Ylivieska is a Finnish city located in the southwestern part of
the province of Northern Ostrobothnia, close to the border of
Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. Ylivieska is a city that grew up
at the crossroads of railways, on the banks of the Kalajoki River.
The city has a population of 15,312 and an area of 573.42 km², of
which 4.50 km² are water bodies. The population density is 26.91
inhabitants / km². The neighboring municipalities of Ylivieska are
Alavieska, Haapavesi, Kalajoki, Nivala, Oulainen, Merijärvi and
Sievi. Ylivieska is the central city of the region called Southern
Oulu, and the regional center of the region, Oulu, is the regional
center of the Southern region of Oulu and the whole of Northern
Finland.
In autumn 2013, Ylivieska conducted a municipal
survey with the municipality of Alavieska and the cities of
Haapavesi and Oulainen. If implemented, the area would form a city
of more than 30,000 inhabitants. Other municipalities and cities in
the area were also asked to participate in the initiated municipal
survey.
In the past, when the provinces were not the official
levels of government, the province of Central Ostrobothnia often
included the southwestern part of the province of Northern
Ostrobothnia formed by the Kalajoki Valley. At that time, Ylivieska
was one of the most important centers in Central Ostrobothnia.
The coat of arms of Ylivieska was designed by Ahti Hammar. It
depicts a blue, clover-headed fork cross. The silver color
represents water.
The Ylivieska city library operates through the library building
(1971), a library van, a home library and the online library of the Joki
library team and other offices.
Ylivieska's amateur theater
YTY-teatteri produces 2–5 premieres a year. YTY cooperates with Kajaani
City Theatre, among others.
Pohjanmaa Underground ry organizes
events built around electronic dance music in the Ylivieska region. The
association wants to offer people the opportunity to listen to good
music, dance and meet a like-minded group. One of the most important
starting points is arousing interest even among people who are less
dedicated to the cause. The activity is non-profit because music is the
main thing.
Proceedings
Several large Christian summer events
have been organized in Ylivieska. The Revival party has been organized
in Ylivieska eight times: 1897 in Suvanto and in 1919, 1923 in
Raudaskylä, 1937, 1940 and 1957 in Raudaskylä, 1979 and 2006. The summer
clubs of old stadium players have been organized in Ylivieska four
times, in 1908, 1921, 1950 and 1963.
Ylivieskatalo Akustiikka is
a cultural center in the city center. There is a 405-seat concert hall,
an exhibition hall, a sound studio, and meeting and video conference
rooms. A lot of different concerts and events are organized in
acoustics, 15 exhibitions in the exhibition hall every year. Acoustics
also serves as Ylivieska's cinema.
Ylivieska organizes the annual
Sun Pampas city festival in June and the Ylivieska Härkäjuhlat on the
second weekend of August.
Mass media
The newspaper
Kalajokilaakso is published three times a week in Ylivieska. The
provincial newspaper Keskipohjanmaa reports extensively on the region's
affairs as a daily publication. The magazine has regional delivery in
Ylivieska.
Pro Ylivieska medal
The Pro Ylivieska medal is a
recognition that is awarded to a person or community from Ylivieska in
recognition of merit in the field of science, sports, art or other
cultural work, long-term and significant work in social life, or
significant national achievements
Food culture
In the 1980s, a
soup made from blood bread called kampsupaisti, klimpisoppa, and milk
soup were named as Ylivieska's main dishes.
Clay bridge, the second oldest concrete bridge in Finland
Puuhkala
Homeland Museum
Jumbo, an old restored steam locomotive
Elias'
home museum, with the history of Ylivieska, old objects and vehicles
Helaalan Mylly, a mill protected by the Building Protection Act right in
the center on the banks of Kalajoki
Huhmarkallio (Mortar)
Statuary:
"Kyösti Kallio" (Risto Saalasti 1971), City Hall park
"Water of Life" (Antonio da Cudan 1985), City Hall Park
"Lakeude
liekki" (Väinö Lätti 1972), Kirkkopuisto
"Feriatis" - 100th
anniversary monument of the construction of the railway (Antonio da
Cudan 1986), Railway Station
"Kivimiehet" (Lauri Kivi and Seppo Pälli
1985), Kataja school
The Ylivieska region was for a long time a retreat area for the
Lapps. In the Middle Ages, the area belonged to the old owner of Salo,
or Saloinen. The area was not permanently settled until the end of the
Middle Ages, when settlers from the villages of Kalajokissu and
Suur-Lohtaja arrived in the area. The population of Ylivieska grew quite
quickly. In 1550, there were 13 houses, in the early 17th century there
were already 30. In 1690, there were 622 inhabitants. During the great
years of hunger and bigotry in the 1690s, the population decreased, but
after the middle of the 18th century, the number of inhabitants began to
increase again.
