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10 Fun Facts about Kuopio

What do you know about the city of Kuopio? Before you visit this great Finnish city yourself, here are some fun facts about Kuopio.

What do you know about the city of Kuopio?
Before you visit this great Finnish city yourself,
here are some fun facts about Kuopio.

Fun Facts about Kuopio

1. Where is Kuopio?

Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of North Savo, about 340 km distance from Helsinki.

2. Kuopio is Surrounded by Lake Kallavesi

Lake Kallavesi is an important part of the city of Kuopio. It surrounds Kuopio from almost every direction.

3. Kuopio was Founded in 1775

Kuopio was founded in 1653, but Kuopio officially became a city in 1775 by the order of King Gustav III of Sweden.

4. The Name Kuopio Comes From…?

It is not known where the city’s name comes from, but there are a few theories. According to one theory, it is related to horses and comes from the Finnish word kuopia (=paw). Another theory was a traveling salesman named Prokopij who gave his name to this place. And the third explanation was a man named Skopa, who the locals called Coopia or Cuopio.

5. Kuopio is Finland’s 8th Biggest City

With the population of 122 000, Kuopio is Finland’s eight biggest city.

6. Kuopio is the Capital of Lakeland

Kuopio has named itself as the “Capital of Lakeland”. In total there are over 900 lakes in Kuopio municipality, so the name is well justified.

7. Kuopio is the Summer Cottage Capital of Finland

Kuopio municiapility could also be called the the summer cottage capital of Finland. There are over 10 800 summer homes in the area of Kuopio, which is more that in any other municipality in Finland.

8. Puijo is Kuopio’s Best Known Landmark

Kuopio is a very popular travel destination. The City’s best known landmark is the Puijo hill and the Puijo Tower on top of the Puijo hill. So it is one of the must-visit places in Kuopio!

9. Kuopio Market Square is the Centre of the Universe

Kuopio Market Square is called in Savo dialect as “Mualiman Napa”. Which means nothing less than the centre of the universe…

10. Kalakukko is is very Popular in Kuopio

And when you are visiting the centre of the universe, you should taste the kalakukko. Kalakukko is a traditional Finnish dish that is especially popular in Kuopio. It is a fish baked inside a loaf of rye bread. It might not be everyone’s favorite but you should taste one when in Kuopio!

+The Best Saying in Savo Dialect

The Savo dialect is full of funny sayings. Probably the best known, and one that works in every situation, is “suattaahan se olla vuan suattaahan se olla olemmattakkii”. This could be translated as “it might be or it might not be”. How wrong you can go with that?

More info:
City of Kuopio

Image by Vicente Serra / City of Kuopio

10 Fun Facts about Turku

What do you know about the city of Turku? Don’t worry if you don’t know much, you can start with these fun facts about Turku!

What do you know about the city of Turku?
Don’t worry if you don’t know much, you can start with these fun facts about Turku!

Fun Facts about Turku

1. Turku is Located by the River Aura

Turku is located by the Aura River, on the shore of the Baltic Sea, and is surrounded by a beautiful archipelago. So water is an important part of Turku.

2. Turku is Finland’s Oldest Town

Turku is the oldest town in Finland. It’s not known exactly when Turku was founded, but in 1229 the Pope Gregory IX moved the episcopal seat to the area of the present-day Turku. This is the year when the history of Turku “officially” begins.

3. Name Turku means a Trading Place

Turku’s name derives from the ancient word tǔrgǔ, which means a trading place.

4. Turku is also known as Åbo

Turku is a bilangual city. About 5 percent of the population of Turku speaks Swedish as their first language. Is Swedish Turku is called Åbo. The Swedish name is quite accurate, because in Swedish å means “river” and bo is a verb “to live”.

5. Turku is Finland’s 6th Biggest City

With the population of 195 000, Turku is Finland’s sixth biggest city.

6. Turku is Finland’s Former Capital

Before Helsinki became the capital in 1812, Turku was Finland’s first capital.

