Parkano is a Finnish city located in the province of Pirkanmaa.
6,244 people live in the municipality, and its area is 909.57 km2,
of which 56.38 km2 are water bodies. The population density is 7.32
inhabitants/km2.
Parkano's neighboring municipalities are
Ikaalinen, Jämijärvi, Kankaanpää, Karvia, Kihniö, Kurikka and
Ylöjärvi. The former neighboring municipalities are Ikaalisten rural
municipality, which was merged into the then Ikaalisten township in
1972, Jalasjärvi, which was merged into Kurikka in 2016, and Kuru,
which was merged into Ylöjärvi in 2009.
Parkano is located on
the border of the provinces of Pirkanmaa, Satakunta and Etelä
Ostrobothnia, at the intersection of highways 3 and 23 and along the
Tampere–Seinäjoki line. The Parkano train station is located seven
kilometers from the city center. Most of Parkano's shops and markets
have moved to the Kolmoskeskus area along highway 3. The town hall,
health center, pharmacy, banks, travel service, library, church and
cemetery are located in the old center of Parkano along Parkanontie.
Parkano is known for its machine, metal and wood industry, the baron
of Parkano and its cultural, nature and sports events. The cityscape
is dominated by a steel water tower painted in pine colors.
Viinikanjoki, which flows through the city, is a significant
recreational fishing destination.
Parkano church is a wooden cross church. The church was commissioned
in 1805. The church's belfry, made of red granite, was completed in
1889. The church and the belfry are protected by the Building Heritage
Act.
The cemetery in the center of Parkano was inaugurated in 1805
and was later expanded. A wooden walk-through building located on the
edge of Kirkkomaa. 201 deceased heroes have been buried in the hero's
cemetery. A memorial to those who fell in 1939-44, 'Vartiosotilas', made
by sculptor Vilho Aalto, has been erected near the cemetery.
The
Parkano Homeland Museum operates in a former granary built in 1890 next
to the church. The museum opened to the public in 1958. The museum
building contains, among other things, the sections of the 'Baron of
Parkano' and the church museum, as well as local objects.
The Parkano
forest museum was opened to the public in 1991. It is located about 12
kilometers north of the center. The museum area has an exhibition hall,
a forest camp, a sauna, a horse stable, a log pontoon and forest
machines. In the vicinity of the museum you can find a nature trail,
Messukallio, beach, sheds and campfire sites.
Parkano Region's Car
Museum opened in 2009. Parkano region's Mobilisti r.y. was responsible
for the museum's operation. The car museum stopped operating after the
lease of the premises ended in 2018.
The school and cultural campus
Kaarna is becoming a new attraction in Parkano. Its design takes into
account the goal of more efficient use of public spaces. The
multi-purpose building is suitable for studying during the day and for
hobby activities in the evenings and weekends. The school campus houses
a primary school and a high school. The interiors are modifiable and the
furniture can be moved. The auditorium functions as a learning space,
but also as a theater and music space. The gym has an indoor basketball
court and a climbing wall. The school campus will be completed in 2019.
Parkano's city library was opened after renovation in 2017. The
efficient use of the facilities was taken into account in the planning.
The adaptability of the library premises enables the organization of
various events: literature-themed events, game nights, live concerts and
other events. The library works in cooperation with schools as a
learning environment. Art exhibitions are also organized there.
The
water tower that serves as Parkano's landmark was erected on April 1,
1970. The 40-meter-high, 600-cubic meter steel water tower is one of the
most special products manufactured by Parkano Oy
Käenkoskikeskus is a
party and experience place in Parkano, about 3 kilometers from the
center of Parkano. Its dance stage was completed in 1958 as a
collaboration between Parkano's Athletes and Sotainvalidie Brotherhood.
Kaidat waters belong to the natura 2000 area. The shores of the lake
chain are rocky and steep. Kaidatveted is a camping and fishing area 10
kilometers from the city center of Parkano. Landscape ferry Vespääsky
cruises on Kaidoillavesi.