The Ylivieska region was initially part of the
Kalajoki parish. The decision to establish its own chapel congregation
was made as early as 1643, but it wasn't until ten years later that the
congregation's own church in Haapaniemi was completed. Ylivieska was
separated as an independent parish in 1861, which was realized in 1875.
The municipality of Ylivieska was founded in 1867. Municipal life
improved quickly, especially thanks to the writer Pietari Päivärinna.
Päivärinta, who served as cantor of Ylivieska for 40 years, was the
chairman of the municipal assembly in 1869–1872 and 1875–1887. He was
founding the first library (1869) and public school (1879). However, due
to the resistance of the priests and householders from Kalajoki, a
priest was not obtained until 1862. The Ylivieska church was built in
1786 and repaired to its final appearance according to the drawings of
Julius Basilier, the supervisor of the county construction office, in
1892. Along with the repairs, the original appearance of the church
changed almost completely. In March 2016, the church burned to the
ground in an arson attack. The new church designed by the architectural
office K2S was inaugurated in April 2021.
At first, the
population's main occupation was farming, but fishing and seal hunting
in spring on the sea ice in front of Kalajoki were also important
sources of livelihood. Tar burning began to become common in the 17th
century and was still an important means of livelihood in the early 19th
century. Sawmills were built in Hannunkoski and Jylhänkoski as early as
the 1760s, and at the end of the century six saltpeter kitchens were
built in the keep.
Kalajokilaakso became one of the central
places of awakening in the early 19th century. The leaders of the
revival in Ostrobothnia were Niilo Kustaa Malmberg and Ylivieska's
chaplain Jonas Lagus. In 1892, Kustannusosakeyhtiö Herättäjä was founded
in Ylivieska. In 1920, the awakened people of the province founded the
Raudaskylä Christian College, which is the largest Christian folk
college and university in Finland. Raudaskylä Christian college gathers
around 200 students from different parts of Finland every year.
The arable area was greatly increased in the 19th century, but
agriculture alone could not support the steadily growing population. The
difficult situation was triggered by the railway. The business life of
the municipality began to develop when it got its own railway in 1886.
At that time, the Ostrobothnia railway, which was planned to run along
the coast, was built inland between Kokkola and Oulu and ran through
Ylivieska. It is said that the well-known Ylivieska writer and member of
parliament Pietari Päivärinna had a decisive influence in the 1882
parliament on the early construction of the track and at least its
alignment, and thus also greatly influenced the future development of
all of Ylivieska. Later, a connecting line was also built to Iisalmi,
this Iisalmi–Ylivieska line was completed in 1925. Ylivieska became an
important railroad crossing station, which quickly began to develop into
the center of the economic and cultural life of Kalajokilaakso. Improved
transport links also attracted industry. Already at the beginning of the
1930s, the idea of turning Ylivieska's church village into a town was
proposed. However, Ylivieska became a market only in 1965, but already
six years later in 1971 it received city rights. The reason for this
rapid development was the absence of an urban center in the southern
part of the then Oulu county.
According to the 2018 regional distribution, Ylivieska has the
following parishes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland:
Ylivieska parish
The congregation also operates in the area of
Merijärvi municipality.
Ylivieska is the meeting place of several
different revival movements. Vigilance has strong roots in Ylivieska.
Also, evangelicalism, pacifism and old Lestadianism are active in
Ylivieska. The Ylivieska peace association of Vanhollislestadians has
around 600 members. The Pentecostal revival in Ylivieska is represented
by the Ylivieska Pentecostal Church.
Among the parishes of the
Finnish Orthodox Church, the Iisalmi Orthodox parish operates in the
Ylivieska area.
The natural landscape of Ylivieska is typical of Ostrobothnia: a flat
and gently curved expanse, through which the main water body of the
municipality, Kalajoki, flows from southeast to northwest. Flat farmland
spreads out on both sides of the Kalajoki.