7. Turku Cathedral is Finland’s National Shrine

Turku Cathedral is Finland’s national shrine. It was consecrated as a cathedral in 1300.

8. Turku Castle is the Best-Known Landmark of the City

Turku castle is probably the best-known building in the city of Turku. It is almost as old as the city itself. The construction of the castle began in the late 13th century. During its history, the castle has been a defense building, a residential building, an administrative building, a prison, an army barracks and a storage building. Nowdays Turku Castle is a popular museum.

9. City Almost Disappeared in the Great Fire

Throughout its history, there have been many fires in Turku. One of the worst happened in September 1827, when most of the city burned down. This disaster is known as the Turun Palo (the Great Fire of Turku).

10. The Christmas Peace is declared in Turku Every Year

The declaration of the Christmas Peace is one of Finnish Christmas traditions. It is declared in Turku every Christmas Eve at noon. This Christmas tradition has continued almost uninterrupted since the 1300s.

Sources:
City of Turku
Turku Cathedral
InfoFinland
Image by Suomen Ilmakuva / City of Turku

Experience the Beauty of Autumn in Finland

Finland is an excellent place to enjoy the beauty of autumn, because it can be experienced anywhere in the country

Autumn leaves, autumn colors, fall foliage…there are many words you can use to describe this colorful season in nature. And if you come to Finland to enjoy the beauty of autumn, you’ll learn a new word for it.

In Finland the Beauty of Autumn is Admired as “Ruska”

If you visit Finland in autumn, you’ll most likely hear someone mentioning ruska. That’s the Finnish word autumn leaves. It is not known exactly where the word comes from, but the most likely origins are the sami words “ruski” and “ruske”. Ruska also sounds very similar to “ruskea” which is a Finnish word for brown.

However, brown is just one of the autumn colors, luckily. The bright shades of red, orange and yellow are the ones we all love so much on the leaves. But before we get to that point, it requires a little change in the weather.

Experience the Beautiful Shades of Red, Orange and Yellow

During summer the leaves are tree’s little food factories. The photosynthesis process takes place in the leaves containing chlorophyll. This gives the leaves their green color. But when autumn arrives, the photosynthesis process stops.

As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, the trees start to prepare for winter. Now the chlorophyll breaks down abd the green color on the leaves disappears. This makes room for the yellow and orange pigments to come visible.

This is basically what causes the colors to change on the leaves. It is not known exactly what happens in the trees during autumn, but what is known is that temperature, light and summer rainfall all have some effect on autumn colors.

When the Ruska is at its Best in Finland?

Finland is an excellent place to enjoy the beauty of autumn, because it can be experienced anywhere in the country. But because Finland is a long country, it happens different time in different parts of Finland.

In Finland, the autumn colors can be admired in September and October. The ruska season, as Finns call it, starts in Lapland in early September. In southern parts of Finland, ruska can be experienced in late September and early Ocotober. But as said, this varies by the year.

Typically the best of ruska season lasts about two weeks, but diffrent trees and plants change their color bit different times. so even if you miss the best absolute moment, you still can enjoy the beauty of autumn as the nature slowly prepares for winter.

Remember to enjoy the best of autumn!

This amazing color exhibition in nature is open each fall and is without admission,
but unfortunately it is open only for a very limited time. So don’t miss it!

Sources:
Finnish Meteorological Institute
Visit Finland
Visit Lapland
Fall Foliage Live

Experience the Nightless Nights of Lapland

Unfortunately summer ends eventually, but in Lapland it is possible to experience endless summer days. This phenomenon is known as midnight sun

-Wouldn’t it be cool if the summer days were endless?
-Absolutely. Sounds like a perfect summer experience. If only it was possible!
-Well, in Northern Finland it is. Thanks to the phenomenon known as the midnight sun, you can experience the nightless nights of Lapland!