Alkkianvuori rises to a height of 201
meters above sea level. Beach pebbles that tell of the sea and lake
phases after the ice age are a specialty. The area is managed by
Metsähallitus and Järvi-Suomen Luontopalvelut. Alkkianvuori is located
in Kuivasjärvi on the west side of highway 3; It is about 28 km from the
center of Parkano to Alkkieanvuori,
Häädetkeidas is made up of
meadows and natural forests, about a third of which is already protected
as a nature park. Häädetkeidas is located along Parkano-Karviantie 274
on the border of Parkano and Karvia, it is just under 24 km from the
center of Parkano.
Seiteminen National Park is a nature reserve in
Ylöjärvi's Länsi-Aurie and on the borderlands of Ikaalin. There are
marked routes and nature trails. Seitsimenen Nature Center offers
accommodation in the immediate vicinity of the national park's outdoor
and camping areas. Seitseminen National Park was established in 1982 and
is managed by Metsähallitus. It is about 33 km from the center of
Parkano via Parkano-Kurutie 332. A hiking trail called Paroon's Taival
runs from Parkano via Aurejärvi to Seitseminen National Park.
Market day is a traditional event on Fridays in Parkano. Parkano
market is located along the main street in the old center.
Art
Festivo – a music and cultural event has been held since 1994 in Parkano
and Kihniö. Various experiences are available for those interested in
culture of all ages.
Pirkanmaa Erämessut is an event for the whole
family in Parkano.
In the summer, ITE art is spread in the parks and
along the streets of the city center of Parkano.
The Parkka summer
theater is located in the grounds of the Käenkoski Center, close to the
lake scenery. It has performed numerous plays over the years.
The Parkano Ice Hockey Association, which was founded in 1983,
operates in the Parkano ice hall. The idea was to offer children and
young people the opportunity to practice ice hockey and to help each
child and young person develop according to their wishes and abilities.
Parkano Sports Hall was built in 1978 and renovated in 2000. It is
located in the Pahkala district next to the water tower. The sports hall
is a sports venue, a dance venue, a concert venue and a venue for
various events. In the sports hall, you can play various ball sports or
work out in the fitness and weightlifting hall.
There are 3 sports
fields in Parkano: Pahkalanniemi, Koulukeskus and Viinikka.
There are
private horse enthusiasts and stables in Parkano. Parkanon Ratsastajat
ry is an active riding sports club from Parkano that started in 1984.
Ikaalisten Golf's country course is located in Ikaalisten Riitiala,
about 14 kilometers from the center of Parkano.
The Kalaisa Viinikanjoki flows by the central parka of Parkano. The
length of the river is 4 km, of which the upper 3 km belong to the
special fishing area of the Viinikanjoki. Parkano's Urheilukalastajat ry
maintains its fish management. In addition to trout and cockle, the
natural fish of the river include perch, pike, zander, roach, maggot and
roach. Information about fishing permits and rules can be found on the
website of Parkano Sports Fishermen.
In the Vahojärvi cooperative
area, the rapids that require a permit are: Vesakoski, Lierunkoski,
Riihikoski and Lehtiniemenkoski. The length of the river area between
the rapids is 2 km. The main prey fish is trout. Information about rapid
fishing permits in the area of the Vahojärvi cooperative from the
Vahojärvi website.
Parkano is located in the watershed region between Satakunta, Pirkanmaa and Ostrobothnia, which is why the landscape is rather barren. Wide forests and swamps, sometimes rocky moraine hills and ridges, north-south ridge sections and small rapids river and lake routes are characteristic. Suomenselkä runs through the northern part of the city. The main part of the Parkano area belongs to the Kyrösjärvi route of the Kokemäenjoki watershed, but the western part partly belongs to the Karvianjoki and the northern part to the Jalasjoki watershed, which flows into the Kyrönjoki. Parkano's highest terrain point is Alkkianvuori, which reaches 201 meters above sea level] near the Karvia border, Matalin (87 m above sea level) is located in the Vääräjoki valley on the Ikaalist border.
The parish of Suur-Ikaalist was founded in 1641. Parkano was formed into an independent parish and at the same time a municipality on May 1, 1867. Parkano became a shop on January 1, 1972 and a city on January 1, 1977. Kihniö separated from Parkano on January 1, 1920, when it became an independent municipality.
