Mariehamn
Mariehamn (/məˈriːəhɑːmən/ mə-REE-ə-hah-mən,[7] Finland Swedish: [mɑriːeˈhɑmn] (listen); Finnish: Maarianhamina [ˈmɑːriɑnˌhɑminɑ]; Latin: Portus Mariae) 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. It is mostly surrounded by Jomala, the second largest municipality in Åland in terms of population; to the east it is bordered by Lemland. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.[4]
Mariehamn | |
|---|---|
| Mariehamns stad Town of Mariehamn | |
Västerhamn ferry terminal, Ålands Lagting, Havsgatan street, Consulate General of Sweden, Saint George church, Ålands Lyceum, the Sails Pavilion | |
Seal Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: De tusen lindarnas stad (The town of a thousand linden trees)[1] | |
Location of Mariehamn in Finland | |
Mariehamn Location within the Åland Islands | |
| 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 sub-region |
| Charter | 1861 |
| Named for | Maria Alexandrovna |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Arne Selander |
| Area (2018-01-01)[2] | |
| • Total | 20.75 km2 (8.01 sq mi) |
| • Land | 11.79 km2 (4.55 sq mi) |
| • Water | 8.96 km2 (3.46 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 311th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-02-28)[3] | |
| • Total | 11,785 |
| • Rank | 86th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 999.58/km2 (2,588.9/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Swedish | 87.7% (official) |
| • Finnish | 5.8% |
| • Others | 6.5% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 14.2% |
| • 15 to 64 | 60.9% |
| • 65 or older | 24.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www.mariehamn.ax |
The theme of the coat of arms of Mariehamn refers to the city's main livelihood, a maritime transport, and the city's parks, which are typically lined with linden trees.[8][9][10][11] The coat of arms was designed by Nils Byman and confirmed in 1951.[12]
Due to its central location in the Baltic Sea, Mariehamn has become a major summer resort town for global tourism; as many as 1.5 million tourists visit there annually.[13][14][15]
History
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The town was named after the Russian empress Maria Alexandrovna (1824–1880), literally meaning "Marie's Port". 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. Following the First World War, Mariehamn was home to the Mariehamn Grain Fleet.[16]
On November 8, 1963, a devastating plane crash occurred in Mariehamn, in which 22 out of 25 people lost their lives, which made it the second-deadliest aviation accident in the history of Finland.[17]
Transportation
Harbours
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.[18] 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. Åland and Mariehamn have a reputable heritage in shipping. The Flying P-Liner Pommern museum ship (part of the Åland Maritime Museum) 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.
Airport
Mariehamn Airport serves the city; it has scheduled flights on two airlines including Finnair.
Roads
At three of Åland's four highways, Mariehamn serves as a starting point for Main Road 1 to Eckerö, Main Road 2 to Sund and Main Road 3 to Lumparland.
Culture
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.[18] The municipal library, which was built in 1989, is one of the most interesting modern buildings.
Museums
- Åland Maritime Museum
- Åland Museum
- Pommern (ship)
- Övernässtugan
- Sjökvarteret
Architecture
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
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| Source: ÅSUB's statistical databases[19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| People with a foreign background[20][21] | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Population (2017) |
| Sweden | 1,093 (9.55%) |
| Romania | 173 (1.51%) |
| Latvia | 163 (1.42%) |
| Iran | 95 (0.83%) |
| Estonia | 92 (0.80%) |
| Russia | 88 (0.77%) |
| Yugoslavia | 86 (0.75%) |
| Thailand | 73 (0.64%) |
| Philippines | 55 (0.48%) |
| United Kingdom | 45 (0.39%) |
Geography
Climate
Mariehamn has a transitional climate between humid continental climate (Dfb) with certain maritime (Cfb) influence as a result of the strong maritime moderation from being an island in the Baltic Sea. This causes summers to be cooler than both the Swedish and Finnish mainlands, with winters being similar in cold to the adjacent coastal part of Sweden but milder than Finland's mainland. The lowest temperature at Mariehamn airport was −32.9 °C (−27.2 °F) in February 1979, and the highest temperature on record was 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) in July 2022 and July 1941.[22]