Days are Getting Longer…

After long dark winter, the sun is finally making longer appearances in Finland. Days are are getting longer and longer as we go towards summer. And in some point during the summer, sun doesn’t set at all, not even during the mid of the night. This phenomenon is known as the midnight sun. In Finland midnight sun can be experienced in Lapland.

Enjoy the Nightless Nights of Lapland

The most southern place where you can admire the midnight sun in the northern hemisphere is the Arctic Circle. The nightless night can be experienced at around summer solstice on June 21st. On the Arctic Circle, the nightless night lasts basically just one day. However, the length of the phenomenon depends how far north you are in.

So if you want to enjoy many nigtless nights in a row, you head up farther north. At the Artic Circle nightless night lasts for a day, but in the most northern part of Finland, it is lasts for 73 days. And this happens every summer. Think of 73 days without sun setting below horizon.

Finnish Summer Nights are Bright

So the midnight sun can be experienced only in Northern Finland, but don’t worry if you haven’t got that far on your summer journey in Finland. Finnish summer nights are nice and bright, no matter where you are. In southern Finland the longest day is almost 19 hours long. So around summer solstice it feels almost like a a nightless also in the southern parts of Finland.

Sources:
Seasons in Finland by Finnish Meteorological Institute

10 Fun Facts about the Summer Weather in Finland

Typical summer weather in Finland isn’t too bad. Days are long and the temperatures are usually very enjoyable. It doesn’t get too hot, but at its best it is still warm enough to enjoy beach days.

What is summer weather like in Finland?
Well, if we believe the old Finnish saying “Finnish summer is short but at least there isn’t much snow” (in Finnish “Suomen kesä on lyhyt mutta vähäluminen”) we shouldn’t expect much of it. But although there are a bit’s of truth in it, the situation isn’t all that bad.

No, the summer weather in Finland is actually pretty good. Especially if we consider Finland’s northern location. In Finland summer days are long and the temperatures are usually very enjoyable. It doesn’t get too hot, but at its best it is still warm enough to enjoy beach days. Some days might be cloudy, it might rain, or thunder might strike, but it hardly ever snows!

And what comes to this Finnish saying mentioned earlier, we can consider is as a another example of dark Finnish humor. Finns are known to be modest, and if we don’t expect much, even a little sunshine feels like a great success.

Fun Facts about the Summer Weather in Finland

1. Summer Begins in May

In southern Finland summer season usually begins in late May and ends in mid-September.

3. July is the Warmest Month

The warmest summer days are usually experienced around July 20th.

3. Hot Day is called “Hellepäivä” in Finnish

In Finland there are usually 10-15 hot days (in Finnish “hellepäivä”) when temperature is above 25 °C.

4. Longest Heat Wave lasted 31 Days

In Finland it is called a heat wave when the temperature is over 25 °C for consecutive days. The longest heat wave in Finland was experienced in the city of Kouvola, when the temperatures were over 25 °C for 31 days between June 18th and July 18th.

5. Hottest Heat Wave was in Lapland

The hottest heat wave in Finland was experienced in Lapland, in 1972, when temperatures were over 30 °C for 10 consecutive days in the village of Nellim between June 30th and July 9th.

6. Hottest City is Joensuu

Highest summer temperature recorded in Finland is 37,2 °C. This was measured at the Joensuu Airport on July 29th in 2010.

7. Sometimes in Rains

Wettest summer day in Finland was recorded in July 7th, 1944 in Espoo when it rained is 198,4 mm of water in one day.

8. Thunderstroms are Quite Rare

In Finland there are usually 8-14 thunderstorm days during summer.

9. Summer Nights are Bright in Finland!

In southern Finland longest summer days are 19 hours long, while in northern Finland sun doesn’t set at all. This phenomenon is known as the midnight sun or polar days.

10. Summer Days are Endless in Northern Finland!

Nightless nights can be experienced in Lapland, in the areas north of the Artic Circle. In the northernmost parts of Finland polar days last 73 days. That’s quite a long time to wait for the next sunset!

Source:
Finnish Meteorological Institute