Parkano has been a part of the Ikaalin mother holding from around
1640–1867 (the holding included i.a. Ikaalinen, Parkano, Kankaanpää,
Kihniö, Jämijärvi, Karvia and Honkajoki) and before that part of the
ancient holding of Kyrö, whose center was Hämeenkyrö-Viljakkala. The
owners of Kyrö included e.g. Hämeenkyrö, formerly Viljakkala, formerly
Kuru, Parkano, Ikaalinen, Kankaanpää, Kihniö, Jämijärvi, Karvia,
Honkajoki. At its widest, the keeper of Kyrö also included the so-called
Pohjan Kyrön (municipalities from Kyröjoensuu to Viljakkala). The center
of Kyrö's keep was Hämeenkyrö-Viljakkala, but the difficulty of managing
a large keep led to the spread of the keep. In the early-middle ages,
Kyrö separated from Sastamala's keeper.
Parkano is mentioned as
inhabited in a land register from 1540 from the time of Kustaa Vaasa.
The name appears in the form Parckana. The name was written in Parkana
form between 1553 and 1630, but since 1656 the name has appeared in its
current form.
According to folklore, the name comes from the bark
pine (parkkamänty), which was in a place called Haaparo. There, the
river coming down from Kirkkojärvi joins Viinikanjoki. The tree was a
meeting place for wild men.
According to tradition, the Lappish
settlement in Parkano has continued until quite late times, as the
Lappish population gradually merged with the main population. Many place
names in the Parkano region still tell of Lappish history.
In the
Middle Ages, Parkano was the northernmost village of Kyrö's suurpitäjä,
and Linna, founded on Linnanjärvi, was the northernmost house in the
entire province of Satakunta even at the beginning of the new era.
Permanent settlement in the region came mainly from the south, but some
residents came from the east with the large influx of Savoans. During
the famine years at the end of the 17th century, Parkano lost about a
quarter of its population, which is estimated at about 200 people. A
much greater loss of population was experienced in 1868, when more than
750 inhabitants of the keep had to be buried.
In 1796, Parkano
was assigned as the residence of the assistant keeper of the Ikaalites,
where its own pulpit was built a few years later. Parkano became an
Ikaalist chapel in 1841 and an independent parish in 1867. Municipal
administration in Parkano began early on, when it was decided to
establish a municipal government and board in 1866. Parkano's municipal
council started operating under the new municipal law in 1919. The first
Parkano MP was farmer Ivar Alanen (Kok.), who was a member of parliament
from 1917–1922.
On Midsummer's Day 1928, lightning struck the
bell tower of the Parkano church and then the church itself during the
confirmation service. In the church, which was full to the brim, there
was an escape panic, where one person was killed immediately and three
died of their injuries later. Several dozen were injured. However, the
heavy rain extinguished the fire. The case also attracted national
attention.
After the Continuation War, Kaukola immigrants settled
in Parkano.
Until the beginning of 1993, Parkano was the largest
municipality in the counties of Turku and Pori. In this case, the cities
of Parkano and Ikaaliste and the municipalities of Hämeenkyrö, Kihniö,
Mouhijärvi and Viljakkala were transferred to Häme county by the
decision of the Government. From the point of view of the county, the
change was not very important, because the old counties were abolished
at the beginning of September 1997. Instead, the change of the location
of the above-mentioned municipalities to the later established Pirkanmaa
province had an effect. source?
Parkano's municipal, township and
city managers
Parkano got its first mayor in 1961.
Väinö Toivanen
1961–1984
Matti Linna 1984–1997
Tarmo Aarnio 1997 started acting
as mayor
Tarmo Aarnio 1998–2000
Kari Karjalainen 2000–2006
Jarkko Malmberg 2006–2013
Jari Heiniluoma 2013–2022.
