Kannonkoski

Kannonkoski
Municipality
Kannonkosken kunta
Kannonkoski kommun
Coat of arms of Kannonkoski
Coat of arms
Location of Kannonkoski in Finland
Location of Kannonkoski in Finland
Coordinates: 62°58.5′N 025°16′E / 62.9750°N 25.267°E / 62.9750; 25.267
Country Finland
RegionCentral Finland
Sub-regionSaarijärvi–Viitasaari sub-region
Charter1934
Government
 • Municipal managerMaarit Autio
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
549.88 km2 (212.31 sq mi)
 • Land445 km2 (172 sq mi)
 • Water104.87 km2 (40.49 sq mi)
 • Rank196th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-10-31)[2]
 • Total
1,188
 • Rank286th largest in Finland
 • Density2.67/km2 (6.9/sq mi)
Population by native language
[2]
 • Finnish98.4% (official)
 • Swedish0.1%
 • Others1.6%
Population by age
[3]
 • 0 to 1412%
 • 15 to 6450.9%
 • 65 or older37.1%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.kannonkoski.fi

Kannonkoski is a Finnish municipality located in the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of 1,188 (31 October 2024)[2] and covers an area of 549.88 square kilometres (212.31 sq mi) of which 104.87 km2 (40.49 sq mi), or 19%, is water.[1] The population density is 2.67 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.9/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Karstula, Kivijärvi, Saarijärvi, Viitasaari and Äänekoski.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

Kannonkoski as a settlement name is very new, originally only referring to the rapids which connect the lake Kannonjärvi to the lake Kivijärvi. The toponym kannonn Maa [sic] was mentioned in 1552, referring to hunting grounds of the people of Sysmä in this area. The people of Pälkäne also had hunting grounds around the rapids and the name Kannonkoski may be derived from Kantokylä, a village in Pälkäne. By 1558 the area had got permanent Savonian settlers, who established the village of Kantojärvi (transcribed as Kandoijerffuij). Rautalampi, including this area, became a separate parish in 1561.

Viitasaari was separated from Rautalampi in 1635. At the time, it included all of the villages that would later become parts of the municipality of Kannonkoski. Kivijärvi was split off from Viitasaari in 1904.

In 1919 it was decided that the area should get its own parish, which happened in 1931. The parish was formed from parts of Viitasaari and Kivijärvi. The area became a municipality in 1934. The church and administrative center were placed in the village of Pudasjärvi, however because a municipality called Pudasjärvi already existed, the new municipality was named Kannonkoski after the nearby rapids.[5]

Orthodox monks

During the Winter War, 117 monks from the Valamo monastery in the lake Ladoga were evacuated. They arrived in Kannonkoski in 1939, bringing various icons and relics with them. The monks lived in the Piispala school, which at the time was closed due to the ongoing war.

The monks left Kannonkoski in the autumn of 1940 after they had purchased an old manor in Heinävesi, where the New Valamo monastery was soon established. 27 monks died during the evacuation and were buried in the graveyard of the Lutheran Kannonkoski church.[6]

Proposed Suomenselkä municipality

Kannonkoski, Karstula, Kivijärvi and Kyyjärvi planned to merge into the Suomenselkä municipality [fi] from January 1, 2022.[7][8] Karstula, Kivijärvi and Kyyjärvi accepted the merger proposal, but Kannonkoski did not.[9] After Kannonkoski left out of the planned merger, Kivijärvi also left out, and later the merger project of the remaining Karstula and Kyyjärvi failed at the Kyyjärvi municipal council meeting held on May 17, 2021, and the Ministry of Finance does not propose a forced merger either.[10]

Nature

There are all together 81 lakes in Kannonkoski. Biggest lakes are Kivijärvi, Vuosjärvi and Kannonselkä.[11]

Notable people

  • Kannonkoski Church
    Kannonkoski Church
  • Kannonkoski rapids
    Kannonkoski rapids
  • The altar of Kannonkoski Church
    The altar of Kannonkoski Church
  • Potmo railway bridge
    Potmo railway bridge

Twinnings

References

  1. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,635,560 at the end of October 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 19 November 2024. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). p. 134. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Munkkien evakkomatka" (PDF). kannonkoski.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  7. ^ Roiha, Marja (4 December 2020). "Pohjoisen Keski-Suomen uuden kunnan nimeksi Suomenselkä". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  8. ^ Kotilainen, Virpi (25 January 2021). "Kivijärvi kysyy asukkaiden mielipidettä kuntaliitoksesta". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  9. ^ Heikkilä, Eija (15 February 2021). "Neljän kunnan liitos ei toteudu – Kannonkoski hylkäsi kuntaliitoksen". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Valtiovarainministeriö ei esitä Kyyjärven kunnan pakkoliitosta" (in Finnish). Ministry of Finance. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Kannonkoski". Järviwiki. Finland's Environmental Administration. 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.