the church administration. The first parish of Parga was founded in the early 13th century, around 1300, followed by the founding of the parish Korpo. Nagu beginning of the 14th century was probably collected to a chapel Municipality of Parga and towards the end of the same century an independent parish. 1554 Houtskär be mentioned as a chapel community of Korpo and Iniö as a chapel community of Taivassalo first time. Independently, these two parishes were until 1865 or 1908.
In 1948 the community center of Parga to the market towns ( köping / kauppala ) was collected and separated from the surrounding rural municipality of Parga. 1967, the rural community united again with the market towns, ten years later became a town of Parga. At the beginning of 2009, Parga, Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär and Iniö united to form the city Väståboland. As a name for the new town of Parga, among other things, Gullkrona, Berghamn and Havskrona had been talking. Ultimately specified as name Väståboland, although the responsible for the care of the language spoken in Finland Languages Research Institute for the Languages of Finland spoke out against those perceived as artificial name. In early 2012 the name of the city but was changed back to Parga.
Population
The town of Parga has 15 576 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012). The population density is 17.6 inhabitants per square kilometer. Four-fifths of the population live in the former city of Parga before the congregation fusion, which belongs to the catchment area of Turku. The remote archipelago in the west, however, are sparsely populated. To live in the former municipality of Iniö only four inhabitants per square kilometer.
Located in the southern part of the Archipelago Sea Region Åboland part of the traditional settlement area of Finland Sweden. Due to the immigration of people from other parts of Finland, there are today but also a large Finnish -speaking population in Parga. 57.3 percent of the population speak Swedish, 41.1 percent Finnish as their mother tongue (as of 2010 ). On the archipelago to the west of the Finland-Swedish population is significantly higher than in the eastern city. Officially Parga is bilingual with Swedish as majority and Finnish as a minority language.
Policy
The strongest political force in Parga, the Swedish People's Party, the traditional political representation of Finland Sweden. In the local elections 2008, she received more than half of the votes and thus has the city council, the highest decision-making body for local affairs, with 24 of 43 seats on an absolute majority. In previous elections, the Swedish People's Party had in the former municipalities Houtskär, Iniö and Korpo even able to unite all the votes. Also represented in the City Council of Parga are the Social Democrats, with eight, the conservative National Coalition Party and the Centre Party with five, the Greens and the Left Alliance collar with two deputies.
Coat of arms
The town of Parga has been leading the church merger in 2009 the coat of arms of the former municipality of Nagu. It was designed by heraldist Gustaf of Numers 1958. The blazon is: " In the red shield with a silver anchor with a golden crown ." The anchor refers to the maritime region in the archipelago, the anchor on the Gullkronafjärd Strait.
Prior to 2009, Parga led to another crest. It was also designed by Gustaf of Numers and adopted in 1961. The blazon is: " In the red sign pole, a winged Miner hammer, the shaft of which forms the lower part of an armature including tips, all in gold." The anchor refers to the seafaring, the miner hammer on the quarry in Parga. Red and gold are the heraldic colors of the landscape Varsinais- Suomi.
Economy and infrastructure
In Parga, the largest limestone quarry in Finland and one of the largest worldwide Kalkverarbeitungsfirmen is called Nordkalk. In addition, thanks to the archipelago of tourism in the summer is an important economic factor. Of all Finnish municipalities Parga has about 8000 the largest number of holiday homes ( mökki ). For sailors are ten marinas and twenty smaller docking available.
About twelve bridges, eight and ten free street ferries connecting ferries Parga is connected to the transport network. The archipelago of Parga are connected by the Archipelago Trail with each other. The center of Parga can be reached from the mainland by three bridges. Among the other islands ferries. From Galtby in Korpo out, there is also a ferry service from Ålandstrafiken on Kökar after Långnäs in Åland.
Culture and sights
The attractions of Parga addition to the nature of the archipelago sea Gamla Malmen or Vanha Malmi part ( " Alter Markt " ) called old town with its pedestrian and picturesque wooden houses. East of Parga is located Qvidja, the oldest surviving manor in Finland and one of the few surviving medieval noble castles of the country. Of historical interest is also the island Själö ( Själö ), which served as a place of exile for lepers from about 1620 to 1785. By 1962, the mentally disabled were housed in the hospital of Själö. Today the island is home to a research station of the University of Turku. On the island of Uto is the oldest lighthouse in Finland (1814 built ).
In Parga there are nine churches. The oldest structures in Parga are the three medieval stone churches in Parga, Nagu and Korpo, each from the mid-15th century. Two wooden churches located on the islands Själö and Nötö: The Church of Själö was built in 1733, the Church of Nötö dates from the years 1756-57. The Church of Iniö was built 1797-1800 in stone and is named after the Swedish Princess Sophie Wilhelmine. On the island Jurmo there is a chapel from the year 1846. Recent are the Church of Norrskata (1933 ) and the chapel on the island of Aspö ( 1955-56 ).
Sons and daughters
- Aimo Aaltonen (1906-1987), communist politician
- Petri Kotwica (born 1964 ), film director and screenwriter
- Anna Westerlund (* 1989), football player
- Volmar Wikström (1889-1957), Ringer