Kokemäki (Swedish: Kumo) is a Finnish city located in the
province of Satakunta. The city has 7,104 inhabitants and covers an
area of 531.26 km2, of which 50.78 km2 are water bodies. The
population density is 14.79 inhabitants / km2. The economic
structure is broken down by industry as follows: primary production
9.0%, processing 30.0%, services 61.0%.
The neighboring
municipalities of Kokemäki are Eura, Harjavalta, Huittinen, Pori,
Sastamala, Säkylä and Ulvila. The former neighboring municipalities
are Keikyä (later Äetsä), Kiikoinen, Kiukainen, Kullaa, Köyliö and
Lavia.
Kokkäki's central town Tulkkila was transformed into a
densely populated community in 1923. The municipality of Kauvatsa
was annexed to Kokemäki in 1969. The Kokemäki parish, which operated
from 1996 to 2007, included the cities of Harjavalta, Huittinen and
Kokemäki, as well as the municipalities of Köyliö and Säkylä. The
population of the district is 34,898. These same cities and
municipalities also belong to the area of the Kokemäki office of
the Satakunta Tax Office. The Satakunta Research Station of the
Agricultural Research Center operated in the village of Järilä from
1929 to 1996. On December 15, 2008, Kokemäki City Council decided on
a municipal alliance with Nakkila, Harjavalta and Ulvila, but the
project failed after Ulvila changed its decision.
Due to its
central location and old settlement, Kokemäki has been a
historically significant central area. Kokemäki has, among other
things, antiquities of the Iron Age and the Middle Ages. In the
later Middle Ages, the historical province of Satakunta was often
called the county of Kokemäenkartano.
The 121-kilometer-long
Kokemäenjoki River, named after the locality, flows through the
Kokemäki center and the city area. The Kokemäenjoki watershed is the
fourth largest in Finland. The Kols hydropower plant is located in
the city area.
Kokemäenjoki, which flows through the city, is the most
characteristic of Kokemäki's landscape. In the southeast, at the border
of Huittisten, the river splits into Kyttälänhaara and Kiettareenhaara,
between which is Kiettareenluoto. At the former Kyttälä railway station,
the river forms numerous side branches that meet again below the former
Pahakoski and Niskakoski. After this, the river flows northwest in the
valley formed by Säpilänniemi and the moraine ridges to its northeast,
turns almost back to its original direction at the tip of the cape and
follows the southwest side of the cape. The fall of the river in the 26
km distance from the mouth of Loimijoki to the Kolsi power plant is only
60 centimeters, but the height of the fall at the power plant is no less
than 12.5 meters. From Tulkila in the direction of Pori, the river flows
in the bed it has carved into the sand and clay plain.
From its
southwest corner, the Kokemäki area is in the Satakunta sandstone area.
From Harjavalla to Peipohja, the Kokemäenjoki valley forms the boundary
of the area against the bedrock. From Peipohja, this border turns south
towards Köyliönjärvi and Pyhäjärvi. The highest terrain point in this
area is Järilänvuori, which reaches 70 meters above sea level. To the
northeast of Kynskanka, Säpilänharju and Ronkankanka, the terrain is
more rugged and poorly cultivated compared to the plain in the central
part of the city. Near the Huittine border are the large Korkeasuo,
Kiettareensuo and Ronkansuo. Near Tulkkila, the Sonnilanjoki flows into
the Kokemäenjoki from the southeast, which originates in the forest and
swamp areas of the eastern part of the former Köyliö municipality.
In the area of the former Kauvatsa municipality, the main part of
the settlement and cultivation is located on a narrow strip southeast of
Sääksjärvi towards Puurijärvi. On the northeast side of the church
village of Kauvatsa, near the Sastamala border, are the highest hilltops
in the Kokemäki area, reaching more than 100 meters above sea level.
The biggest lake in Kokemäki is Sääksjärvi, which used to mostly
belong to Kauvatsa municipality. At the eastern end of the lake flows
the Siilijoki coming from Kiikoisjärvi on the Sastamala side and the
Rukajoki originating from the eastern part of the former Kullaa
municipality. Sääksjärvi flows down to Kauvatsanjoki into Puurijärvi,
which in turn flows from its southern end into Kokemäenjoki. Other lakes
are Pitkäjärvi in the south near the Säkylä border and Lievijärvi
northeast of Kauvatsa church village.
Natural history
After the Ice Age ended, the Kokemäki area was
deep below sea level. As the land rose, the coastline located in
Hämee began to move west and finally the high rocky ridge of
Kauvatsa was revealed from the sea. Kokemäki's highest points were
at first an archipelago, but gradually the islands merged with the
mainland, which was protected by Hiittenharju, Järilänharju and
Ronkanharju from the storms of the sea.
