Lapua
Lappo
Town
Lapuan kaupunki
Lappo stad
Lapua Cathedral
Lapua Cathedral
Coat of arms of Lapua
Coat of arms
Location of Lapua in Finland
Location of Lapua in Finland
Coordinates: 62°58.2′N 023°00.5′E / 62.9700°N 23.0083°E / 62.9700; 23.0083
Country Finland
RegionSouth Ostrobothnia
Sub-regionSeinäjoki sub-region
Charter1865
Market town1964
City rights1977
Government
 • Town managerSatu Kankare
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total751.82 km2 (290.28 sq mi)
 • Land737.16 km2 (284.62 sq mi)
 • Water13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi)
 • Rank115th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-09-30)[2]
 • Total14,036
 • Rank79th largest in Finland
 • Density19.04/km2 (49.3/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish96.9% (official)
 • Swedish0.2%
 • Others2.9%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 1417.8%
 • 15 to 6457.6%
 • 65 or older24.6%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.lapua.fi
Illustration in Finland framstäldt i teckningar edited by Zacharias Topelius and published 1845-1852.

Lapua (Finnish: [ˈlɑpuɑ]; Swedish: Lappo) is a town and municipality of Finland.

It is located next to the Lapua River in the region of South Ostrobothnia. The town has a population of 14,036 (30 September 2023)[2] and covers an area of 751.82 square kilometres (290.28 sq mi) of which 13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 19.04 inhabitants per square kilometre (49.3/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

In the early 14th century, permanent settlement began to spread to the Lapuanjoki Valley. Residents came from, among other areas, the settlement center of Suur-Sastamala in Upper Satakunta, which had good land and water connections to the north. The focus of Ostrobothnia's settlement was initially on the lower reaches of the Kyrönjoki River. The proximity to the sea of the Kvarken area, which is rich in natural resources, was especially attractive. Lapua at that time had some Lapps who considered the region their wilderness area. The name Lapuan was probably given by the coastal Swedes precisely because of the Lapps who lived in the area.

The Battle of Lapua was fought between Swedish and Russian forces near the outskirts of the town on 14 July 1808 as part of the Finnish War.

Lapua is the seat of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Lapua. The Lapua Cathedral, designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, was built in 1827. In the 1930s the radical anti-communist Lapua Movement was founded and named after the town.

Lapua State Cartridge Factory

Lapua is also home to a large ammunition factory, which commenced operations in 1927 as the State Cartridge Factory. This factory was the primary supplier of ammunition to the Finnish Army during the Winter War and World War II. An explosion occurred in a warehouse of this factory on 13 April 1976, resulting in the deaths of 40 employees. After the explosion, the factory was relocated 6 kilometres (4 mi) away from the town centre and continues production today as Nammo Lapua, part of the Nordic Ammunition Group (Nammo). The original site of the factory and the surviving buildings are now an arts centre, a library and a theater.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Lapua is twinned with:[5]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Preliminary population statistics 2023, September". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  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. ↑ "Lapua info (statistics)". Lapua. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Twin Cities". Rakvere. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

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