| Climate data for Mariehamn Airport normals 1991-2020, extremes 1914 – present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.9 (51.6) | 10.5 (50.9) | 17.0 (62.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 27.1 (80.8) | 29.4 (84.9) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.7 (87.3) | 24.8 (76.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 16.6 (61.9) | 11.1 (52.0) | 31.3 (88.3) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) | 0.4 (32.7) | 3.1 (37.6) | 8.0 (46.4) | 13.4 (56.1) | 17.5 (63.5) | 20.8 (69.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 9.6 (49.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | 2.5 (36.5) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.3 (29.7) | −2.3 (27.9) | −0.2 (31.6) | 3.8 (38.8) | 8.9 (48.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.8 (62.2) | 16.1 (61.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 6.8 (44.2) | 3.2 (37.8) | 0.4 (32.7) | 6.4 (43.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −4.3 (24.3) | −5.5 (22.1) | −3.7 (25.3) | −0.1 (31.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.2 (54.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 7.8 (46.0) | 3.5 (38.3) | 0.6 (33.1) | −2.5 (27.5) | 2.7 (36.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −32.3 (−26.1) | −32.9 (−27.2) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −6.5 (20.3) | −3.2 (26.2) | 0.1 (32.2) | −0.5 (31.1) | −6.7 (19.9) | −11.8 (10.8) | −20.0 (−4.0) | −28.9 (−20.0) | −32.9 (−27.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 53 (2.1) | 35 (1.4) | 38 (1.5) | 31 (1.2) | 35 (1.4) | 53 (2.1) | 52 (2.0) | 76 (3.0) | 61 (2.4) | 70 (2.8) | 71 (2.8) | 59 (2.3) | 634 (25) |
| Average precipitation days | 17 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 155 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 39 | 74 | 130 | 207 | 297 | 296 | 312 | 235 | 163 | 91 | 41 | 26 | 1,911 |
| Source 1: FMI climatological normals for Finland 1991–2020[23] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: record highs and lows 1961 – present[24] | |||||||||||||
Twin towns and sister cities
Mariehamn is twinned with:[25]
- Kópavogur, Iceland
- Kragerø, Norway
- Kuressaare, Estonia
- Lomonosov, Russia (cooperation paused due to Russian invasion of Ukraine)[26]
- Slagelse, Denmark
- Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
- Valkeakoski, Finland
- Visby, Sweden
Notable people
- Maggie Gripenberg, dancer and choreographer
- Henrik Klingenberg, keyboardist, keytarist and singer of Sonata Arctica
- Anders Överström, professional footballer
- Ville Salminen, film actor and director
- Olivia Ulenius, footballer
- Tommy Wirtanen, semi-professional footballer
Gallery
Aerial view of Mariehamn.
Wooden houses of Mariehamn.
Södragatan, one of the oldest streets of Mariehamn.
St. George's Church.
Ålandsvägen, a typical street in Mariehamn, with linden trees.
An esplanade along the Storagatan.
The museum ship Pommern is anchored in the western of Mariehamn's two harbours, Västerhamn.
Nordea bank office in Mariehamn.
Åland Museumn in Mariehamn.
Municipal library of Mariehamn.
See also
References
- ^ "Turism - Mariehamns stad". Mariehamns stad. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Preliminary population structure by area, 2022M01*-2023M02*". StatFin (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ 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 (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Mariehamn". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ Suomen kunnallisvaakunat (in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982. p. 171. ISBN 951-773-085-3.
- ^ "Ahvenanmaan kuntien vaakunat 1947-1987 (I:15) Maarianhamina" (in Swedish). Kansallisarkiston digitaaliarkisto. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "Ennen 8.4.1949 annettua kunnanvaakunalakia vahvistetut vaakunat (I:7) Maarianhamina". Kansallisarkiston digitaaliarkisto (in Swedish). Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "Mariehamns vapen" (in Swedish). City of Mariehamn. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ Mitä-Missä-Milloin, Kansalaisen vuosikirja 1980 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Otava. 1979. p. 165.
- ^ Mariehamn – Visit Åland
- ^ Tourism Mariehamn & Mariehamn Travel Guide – Discovering Finland
- ^ Åland: many travellers, far fewer overnighters – Nordic Labour Journal
- ^ Derby., W L A (1937). "Mariehamn's Grain Fleet - Shipping Wonders of the World". Shipping Wonders of the World (21 July 1937): 746–749.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-35-DL (DC-3) OH-LCA Mariehamn Airport (MHQ)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
- ^ a b Prothero, G.W. (1920). The Åland Islands. Great Britain. Foreign Office. Historical Section. p. 5.
- ^ "PX-Web - Select variable and values".
- ^ http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_032.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4[dead link]
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ a b https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/15734/2009nro8.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y[bare URL PDF]
- ^ "FMI normals 1991-2020" (PDF). fmi.fi. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ "FMI open data". FMI. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Mariehamns stads vänorter. Archived 2015-09-21 at archive.today Accessed July 14, 2015
- ^ "Dags att avbryta ryskt vänortssamarbete helt?". Nya Åland (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-03-31.
External links
Media related to Mariehamn at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in Swedish)
- Official Tourist Gateway of Mariehamn - Maarianhamina
- Mariehamn travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Map of Mariehamn
- (in Russian)