Parkano has started the municipal merger survey with Kankaanpää and Jämijärvi. In Kankaanpää, Jämijärvi and Parkano, an opinion poll about the union of municipalities was organized in November 2011. Only 38% answered the survey. Of the respondents in Parkano, 65% opposed and 17% supported and 17% could not say their position. Name options for the new city are Niinisalo, Hämeenmetsä, Pohjankangas, Hämeenkangas and Kyrönkangas. The citizens of the municipality were given the opportunity to propose a new name for the city to be formed. The planned union of municipalities has now been frozen after Parkano opted out of it in the last moments before the matter was finally brought to the Government Council. The main reason was considered to be the position of the Ministry of Municipalities not to give a commitment about which province the new municipality will be located in. A written agreement had been made between the three municipalities that the new urban entity would apply for membership of the Pirkanmaa Association and the city manager would come from the Kankaanpää city manager.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Parkano parish
The Finnish
Orthodox Church, Parkano area belongs to the Tampere Orthodox
congregation
Finnish Pentecostal Revival, Parkano Pentecostal
Congregation
The Free Church of Finland, Parkano Free Congregation
Salvation Army, Parkano department
According to statistics, from the end of September 2017 to the end of
September 2018, the unemployment rate has decreased by 1.7 percent
throughout the country and has decreased in all 12 largest cities. In
Parkano, unemployment dropped by more than 40 percent. At the end of
September 2018, 6.5% were unemployed in Parkano.
The income
statement of the city of Parkano for 2018 was realized significantly
better than the original budget. The result was a surplus of almost EUR
1.7 million. The loan base also decreased.
Parkano has developed into an important traffic hub. It is located at
the intersection of highway 3 (Helsinki-Tampere-Vaasa) and highway 23
(Pori-Jyväskylä-Joensuu) and along the main line (Tampere–Seinäjoki). In
addition, regional road 332 (Parkano-Kuru) and regional road 274
(Parkano-Karvia) branch off from Parkano.
With your own car, you
can drive from Parkano to Tampere, Seinäjoki and Pori in about an hour.
You can take a bus from Parkano to Tampere and Seinäjoki in about two
hours. There are long-distance bus connections from Parkano to Helsinki,
Tampere, Jyväskylä, Pori and Vaasa. Parkano belongs to Tampere's western
regional flag area. Routes and schedules can be found in Matkahuolto's
schedule search.
Onnibus travels to Tampere and Seinäjoki in about
1.5 hours. The bus stop is along highway 3.
The train journey to
Tampere and Seinäjoki takes about 40 minutes. The Parkano train station
is located approximately 7 kilometers from the Parkano central station.
InterCity and Pendolino trains stop at the station. Train timetables can
be found in the VR timetable search.
The Pori–Haapamäki line was
inaugurated in 1938 and the Parkano railway station was completed in
1934. The name of the station was changed to Kairokoski in 1970. The
track section between Pori and Haapamäki has been out of use since the
late 1980s and is in poor condition in places. The municipalities in the
area of the line have been willing to reopen the line for freight
traffic with low-emission gas locomotives. The port of Pori is also
interested in opening the track. The use of gas locomotives is
significantly more economical and ecological than diesel locomotives. So
far, renovating the track for freight traffic has not paid off.
Tampere–Seinäjoki railway The part of the Finnish railway network's main
line from Tampere via Parkano to Seinäjoki was completed in 1971. The
railway section is also known as the Parkano railway and the Parkano
straight line. It operates as part of the main line leading from
Helsinki to Tampere and through Seinäjoki to Oulu, with frequent trains.
The Parkano train station is located approximately 7 kilometers from the
center of Parkano. Parkano railway station is used in an area where
almost 100,000 people live. The number of passengers at the station is
around 90,000 annually. Especially business and commuting traffic to
Helsinki and Tampere has been perceived as important in a survey by the
Pirkanmaa association in 2017.
Distances from Parkano
Helsinki
260 km
Hämeenlinna 160 km
Jyväskylä 175 km
Kankaanpää 45 km
Pori 90 km
Seinäjoki 95 km
Tampere 85 km
Turku 200 km
Vaasa
160 km
Currents 60 km
The city of Parkano offers its residents services, most of which are
defined as tasks of municipalities in the law: education, kindergarten,
culture, youth, library, urban planning, land use, water production,
energy production, waste management, environmental services, social,
health, fire and rescue services. Kolmostien Terveys Oy, a joint venture
between the Pihlajalinna group and the city of Parkano, is responsible
for the production of social and health services in Parkano. The
services are intended for persons covered by Parkano and Kihniö's social
and health services.
