Varkaus (before year 1929 Warkaus) is a Middle-Savonian industrial town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region, between the city of Kuopio and the town of Savonlinna.

Varkaus
Town
Varkauden kaupunki
Varkaus stad
Varkaus in July 2006
Varkaus in July 2006
Coat of arms of Varkaus
Location of Varkaus in Finland
Location of Varkaus in Finland
Coordinates: 62°19′N 027°53.5′E / 62.317°N 27.8917°E / 62.317; 27.8917
Country Finland
RegionNorthern Savonia
Sub-regionVarkaus
Market town1929
City rights1961
Government
 • Town managerHannu Tsupari
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total524.48 km2 (202.50 sq mi)
 • Land385.62 km2 (148.89 sq mi)
 • Water138.45 km2 (53.46 sq mi)
 • Rank206th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-08-31)[2]
 • Total19,686
 • Rank56th largest in Finland
 • Density51.05/km2 (132.2/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish95% (official)
 • Swedish0.2%
 • Others4.9%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1412%
 • 15 to 6456.4%
 • 65 or older31.6%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitevarkaus.fi
Illustration in Finland framstäldt i teckningar edited by Zacharias Topelius and published 1845-1852.

The municipality has a population of 19,686 (31 August 2024)[2] and covers an area of 524.48 square kilometres (202.50 sq mi) of which 138.45 km2 (53.46 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 51.05 inhabitants per square kilometre (132.2/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish. In old Finnish 'Varkaus' meant strait, and this city is located in the lake district on straits between two parts of Lake Saimaa. An extension of the Saimaa Canal passes through the town.

History

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Varkaus was born in the late 19th century as an industrial community of the A. Ahlström paper mills. It was a part of the municipalities of Leppävirta and Joroinen until 1929 when Varkaus became a market town. During the Finnish Civil War in 1918 the town was taken over by the Reds, but because of its isolated location in rural Finland, it was soon taken by the Whites on the Battle of Varkaus 19–21 February. The whites proceeded to execute every tenth Red soldier.

The municipality of Kangaslampi was consolidated to Varkaus on 1 January 2005.

Sport

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The bandy team Warkauden Pallo-35, or just WP-35, plays in the highest division, Bandyliiga, and has become Finnish champions 16 times.

Varkaus Speedway Stadion is a motorcycle speedway on the northern outskirts of the town off the Tykkitie road, adjacent to the motorcycle racing and karting facilities.[6] The Speedway circuit is one of the oldest in Finland and held the final of the Finnish Individual Speedway Championship three times.[7]

Notable people

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Parts of the town of Varkaus

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  • Kaura-aho
  • Käpykangas
  • Kuoppakangas
  • Kosulanniemi
  • Lehtoniemi
  • Puurtila
  • Taipale
  • Luttila
  • Könönpelto
  • Kangaslampi
  • Kurola
  • Hasinmäki
  • Häyrilä
  • Päiviönsaari
  • Peltola

Twin towns — sister cities

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Varkaus is twinned with:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-09-24. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  3. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Use of Tracks". Varkaus Racing Team. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Speedway Individual Finnish Championship". Speedway Sanomat. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
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