Hailuoto (Swedish: Karlö) is a Finnish municipality located
mostly on an island of the same name in the Bay of Bothnia in the
province of Northern Ostrobothnia. The unique landscape and natural
conditions have made Hailuoto, the largest island in the Gulf of
Bothnia, a national landscape. Of all the islands in Finland's sea
areas, Hailuoto is the third largest after Åland and Kemiönsaari.
The first parts of the island are estimated to have risen from the
sea about 1,700 years ago, and it has taken its current form as an
association of several different islands. As the uprising continues,
it will eventually grow onto the mainland.
Hailuoto has a
population of 959 and is the smallest municipality in the province
of Northern Ostrobothnia and the former county of Oulu. The
neighboring municipalities of Hailuoto are Lumijoki, Oulu and
Siikajoki. The former neighboring municipalities are Haukipudas and
Oulunsalo, which are connected to Oulu.
Hailuoto is not only
the name of the municipality (administrative area), but also the
name of the island (geographical area). The island of Hailuoto is
located in the Gulf of Bothnia off Oulu. It is the only permanently
inhabited island in the Bay of Bothnia with no fixed road
connection.
Marjaniemi lighthouse is located in the
westernmost part of Hailuoto, Marjaniemi. The former pilot station
building of the Pilotage Enterprise, located at the foot of the
lighthouse, now houses the Pilot Hotel, and the Bay of Bothnia
Research Station of the University of Oulu has operated in the
building next to the lighthouse.
The whole of Hailuoto is
classified as one of Finland's nationally significant built cultural
environments.
In the 1980s, fish sticks made from whitefish
were named Hailuoto's parish food.
The origin and history of Hailuoto is closely related to the uplift
of the earth, which is about nine millimeters per year. Areas more than
15 meters above the current sea level were dry land in 325 BC. The area
included Hyypänmäki, Harju and Isomäki, meaning it was about two square
kilometers in size. By the year 850, about 30 square kilometers of land
had already been exposed.
Permanent settlement of Hailuoto
apparently began in the 12th century. Residents came from many
directions, especially from Karelia. The Swedes, who competed for
fishing waters, named the island Karelö (which became Karlö), the island
of Karelia or the Karelians. Also the name Hailuoto is probably
connected to the Karelian fishing pleasure, it was haili or herring
lake. Hailuoto's first permanent residents were mostly from Western
Finland, but some also came from Eastern Finland. In 1548 there were 43
houses on the island, and by 1570 the number of houses increased to 60.
Queen Kristiina donated the entire island of Hailuoto in 1652 as a free
lordship to Colonel Berndt Taube, from whose heirs it was returned to
the crown in 1675.
Hailuoto was initially part of the Suurpitäjä
of Saloinen, from which it separated into an independent parish in 1587.
The church, built between 1610 and 1620, was for a long time the oldest
wooden church in use in Finland, until it burned down in 1968. The
current church was completed in 1972. In the Hailuoto parsonage fire on
August 2, 1901, the parish archive was almost completely destroyed .
During the great famine years of 1696–1697, 88 residents of Hailuoto
perished. During the Great Enmity (1713–1721), 200 Russian Cossacks
killed about 800 people with axes in Hailuodo on September 29, 1714. A
large part of the victims sought refuge on the island, as the population
of Hailuodo at that time was less than 300 people. The bloodshed carried
out in one night was the greatest of big hatred. According to tradition,
the bells of the Hailuoto church were submerged in Kirkonjärvi during
the great hatred, but they were never found there again.
The
population of Hailuoto exceeded 2,000 after the turn of the 19th and
20th centuries, but since then the population has decreased to less than
half. Like many municipalities that have seen a lot of emigration, the
population structure is characterized by a large proportion of
pensioners. However, population projections point to the preservation of
the current population. In the summer, hundreds of cabin dwellers arrive
on the island to inhabit the island's approximately 650 leisure
apartments.
The current Hailuoto is made up of several separate islands. As a
result of land uplift, the surface area of the island is constantly
increasing and eventually the island will grow close to the mainland. A
couple of hundred years ago, the roach-like Santonen on the mainland and
the Hanhine in the southern Finland were separate islands from Luoto
itself. Kirkkosalmi between Hanhinen and Luoto is a very important
wetland, where you can find a lot of rare bird species.
Hailuoto
is the largest island in the Pärämere, which consists of four parts,
Luoto, Santonen, Hanhinen and Syökari. They were separated until a
couple of centuries ago, until they joined each other as a result of
uplift. The island's young landforms are all shaped by sea waves,
currents, ice thrust and wind.