Although the Ylivieska
region belongs to Ostrobothnia's shale zone, its bedrock is quite
diverse in its rock species composition. In the western part of the
city, on both sides of the central avenue, there are two
conglomerate-rich, northwest-southeast oriented shale zones. In the
northern part there is another extensive shale zone consisting of
amphibolite, palgioclase porphyrite, porphyroblastic mica schist and
tuffite. The granite and granodiorite areas in the southern part of the
city are the most significant deep stone deposits. On the south-west
side of the center there is a gabbro massif surrounded by extensive
shale. Loose soil types cover the bedrock almost everywhere. On both
sides of the river valley, especially in the watershed areas, the ground
is covered by low-nutrient moraine gravel and sand areas that are poorly
suited for cultivation. The Jokilaakso soil, on the other hand, is loam
and clay, well suited for cultivation. During the ice age, the waters of
Päijänne flowed along Kalajoki into Pohjanlahti, and the coastline of
the sea pushed further inland to the Ylivieska region. The river valley
is thus a former seabed, into which the Kalajoki has transported and
accumulated fertile silt over the centuries. There is most peat in the
southern and eastern parts of the city.
The terrain runs from
southeast to northwest and is gentle throughout. The gentle character is
mainly due to the flatness of the bedrock, but the deposits brought by
the Ice Age and rivers have also smoothed out the height differences.
The height of the terrain above sea level usually varies between 50 and
100 meters. The highest point is in the southern part of the city, where
Käärmekangas and Huhmarmäki rise, among others. There are also plenty of
shallower and smaller rock outcrops near the northern and southern
borders in the moraine lands of the watershed areas.
The main
body of water in Ylivieska is Kalajoki, whose water volume varies a lot
like other rivers in Ostrobothnia. In the spring, when the snow melts
while the ground is still frozen, the floodwaters threaten to rise to
the fields bordering the river. However, flood hazards have been reduced
considerably thanks to water management. During the dry summer heat, the
amount of water in Kalajoki is reduced to such a low level that the
rocks at the bottom of the river become visible. Kalajoki has a few
small rapids, the most significant of which in the Ylivieska area are
Hannunkoski and Juurikoski. Only small tributaries join the Kalajoki in
the Ylivieska area. The Mertuanoja and Pylväsjoki rivers flow into it
from the north, and the Ojankylänoja and the Olmalan- or Katajaoja flows
into the south. The most notable of the few small lakes is Iso-Kähtävä
in the southwest corner. It descends along the Kähtävänoja only on the
Alavieska side to the Kalajoki. Iso-Viitanen is the largest of the lakes
in the northern part of Ylivieska.
Forests cover about half of
Ylivieska's surface area, but most of the woodlands are affected by
water. Swamps are mainly in the southern and northern watershed areas.
The dominant types of bogs are neves and bogs. Among the largest bogs
are Vasamanneva and Konttaneva.
Currently, the fastest train journey between Helsinki and Ylivieska
takes 4 hours and 46 minutes. The fastest train journey between
Ylivieska and Kouvola takes 5 hours and 44 minutes via Iisalmi and 5
hours and 46 minutes via Tampere. The fastest travel time from Ylivieska
to Vaasa via Seinäjoki is 2 hours 38 minutes. There are direct train and
bus connections from Ylivieska to Kokkola, Oulu and Iisalmi. With
express buses, you can also get to Jyväskylä and Kajaani without
changing cars.
Road traffic is served in a south-north direction
by national road 86 to Kannus and Liminka and national road 63 to
Kauhajoki. Highway 27 to Kalajoki and Iisalmi passes through Ylivieska
in a west-east direction.
The nearest airports in Paikkakunna are
located in Kruunupyy about 95 kilometers to the southwest and in Oulu
about 125 kilometers away, facing northwest. Ylivieska's own airport is
used by general and recreational aviation.
Ylivieska is known as a service city thanks to its public and
versatile business services. In recent years, grocery trade in
particular has invested in new business premises in the Ylivieska area.
In particular, the Kärkkäinen shopping center, which opened in early
2003, has boosted traffic throughout the city. K-Citymarket was opened
in Ylivieska in 2008 and Prisma in 2011.
The car trade has
traditionally been the strongest part of trade in Ylivieska. The
concentration of car sales, known as Ylivieska Autolaakso with its
ancillary activities, is a significant employer in the city.
The
metal and engineering industry and the mechanical wood industry have
strong traditions and growth prospects in the domestic and export
markets. Bridge girders, large hall structures, power plant pipelines
and offshore industry structures are a significant part of Ylivieska's
industrial production. Finland's northernmost hot-dip galvanizing plant
is located in Ylivieska.
The metal industry employs almost 500
people in Ylivieska, the mechanical wood industry about 150 and the IT
sector companies almost 100 people.
Education is strongly
featured in Ylivieska. Teaching in various education levels and fields
is offered by, among others, the civic college, Centria University of
Applied Sciences, high school, Raudaskylä Kristillinen Opisto and
Ylivieska region's vocational college.