Kuopio

There are several theories regarding the origins of the name "Kuopio". One theory proposes that in the 16th century, a local notable named Kauhanen in Tavinsalmi, a village approximately 32 km to the northwest of the city, changed his name to Skopa. It is possible that this was derived from the Swedish word "Skopa", as Finland was under Swedish rule at the time and many members of the local Finnish nobility would adopt Swedish or Swedish-sounding names. This may explain why the word was pronounced differently when rendered in colloquial Finnish: first as "Coopia" and later "Cuopio". Another explanation is that Kuopio comes from the Finnish verb "kuopia", meaning "to paw (at)" or "to dig", as when a horse paws the ground with its hoof. The final theory, endorsed by the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland, is that the name "Kuopio" originates from Prokopij, the name of a Karelian man who lived in the Middle Ages and was said to have migrated from the village of Ruokolahti in Southern Karelia to the shores of Lake Kallavesi near present-day Kuopio, possibly to establish a trading post. == Heraldry ==

The coat of arms of Kuopio was designed in 1823 based on a drawing by either the town councilor Karl Hårdh or his son, Adolf Hårdh, who was an artist. The coat of arms was approved for use in 1823 by the Kuopio Magistrate in accordance with a decree of Alexander I of Russia. The building depicted in the coat of arms is Kuopio Cathedral and is often mistaken for Kuopio City Hall, which was only built in 1886. == History ==

In the 1550s, the Finnish Church, under the influence of Protestant reformer Mikael Agricola, established parish church in Kuopionniemi. Governor Per Brahe the Younger founded the settlement of Kuopio in 1653. However, the official date of the city's founding is November 17, 1775, when King Gustav III of Sweden ordered the formal establishment of the city as the governmental seat of Savo-Karjala Province (Swedish: Savolax och Karelens län, Finnish: Savonlinnan ja Karjalan lääni). Following the conclusion of the Finnish War in 1809, which occurred in the context of the broader Napoleonic Wars, Finland would be annexed by the Russian Empire as an autonomous Grand Duchy. In the 19th century, Eastern Finland would see considerable infrastructural investment and modernization, particularly in the realm of transportation. The development of infrastructure would lead to the further economic integration of previously isolated, inland areas, with economic and commercial hubs on the Baltic Coast. Major public works projects built during this time include the Saimaa Canal in 1856, which opened up a summer route between Lake Saimaa and the Baltic Sea, and the Savo railway in 1889, Kuopio's original train station was built the same year and would serve as the city's main rail terminus until 1934, when it was demolished replaced by the current Kuopio railway station. Following World War II, Kuopio's population would grow significantly due in part to the settlement of Karelian evacuees and a high birth rate. Population growth necessitated the expansion of schools. At the end of the 1940s, support was also provided for school transports and the provision of free school meals, expanding a welfare program that had been active since 1902. In the 1960s, the construction of suburbs began with the development of Puijonlaakso. Since then, Kuopio has seen the further construction and growth of suburban areas. These include Tiihotar (as part of Saarijärvi) in the 1960s, Saarijärvi, Kelloniemi, and Levänen in the 1970s, and Jynkkä and Neulamäki in the 1980s. The city of Kuopio has expanded to encompass several surrounding towns. The municipality of Maaninka joined the city of Kuopio in 2015, the town of Nilsiä in 2013, and Karttula in 2011, Vehmersalmi in 2005, Riistavesi in 1973, and Kuopion maalaiskunta in 1969. == Geography ==

