Forssa
Forssa is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located almost in the centre of a triangle defined by the three largest major cities in Finland (Helsinki, Turku and Tampere), in the Tavastia Proper region, and which is crossed by Highway 2 between Pori and Helsinki and Highway 10 between Turku and Hämeenlinna. The town has a population of 16,738 (31 March 2021)[3] and covers an area of 253.38 square kilometres (97.83 sq mi) of which 4.61 km2 (1.78 sq mi) is water.[2] The population density is 67.28 inhabitants per square kilometre (174.3/sq mi).
Forssa | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Forssan kaupunki Forssa stad | |
![]() By the River Loimijoki | |
![]() Coat of arms | |
![]() Location of Forssa in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 60°49′N 023°37.5′E | |
| Country | |
| Region | Tavastia Proper |
| Sub-region | Forssa sub-region |
| Charter | 1923 |
| Town privileges | 1964 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Jari Kesäniemi[1] |
| Area (2018-01-01)[2] | |
| • Total | 253.38 km2 (97.83 sq mi) |
| • Land | 248.78 km2 (96.05 sq mi) |
| • Water | 4.61 km2 (1.78 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 246th largest in Finland |
| Population (2021-03-31)[3] | |
| • Total | 16,738 |
| • Rank | 67th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 67.28/km2 (174.3/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 97.4% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 2.3% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 12% |
| • 15 to 64 | 56.5% |
| • 65 or older | 31.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Municipal tax rate[6] | 20.5% |
| Website | www.forssa.fi |
Forssa is known for its annual big events like in the first weekend of August held Holjat Festival as well as car enthusiasts get together in Pick-Nick, the biggest event in Northern Europe. A tradition is also annual Suvi-ilta Maraton - the second biggest marathon event in Finland. Suvi-ilta Maraton takes place a weekend before Midsummer. There is also a fairly popular harness racing track in Forssa.
The name Forssa comes from the Swedish word "fors", meaning rapids.[7]
The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Forssa is twinned with:
Södertälje, Sweden
Sarpsborg, Norway
Struer, Denmark
Serpukhov, Russia
Gödöllő, Hungary
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada
People
- Aarne Ervi (1910–1977)
- Pentti Niinivuori (1931–1988)
- Asko Parpola (born 1941)
- Kalevi Aho (born 1949)
- Juha Jyrkkiö (born 1959)
- Mika Helkearo (born 1960)
- Juuso Nevalainen (born 1997)
- Miia Nuutila (born 1972)
- Jonna Tervomaa (born 1973)
- Johanna Paasikangas-Tella (born 1974)
- Tuukka Kotti (born 1981)
- Kirsi Perälä (born 1982)
- Jussi Heikkilä (born 1983)
- Sanni Grahn-Laasonen (born 1983)
- Juuse Saros (born 1995)
Sports
The town was co-host of the 1982 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women.
References
- "Forssa sai uuden kaupunginjohtajan Koskelta: "Yhdessä olemme enemmän"". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- "Preliminary population structure by area, 2021M01*-2021M03*". StatFin (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- "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.
- "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2021" (PDF). Tax Administration of Finland. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- "Forssa - Häme-Wiki".
External links
| Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Forssa. |
Media related to Forssa at Wikimedia Commons
- Town of Forssa – Official website



