Mariehamn
| Mariehamn | ||
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| Mariehamns stad | ||
View of Mariehamn
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 Location of Mariehamn in Finland |
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 Mariehamn
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| Coordinates: 60°06′N 019°56′E / 60.100°N 19.933°ECoordinates: 60°06′N 019°56′E / 60.100°N 19.933°E | ||
| Country | Finland | |
| Region | Åland | |
| Sub-region | Mariehamn | |
| Charter | 1861 | |
| Government | ||
| • Stadsdirektör | Barbara Heinonen | |
| Area (2011-01-01)[1] | ||
| • Total | 20.75 km2 (8.01 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 11.79 km2 (4.55 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 8.96 km2 (3.46 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 335th largest in Finland | |
| Population (2015-06-30)[2] | ||
| • Total | 11,459 | |
| • Rank | 92nd largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 971.93/km2 (2,517.3/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language[3] | ||
| • Swedish | 87.7% (official) | |
| • Finnish | 5.8% | |
| • Others | 6.5% | |
| Population by age[4] | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 14.8% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 67.8% | |
| • 65 or older | 17.4% | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
| Municipal tax rate[5] | 16.5% | |
| Website | www.mariehamn.ax | |
Mariehamn (Finnish: Maarianhamina) is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.[3]
Contents
History[edit]
The town was named after Maria Alexandrovna, the Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. Mariehamn was founded in 1861, around the village of Övernäs, in what was at the time part of the municipality of Jomala. The city has since expanded and incorporated more of Jomala territory. Mariehamn was built according to a very regular scheme which is well-preserved. One of the oldest streets is Södragatan where many wooden houses dating from the 19th century can be seen.
Harbours[edit]
The city is located on a peninsula. It has two important harbours, one located on the western shore and one on the eastern shore, which are ice-free for nearly the whole year, and have no tides.[6] The Western Harbour is an important international harbour with daily traffic to Sweden, Estonia and mainland Finland. A powerful incentive for Baltic ferries to stop at Mariehamn is that, with respect to indirect taxation, Åland is not part of the EU customs zone and so duty-free goods can be sold aboard. Mariehamn Airport is located in the neighbouring municipality of Jomala, some 3 kilometres (2 mi) north-west of Mariehamn city centre. Åland and Mariehamn have a reputable heritage in shipping. The Flying P-Liner Pommern museum ship is anchored in the Western Harbour. The Eastern Harbour features one of the largest marinas in Scandinavia. The famous Dutch steamer Jan Nieveen (now called F.P. von Knorring, after Åland teacher and vicar Frans Peter von Knorring) can also be found here.
Culture[edit]
The city is an important centre for Åland media; both of the local newspapers (Ålandstidningen and Nya Åland), several radio stations and the local TV channels (TV Åland and Åland24) operate out of the city. The islanders are traditionally fond of reading, and had public libraries before 1920. A printing works was established in the town in 1891.[6] The municipal library, which was built in 1989, is one of the most interesting modern buildings.
Architecture[edit]
Mariehamn features several buildings drawn by Finnish architect Lars Sonck, who moved to Åland as a child. Buildings drawn by him include the church of Mariehamn (1927), the main building of the Åland Maritime College (1927) and the town hall (1939). Hilda Hongell also designed several buildings, although only a few are still standing.
Demographics[edit]
A chart on population growth.
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International relations[edit]
Twin towns — sister cities[edit]
Mariehamn is twinned with:[7]
Kópavogur, Iceland
Kragerø, Norway
Kuressaare, Estonia
Lomonosov, Russia
Slagelse, Denmark
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
Valkeakoski, Finland
Visby, Sweden
References[edit]
- ^ "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (PDF) (in Finnish and Swedish). Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ "VÄESTÖTIETOJÄRJESTELMÄ REKISTERITILANNE 30.06.2015" (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Register Center of Finland. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
- ^ "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ^ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ a b Prothero, G.W. (1920). The Åland Islands. Great Britain. Foreign Office. Historical Section. p. 5.
- ^ Mariehamns stads vänorter. Accessed July 14, 2015
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mariehamn. |
- Official website (Swedish)
- Official Tourist Gateway of Mariehamn - Maarianhamina
Mariehamn travel guide from Wikivoyage- Map of Mariehamn
- Mariehamn. Tourist route (Russian)
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