. The city is surrounded by Lake Kallavesi, and several parts of it are built on islands. With an area of Lake Kallavesi is the tenth largest lake in Finland. In the wake of the Yoldia Sea, which followed the Weichselian glaciation and preceded the Baltic Sea, there are ancient beaches up to 140 m above the current sea level, of which the current Lake Kallavesi is 82 m above sea level. Kuopio's ample waterfronts and islands are also used in the Saaristokaupunki (lit. Archipelago city) -project, the biggest residential area currently being built in Finland. Saaristokaupunki will accommodate a total of 14,000 inhabitants in 2015. All houses will be situated no more than from the nearest lakeshore. Kuopio Market Square is the undisputed center of the city The environment of the city is quite distinctive; the surface shapes of the waterfront-lined center are so variable that a flat property is a desired rarity. The settlement has spread outside the center of Kuopio according to a dense and sparse finger model that is affordable for public transport, and the new districts have been built in a municipal drive at once; for example, the Saaristokaupunki was banned for building for the previous 25 years, and this Kuopio zoning tradition has a long history. With the surrounding lakes, the shoreline in Kuopio is 4,760 kilometers. The terrain is also characterized by rich forests, and the clear center of the Kuopio's lund forest is mainly located in the area between Kuopio, Nilsiä and Siilinjärvi. Of the Finnish municipalities, Kuopio has the second largest number of summer cottages and holiday homes. In 2013, the number of summer cottages was 8,684. The number of summer homes in Kuopio has increased in recent years due to municipal associations. Due to the abundance of water bodies, Kuopio also has a remarkably favorable climate compared to the latitude. The annual sum of the effective temperature is about as high in Kuopio as in places further south than it, for example, Tampere and Lahti. Subdivisions . There are more than 50 districts and villages in Kuopio. FMI(record highs and lows 1940–1961) }} == Demographics ==

Population The city of Kuopio has inhabitants, making it the most populous municipality in Finland. The region of Kuopio is the 7th largest in Finland, after the regions of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä and Lahti. Kuopio is home to 2% of Finland's population. 7% of the population has a foreign background, which is below the national average. Languages Kuopio is a monolingual Finnish-speaking municipality. The majority of the population, persons (), spoke Finnish as their first language. In addition, the number of Swedish speakers was persons () of the population. Foreign languages were spoken by of the population. The largest church denomination in Finland, Lutheran Church has a diocese in Kuopio, which is shepherded by bishop Jari Jolkkonen. One of the most significant Lutheran churches in the city is the Kuopio Cathedral, completed in 1816. Until 2018, Kuopio was home to primate of the Finnish Orthodox Church, the called Archbishop of Karelia and all Finland. Since 2018, the primate is seated in Helsinki and Kuopio became the seat of the Diocese of Kuopio and Karelia. The late Archbishop Paul had been successful in producing literature of popular Orthodox theology. The city is also the location of RIISA- Orthodox Church Museum of Finland. Kuopio also has an Islamic mosque. Muslims from various parts of the world and certain Finnish Muslims live in Kuopio. The town is also home to the first Burmese Buddhist monastery in Finland, named the Buddha Dhamma Ramsi Monastery. == Economy ==

, Kuopio Kuopio's economic structure is very diverse. In 2008, there were about 4,200 enterprises in Kuopio, of which approximately 180 were export companies. These provided about 45,000 jobs. Tourism is of great importance to Kuopio's business life; the Rauhalahti camping site is one indication of Kuopio's expertise, as it is the only five-star camping site in Finland. A significant industrial player is also Savon Sello company in Sorsasalo, which is currently owned by Powerflute Oyj. One of the biggest projects and investments of recent years is the preparation of the construction of Finnpulp's largest and most modern softwood pulp mill in Kuopio. The most significant retail investments are the Prisma hypermarket completed in December 2007 and the Päiväranta's K-Citymarket completed in August 2008. A hardware store Kodin Terra was opened in Pitkälahti, as well as the Ikano Group's Matkus Shopping Center in the Hiltulanlahti area in November 2012 and an IKEA department store in May 2013. == Culture ==