Parkano and Kihniö have a joint business
center in Parkano, where the TE office (public employment and economic
services) and Kela (National Pension Institute) offer their services.
The police license car serves passport and identity card matters at
Parkano market. The nearest police station is in Ikaalis.
The
majority of Parkano's shopping services have gradually moved from the
old center of Parkano to the Kolmoskeskus shopping center along highway
3, where many passers-by can stop by for shopping.
Library
Parkano's city library was thoroughly renovated and reopened in
2017.[38] In addition to borrowing books, the library offers live music
and other events.
Parkano's entrepreneurs have around 200 member companies. More
detailed information can be found on the companies' websites. The list
below contains Parkano's largest companies (number of employees in
parentheses):
Kolmostien Terveys Oy, a joint venture between
Pihlajalinna Group and the city of Parkano
Kopar Oy, metal industry
export company (62/2017)
FennoSteel Oy, metal industry export company
(76/2017)
TM-Rauta Oy, steel wholesaler
Aureskosken Jalostetehdas
Oy Tammisto Yhtiöt, wood processing export company (approx. 40/2019)
Suomen Tekojää Oy, an export company of cooling, ventilation and heat
pump solutions (22/2018)
Sähkösuomilammi Oy, electrical installation
company (36/2017)
Neighborhoods
According to the 2010 inventory of
Parkano's built environment, Parkano's City Districts are divided into 8
parts. The center district is the ridge area in the middle of the city
and the other districts are located around it.
The first
district, centrumajama, city center
The area around Satakunnakatu and
Keskuskatu
Another district, Kairokoski
The surroundings of
Kaenmäentie
The third district, Viinikka
Aureentie area, east side
of Viinikkajoki
The fourth district, Kallio
Parkanontie area south
of Pappilankoski, Heinosentie and Niementie area
Fifth district,
Pahkala
The south side of Kirkkojärvi between Vatusentie and highway
3 Vaasantie, around Tehtaantie
Sixth district, Vatunen
The western
side of Kirkkojärvi, around Vatusentie and Vanhantalontie
Seventh
district, Pentti
The north side of Kirkkojärvi, around Pentintie,
Riihihalmeentie, and Kiveläntie
Eighth district, Kissakivi
Between
Valtatie 23 Porintie and Valtatie 3 Tampereentie, around Kissakivenkatu
and Tampereenkatu
Alaskylä, Aurejärvi (Aure), Jaakkolankylä, Jokiharju, Kairokoski,
Kirjaskylä, Kovesjoki, Kuivasjärvi, Lamminkoski, Lapinneva, Linnankylä,
Raivala, Sydänmaa, Vahojärvi, Viitalankylä, Vuorijärvi and Yliskylä.
Urban areas
At the end of 2017, there were 6,562 inhabitants in
Parkano, of which 4,369 lived in agglomerations, 2,128 in sparsely
populated areas, and the places of residence of 65 were unknown.
Parkano's agglomeration rate is 67.2%. There is only one agglomeration
in the municipality, the central agglomeration of Parkano.
Educational institutions
The city closed its last village school in
Pohjois Parkano in 2017[46]. The school and culture center Kaarna,
completed in the center, opened its doors on August 8, 2019. About 700
students and almost 100 staff members started school there. In addition
to basic education, Parkano has a high school with a musical theater
line, as well as the Iisakki vocational school, Ylä-Satakunta Music
College, Petäjä college (formerly Parkano's citizens' college) and
Pirkanmaa adult high school, all of which belong to the Länsi-Pirkanmaa
education municipality association. Kansalaisopisto and adult high
school have won both the Ministry of Education's and Finland's quality
awards in 2003 and 2006.
Sights, nature hiking destinations and
events
Parkano has various places to visit, nature experiences and
events for permanent and summer residents as well as guests.