The birth date of
Kokemäenjoki is considered to be the separation of Sastamala's
Liekovesi from the sea around 5000–4500 BC, from which time the lake
water flowed to the lowlands exposed from the sea. The Kokemäenjoki
estuary advanced from Sastamala to the northwest due to land uplift
and reached the Huittinen field plain around 3500 BC. Since the area
is flat up to Säpilänniemi, the estuary moved there in about 500
years. Vehmain's inner lake dried up and later formed extensive
swamp areas, which eventually formed Puurijärvi and Isosuo National
Park. The height difference between Säpilä and Tulkkila is large, so
numerous rapids formed between them. There have always been
settlements along the slopes of the rapids, and they influenced the
birth of the settlement in the Kokemäki region. The river estuary
moved to Tulkkilaa in 2500 BC. by and from there quickly to the
center of Harjavalta to 2000 BC.
The ice age and the river
have had a significant impact on the natural landscape of Kokemäki.
The sand ridges, which are located in Järilä, Koomankanka and Köyliö
and in the area between Säpilä and Ronka, contain abundant sand and
groundwater resources. The silt from the river filled the valleys
with nutrient-rich, albeit tough, clay, which has been the basis of
the region's agriculture. The inhabitants of the Late Stone Age and
Bronze Age cultivated the sandy slopes of the sand ridges, but it
was not until the importation of iron plows in the 13th century that
the tough clay soil was used for farming in large areas.
Early eras
Kokemäki is known as an old keep, whose archaeological
excavations carried out in the area tell about life up to 7,000
years ago. The Kokemäenjoki valley has been one of Finland's most
important settlement areas during the Iron Age, with which the
Vanajavesi regions have been closely connected both economically and
culturally. There was a single settlement from Kokemäki all the way
to the Hämeenlinna region. Perimätieto tells about an ancient city
called Teljä, which would have been located on Kokemäki. There has
been no historical or archaeological confirmation of this. In any
case, Teljä is part of the name of many Satakunta companies, clubs
and organizations.
Middle Ages
According to legend, in
1156, Bishop Henrik visited Satakunta on a preaching trip, as part
of Eerik Pyhä's first crusade to Finland. Kokemäki parish was
founded in the 13th century at the latest, according to some
assumptions, maybe even earlier.[12] The county of Kokemäenkartano
has been known since 1331, and its center, Kokemäki's royal manor,
has been home to the bishops of Turku and many royal families for a
long time. The medieval Kokemäki castle was located on Kokemäki,
which was destroyed in 1367.
In the Middle Ages, Kokemäki
functioned as the administrative center of the historical Satakunta.
County assemblies were held on the assembly mound located near the
Kokemäki church, and the county seal was kept in the nearby village
of Ylistaro until the 15th century.
The medieval Huovintie
ran from the Turku region via Kokemäki to the mouth of Kokemäenjoki.
There were guild houses maintained by spiritual and secular
communities along the Huovinti where travelers could spend the
night. Such was also located near Kokemäki church. Kokemäenjoki has
been an important water route to the sea, and it is known for its
catch of salmon, whitefish and lamprey.
New time
Harjavalta was formed as the Kokemäki chapel congregation in 1669
and it was separated as an independent parish in 1868. The municipal
administration started in Kokemäki in 1869, and Reverend August
Lilius was elected as the first supervisor of the municipality, who
served in the position for three years. In 1870, the fire insurance
committee of Kokemäki municipality was founded, which later became
an independent insurance company. Kokemäki's first public school
started its operation in Tulkkilä in 1872, initially only for boys;
for girls, the start was moved to the following year due to a
shortage of teachers. The next three public schools were founded in
Kuurola in 1886, Raitio in 1895 and Peipohja in 1899. Kokemäki
co-educational school was founded in 1907. Kokemäki Savings Bank
started operating in 1875 and Kokemäki Osuusmeijeri in 1901.
Train service on the Pori line between Tampere and Peipohja began in
1894, and the entire length of the line up to Pori was completed the
following year. The Kokemäki area got five railway stations,
Kyttälä, Risten, Kokemäki and Peipohja stations and the Järilä stop.
Peipohja became a crossing station after the completion of the Rauma
line in 1897. Risten and Peipohja stations on the Pori line appeared
as planned alternative crossing stations in the early 20th century,
when a rail connection from Helsinki to Loimaa to Satakunta was
planned.
In 1965, a large area of land was moved from the
southern part of Kokemäki near Pitkäjärvi to Harjavalta. The entire
municipality of Kauvatsa was merged into Kokemäki at the beginning
of 1969.
Name plant: Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus), which is also called the
iris for short, is a handsome plant for moist places. It is found in
central and southern Finland, in some places further north up to the
height of Oulu.