The soil consists of sandy
materials, which are partly derived from clay sandstone, which is
so-called As a muhos formation, it extends to Hailuoto. A 15 kilometer
long ridge runs across the island from Hyypänmäki to Marjaniemi in a
northeast-west-southwest direction. In the eastern parts near
Hyypänmäki, the melting waters of the glacier have broken up the sands
into a nearly two kilometer wide plateau. In the central parts, Harju
only runs as a high ridge a few tens of meters wide, but it spreads
again to the west of Isomäki. The pitted tip of Marjaniemi is a wear
remnant of the heart of the ridge. The highest point is Hyypänmäki,
which is about 31 meters above sea level. There are also pebbles in the
Hyypänmäki area, which are covered by later deposited fly sand. The
pebbles show that the waves have washed the shores of the islands, but
the boulder banks also show that the icebergs have crashed violently
against the shores. Fly sand banks and beach banks are a special feature
that characterizes the surface forms of Hailuoto. especially on the
north and west coast.
The most diverse part of Hailuoto's
vegetation is spread along the shores, especially in the coastal meadows
of sheltered coves. Dry fabrics are well represented in forest nature.
Wide lichen fabrics are particularly characteristic. Hailuodo, the
object of ornithology, has a long tradition. Waterfowl are most abundant
in meadow steppes, wide shallows, karikos and lush bays. The highlight
of autumn is the migration of swans, at the peak of which one and a half
thousand birds can rest on the shores.
The islands of Hailuoto
municipality
Hailuoto, Hoikanriisi, Isomatala, Kengänkari, Mustakivi,
Santosenkari (Santos-Hoikka), Pikku-Hoikka, Ulkoriisi, Ukolaidadantala,
Välieteonkarit.
Lakes in Hailuoto municipality
Haaralampi,
Hannuslampi, Hannusrantampi, Iso Sunijärvi, Kaakkurijärvi, Kangasjärvi,
Kaunislampi, Kestinperä, Kurajärvi, Maasyvänlahti, Mäntylampi,
Nuottajärvi, Pajuperänlampi, Pikku Sunijärvi, Pitkäjärvi, Riestenkulju,
Simpukkalampi, Syväkulju, Valkjärvi, Ämmanarkku.
Hailuodo has the largest number of jobs in the health and social
services (about 26%) and agriculture, forestry and fisheries (22%)
industries. In recent years, the relative growth of jobs has been
strongest in the art, entertainment and recreation industries. About
half of Hailuoto's jobs are in the private sector and half in the public
sector. About half of the working-age population living in Hailuoto
municipality commutes, i.e. works on the mainland.
30% of private
employer jobs are in agriculture and forestry. 23% of jobs are in trade,
accommodation and catering. Only in two other municipalities of North
Ostrobothnia is the share of agriculture more significant than private
sector jobs.
There is no fixed road connection to Hailuoto, but there is a regular
ferry to the island from Riutunkari in Oulunsalo. In winter, the
Hailuoto ice road also runs between the island and the mainland. From
1920 to 1968, the Hailuotailaiva was the connection ship, which was
replaced by the Merituuli ferry of the Road Administration. At the
beginning of the 1980s, the hovercraft Larus operated experimentally in
Hailuoto. The current ferry connection is relatively smooth with the
spacious Merisilta and Meriluoto ferries, but a causeway to the mainland
between Huiku and Riutunkari is being planned. The ferry connection is
part of regional road 816, which is also the main internal road in
Hailuoto and the only completely paved road on the island. From the
ferry port in Huiku, it is about 21 kilometers to Hailuoto church and
about 30 kilometers to the end of the road in Marjaniemi.
Hailuoto's public transport is mainly taxi transport, but regional road
816 runs through Oulu public transport line 59 from Marjaniemi via
Oulunsalo to Oulu three times a day on weekdays, twice a day on
Saturdays, and once a day on Sundays. Sunday shifts are run on the most
common public holidays. The bus also partially handles mail delivery in
the municipality, and is driven by V. Alamäki.
Airport
There
is a small airport in Hailuodo, about six kilometers south of the church
village. The airport has a gravel runway with direction 06/24. The
runway is 600 meters long and 60 meters wide.
According to the 2018 regional division, the only congregation of the
Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hailuoto is the Hailuoto
congregation.
Among the congregations of the Finnish Orthodox
Church in the Hailuoto region is the Oulu Orthodox congregation. Among
the revivalist movements within the church, there is an old people's
church in the community, which has the Hailuoto Rauhanyhdistys in the
community.