in a National Romantic style building in Snellman Park (Snellmaninpuisto) Kuopio is known as the cultural center of Eastern Finland. One of Kuopio's most important cultural venues are the Kuopio Museum, the Kuopio Art Museum and the Kuopio City Theatre in the city center. A wide range of musical (from kindergarten to doctorate-level studies) and dance education is available and the cultural life is active. Notable events include ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival, Kuopio Dance Festival, Kuopio Rockcock, Kuopio Wine Festival, Kuopio Marathon and Finland Ice Marathon in winter. A notable place, however, to enjoy the local flavor of Kuopio life and food is Sampo, a fish restaurant loved by locals and tourists as well. Kuopio is known for its association with a national delicacy, Finnish fish pastry (Kalakukko), and the dialect of Savo, as well as the hill of Puijo and the Puijo tower. Niuvanniemi a historical psychiatric hospital is also located in the western part of the city in the Niuva district. During the 2000s, Kuopio has placed very well in a number of image, popularity and city-attractiveness surveys. In 2007 it was placed third, behind Tampere and Oulu. with the Market Hall in foreground and the City Hall in the background == Sports ==

vs HJK at Magnum Areena, Kuopio. Finnish League Cup, March 11, 2008. Kuopio bid for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, a youth sports festival in the tradition of the Olympics. It became a finalist in November 2008, but ultimately lost to Innsbruck, Austria. Kuopio's image as a small city with a large University and many active young people was considered a model of what the International Olympic Committee seeks for the Games. • KalPa (ice hockey) • KuPS (football) • Kuopion Taitoluistelijat (figure skating) • Puijon Hiihtoseura (skiing, ski jumping, nordic combined, biathlon) • Puijon Pesis (pesäpallo) • Kuopion Reippaan voimistelijat (gymnastics) • Finland Ice Marathon (ice skating event) • Kuopio Steelers (american football) • Kuopio Skating club, Kuopion Luisteluseura KuLs (figure skating) • Welhot (floorball) • Linkki (basketball) == Transport ==

The city has a nationally unique feature in its street network, where every other street is reserved for pedestrian and cycle traffic, so-called "rännikatu" (derived from the Swedish gränd, alley). These streets provide pedestrians a calm environment away from vehicular traffic. This setup dates back to Kuopio's first town plan by Pehr Kjellman in 1776. Originally, rännikadut were created as a fire barrier to prevent a possible fire escalating in a mainly wood-constructed city. Two Finnish highways cross Kuopio: Finnish national road 5 (Vt 5; part of E63 in the northern side of city), which extends south to Helsinki and north to Sodankylä, and Finnish national road 9 (Vt 9; part of E63 in the western side of city), which extends west to Turku and east to the Niirala checkpoint on the Finnish-Russian border. The Blue Highway passes through Kuopio. It is an international tourist route from Mo i Rana, Norway to Pudozh, Russia via Sweden and Finland. Long-distance transport connections from Kuopio include Pendolino and InterCity trains from Kuopio railway station to several destinations around Finland, operated by VR, as well as multiple daily departures from Kuopio Airport on Finnair to Helsinki. The passenger harbour of the port of Kuopio, located on the shore of Lake Kallavesi, is the busiest port for passenger traffic in the Vuoksi drainage basin and the Finnish Lakeland. == Education ==

Kuopio has always been a city of education. Some of the first schools offering education in Finnish (such as the School for the Blind in 1871, and the Trade School in 1887) were established in Kuopio. Currently the most important institutions are the University of Eastern Finland, the Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Vocational College of North Savo and the Kuopio department of the Sibelius Academy. One of the oldest schools in the city is Kuopio Lyceum High School, which was officially established in 1872, but was originally built in 1826 and designed by Carl Ludvig Engel. Kuopio is known as a strong center of health (e.g. it has the biggest yearly enrollment rate of medical students in Finland), pharmacy, environment, food & nutrition (all legalized Clinical and Public Health Nutritionists in Finland graduate from the University of Eastern Finland), safety (education in Emergency Services is centered in Kuopio) and welfare professions, as the major organisations University of Kuopio (now part of the University of Eastern Finland since January 2010.), Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Technopolis Kuopio are particularly oriented to those areas. == Notable people ==

, a writer and a social activist ==International relations==

Kuopio is twinned with 15 cities around the world. It also has one twin county, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. Twin towns – Sister cities Kuopio is twinned with: ==See also==