Namesake: The grebe (Vanellus vanellus), is a
shorebird of the kurmits family, which is common in temperate Europe,
and is also found in temperate regions of Asia during the breeding
season.
Kokemäki's namesake plant and animal were chosen by
voting in 1997 at the Tulkkilan Yö event.
Keeper dishes
In the
1980s, gray salmon, salmon soup and Hilja Vienone's gingerbread were
named Kokemäki's signature dishes.
Arms
The coat of arms of
Kokemäki municipality was designed by Gustaf von Numers, and it was
confirmed on February 4, 1953. The image of the coat of arms is from
Bishop Henrik's visit to Kokemäki. The coat of arms explanation is "on a
blue field a silver, gold-rimmed and -banded bishop's cape".
Landscape
Located in the center of Kokemäki, the Tulkkila museum
bridge is the most used of the city's unofficial signs. It is in the
logos of companies as well as in connection with the names of events, as
well as on the homepage of the city of Kokemäki.
Congregations
According to the 2018 regional distribution, Kokemäki has the following
parishes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland:
Kokmäki
parish
The Kokemäki Pentecostal Church operates as an independent
Pentecostal church in Kokemäki.
Among the congregations of the
Finnish Orthodox Church, the Turku Orthodox congregation operates in the
Kokemäki area.
Former parishes
In the following list, parishes
that were dissolved in historical time in the current area of the city
of Kokemäki are mentioned.
Kauvatsa parish (joined to Kokemäki
parish in 2007)
Kokemäki's mayor is Teemu Nieminen. He was elected to his position in
December 2020. Nieminen's predecessor was Nina Kivi, who resigned from
her position in September 2020. He was elected mayor in June 2018.
Kivi's predecessor was Reijo Siltala, who started as mayor in August
2014.
The Kokemäki city council has 27 members, and its chairman
is Marjatta Sutinen. In the period 2021–2025, the center has 8 seats,
the SDP has 6, the Fundamental Finns have 5, the Left Alliance has 4,
the Kokomus has 3, and the Christian Democrats have 1.
The city
council has 9 members, and its chairman is Juhani Seppälä.
Highway 2 between Vihti and Pori, highway 11 between Nokia and Pori
and highway 12 between Rauma and Kouvola pass through Kokemäki.
Passenger trains operating on the railway between Tampere and Pori stop
at Kokemäki railway station (formerly Peipohja station). There is a stop
for express buses between Helsinki and Pori near the station along
highway 2. The original Kokemäki railway station was located about three
kilometers from the current station in the direction of Tampere. Other
rail traffic locations located in Kokemäki have been the Risten and
Kyttälä stations and the Järilä stop. The operations of Kyttälä and
Riste and the old Kokemäki station were stopped in 1983. There is only
freight traffic on the Kokemäki–Rauma line; passenger traffic on the
railway section was discontinued in 1988.
Kokemäki is home to
Piikajärvi Airport, which is used by recreational aviation. The nearest
airport is Pori airport.
Water traffic on the Kokemäenjoki is
limited, as the hydropower plants in Kokemäki and Harjavalla almost
completely prevent traffic over longer distances. However, local boating
and other recreational use of the river is popular.
Distances
from Kokemäki
12 km from Harjavala
Helsinki 200 km
Huittinen 20
km
Hämeenlinna 140 km
Pori 40 km
Rauma 50 km
Tampere 95 km
Turku 90 km
Kokemäki's elementary school network has shrunk in recent years, when
schools that provide basic education for grades 1-6 have been closed.
The remaining are Lähteenmäki school, Tulkkila school and Tuomaala
school. The buildings of Kokemäki co-educational school house middle
school grades 6 – 9, special education, Kokemäki high school and its
adult line, and Kokemäki civic college.
Vocational education is
offered by two municipal associations of secondary vocational education.
The educational facilities of the Kokemäki unit of the Satakunta
educational association, or SATAEDU, are located in Peipohja. Sasky's
SASKY premises are located north of Tulkila in Kuoppala, and the
teaching garden Karimaa's garden acquired for the college is located in
Paistila.
Courses organized by the university, offered by the
Western Finland Summer University and the Open University, can be
studied at Kokemäki. A branch of the Huittinen music school also
operates in Tulkkilä. There is an office of Liikkeneoipisto in Tulkkilä.
Räisälä folk school, which used to operate in Peipohja, has now been
closed down.
More than 400 companies are currently operating in Kokemäki. The
graphic industry, the metal industry and the transport industry are key
industries in the locality. Agriculture (e.g. cultivation of special
crops) and, most recently, welfare services are also strongly
represented in Kokemäki.
