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Hamina

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For other uses, see Hamina-class missile boat.

Template:Infobox Finnish Municipality Hamina (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhɑminɑ]; Swedish: Fredrikshamn, [freːdriksˈhamn]) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located approximately 145 km (90 mi) east of the country's capital Helsinki, in the Kymenlaakso region, and formerly the province of Southern Finland. The municipality's population is Template:Infobox Finnish Municipality/population count (Error: Invalid time.)[1] and covers an area of [convert: invalid number], of which [convert: invalid number] is water.[2] The population density is [convert: invalid number]. The population of the central town is approximately 10,000. Hamina is unilingually Finnish speaking.

Valtatie 7 is the town's road connection to Helsinki, after it was upgraded to a continuous motorway in September 2014. Hamina is also one of the most important harbors of Finland. The port specializes in forest products and transit cargo to Russia. One of Google's three European data centers is situated in Hamina.[3]

History

Vehkalahti county was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1336. At the proposal of Count Peter Brahe, the area surrounding the Vehkalahti church (nowadays St. Mary's Church) was separated from rest of Vehkalahti in 1653 and became a town called Vehkalahden Uusikaupunki (Veckelax Nystad in Swedish, "Newtown of Vehkalahti"). The town was destroyed during the Great Northern War in 1712.[4]

Plan of the Fredrikshamn fortress town (1723) by Axel Löwen

As the important foreign trade town of Vyborg was surrendered to Russia in 1721, this town (newly renamed in honour of the King Frederick I of Sweden in 1723) was intended to replace it. The town, hitherto a small domestic trade port with restricted trade, was granted extensive privileges, including foreign trade. Finnish people soon shortened the name to Hamina. The rebuilding of the town took place in 1722–1724. The star-shaped fortress and the circular town plan, designed by Axel Löwen, are based on Central European and Italian Renaissance fortress concepts from the 16th century.[4] Fortress towns like this are quite rare; other examples are Palmanova in Italy and Neubreisach in France.[5]

In 1743, Hamina was surrendered to Russia, after the Russo–Swedish War, 1741–1743, and the town of Loviisa was the next Swedish candidate for an Eastern-Finnish trade center. Hamina became a Russian frontier town, for which a fortress was desirable.

The Treaty of Fredrikshamn (1809), by which Sweden ceded Finland, including parts of the province of Lappland and the Åland Islands, was signed in Hamina. Thus Sweden was split, and the eastern half, along with previously conquered territories including Hamina (Old Finland), was formed into the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.

Hamina Cadet School was founded in 1819 and was in operation until 1903. In 1920 the Reserve Officer School began in the same facilities.

Because the town was founded next to the Vehkalahti Church, the municipal center had always been inside the town borders. Vehkalahti and Hamina were consolidated in 2003, and the old coat of arms was replaced with Vehkalahti's coat of arms. The old coat of arms was readopted in January 2013.[6]

Main sights

Churches

  • The former coat of arms, in use from 2003 to 2012
    The former coat of arms, in use from 2003 to 2012
  • St. Mary's church
    St. Mary's church
  • St. John's church
    St. John's church
  • The orthodox church of Peter and Paul
    The orthodox church of Peter and Paul
  • Reserve officer's school
    Reserve officer's school
  • The old fortress
    The old fortress
  • Central bastion of the fortress
    Central bastion of the fortress
  • Tanelinkulma
    Tanelinkulma
  • The yacht club's pavilion
    The yacht club's pavilion
  • The flag tower, the only remaining part of the Helsinki bastion
    The flag tower, the only remaining part of the Helsinki bastion
  • Pikkuympyräkatu; "The Little Circle Street"
    Pikkuympyräkatu; "The Little Circle Street"
  • The old locomotive warehouse
    The old locomotive warehouse
  • Aholaisenkulma ("The Aholainen's corner"), a historical restaurant and hotel, demolished in the autumn of 2008
    Aholaisenkulma ("The Aholainen's corner"), a historical restaurant and hotel, demolished in the autumn of 2008
  • The town museum
    The town museum
  • The shopkeeper's museum
    The shopkeeper's museum
  • The Vehkalahti municipal museum
    The Vehkalahti municipal museum

Twin towns

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Population by municipality as of 31 December 2008". Population Information System (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Register Center of Finland. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference total_area was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hamina Data Center - Google Data centers
  4. ^ a b Hamina
  5. ^ Kopomaa, Timo (2005). "Kriisioloihin varautunut kaupunki" (PDF). Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu (in Finnish). 43 (2). Helsinki: Yhdyskuntasuunnittelun seura ry (The Finnish Society of Housing and Planning): 6–26. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  6. ^ Haminan vaakuna vaihtuu - Haminan kaupunki (in Finnish)
  7. ^ Hamina
  8. ^ Hurmaava Hamina - The 15th century church of St Mary and church Museum
  9. ^ Churches in Finland
  10. ^ Hurmaava Hamina - Church Of St John
  11. ^ Hurmaava Hamina - The Orthodox Church Of St Peter and St Paul
  12. ^ Vordingborg Kommune har 17 venskabsbyer
  13. ^ Hurmaava Hamina - Info
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