The largest employers
The employer's
name is followed by the number of employees.
City of Kokmäki, 320
Lehtonen Konepaja Oy (manufacture of metal products), 140
Peiron Oy
(metal casting), 125
Cemt-Trans Oy, 110
Keski-Satakunta health
care municipal corporation, 82
Sinituote Oy, 80
Kokemäenjokilaakso
vocational school, 70
Kokemäki engagement office, 51 (66)
Sasky,
Kokemäki, 50
Finnamyl Oy (potato starch industry), 25 (66)
Satakunta tax office Kokemäki office, 23 (30)
State services
The Office of Engagement, KELA (open two days a
week), the roadmaster district's branch office, VR Kokemäki station,
Avena Siilot Oy's grain warehouse and the Satakunta tax district's
Kokemäki office are all located in Kokemäki's central plaza.
Refreshment
Kokemäki is home to a trotting track known for its
Midsummer trots. Other recreational opportunities include, for example,
the swimming pool, Pitkäjärvi leisure center, Ammattiopisto ballpark,
Haapahuhta riding stable, Risten JM and Motocross track, Järilä FK
track, Järilä ski center, Piikajärvi airport and ice rink Teljä Areena.
New projects include a golf course for Pitkäjärvi and a central park
near Tulkkilantie.
The historic St. Henry's pulpit is located in the city center. Inside
the chapel designed by architect Pehr Johan Gylich, there is a residence
where, according to legend, Bishop Henrik spent his last night before
Lalli killed him on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi.
Kokemäki has
the stone church of Gustavus III, which has stood on the rocky church
hill in the center of Kokemäki for over 200 years. The first sketches of
the church were drawn by J. Sytti and supplemented by C. F. Adercrantz.
The natural stone church was built in 1780–1786.
Puurijärvi and
Isosuo National Park was established in 1993. The 27 km² national park
consists of Puurijärvi, known as the bird lake, and five cream oasis
swamps; Aron, Iso, Kiettareen, Korkea and Ronkansuo. More than 30
species nested in the lake in 1993, with the total number of pairs
rising to more than 1,500.
Tourist destinations in Kokemäki can
be found at www.kokemaenjokilaakso.com.
Other destinations worth
visiting:
Station master's home
Anttila's garden farm/farm shop
Karimaa's garden
Kokmäki Agricultural Museum
Kokmäki Clubhouse
Kokmäki Electricity Museum
Kokmäki outdoor museum
Käräjämäki
A
seamstress's museum home
The rocks of Orjapaa
The sacristy of St.
Mary's Church
Säpilä suspension bridge
Cultural route from Villa
Cuma to the city of Kokemäki
Services important to travelers
Kokmäki travel agency
S-market Kokemäki
K-Supermarket Teljänportti
Lidl
Kauvatsa
village shop
Tokmanni
Coffee and restaurant Salkkari
Teboil Kokemäki (coffee and fast
food)
Belda Pizza pizzeria
Restaurant Vanha Silta
Grill City
grill
Café Uno
Gas stations/refueling points
St1
Liquid
Teboil
ABC
Gulf Kauvatsa
Vastavirtarock rock festival and other programs, such as exhibitions,
concerts and rompetor are organized in Kokemäki in the summer. Events
related to toilet rolls can be mentioned as a specialty, e.g. long throw
WC championships (2008) and building a toilet paper roll pyramid (2010).
The traditional two-day midsummer trots organized at the Kokemäki
racetrack gather thousands of trotting enthusiasts every year.
Satasoitto music festival takes place every year in August.
Local
newspapers
Highway
River valley
Sydän-Satakunta
Aakula, Askola, Haavasoja, Haistila, Hampula, Harola, Hassala,
Herttola, Hintikkala, Huivoo, Hyrkölä, Häyhtitonmaa, Järilä, Kaarenoja,
Kakkulainen, Kankaantaustaus, Kareksela, Kaukaritsa, Kaurula, Kauvatsa,
Keipilä, Ketola, Kiettare, Kiusala, Kokemäki manor . Pyhänkorva,
Pälpälä, Rajaoja, Riste, Ronkka, Rudanko, Ruikkala, Ryytsälä, Sonnila,
Säpilä, Talonen, Teikari, Tulkkila, Tuomaala, Vallila, Viikari, Villiö,
Vitikkala, Vuolle (Vuoltee, Swedish Vuoltis), Ylistaro, Äimälä, Öykkäri
The spirit book villages of the former Kauvatsa municipality
Åvenus, Jalonoja, Kauvatsa, Kotka, Kulkkila, Kuoppakoski, Lievikoski,
Siilijoenmaa, Piitanoja, Puurila, Rutuna, Sampu, Työtilä, Yttilä.