Alajärvi
| coat of arms | map |
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| Basic data | |
| State : |
 Finland
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| Landscape : | South Ostrobothnia |
| Administrative community : | Järviseutu |
| Geographical location | 63 ° 0 ′ N , 23 ° 49 ′ E |
| Surface: | 1,056.76 km² |
| of which land area: | 1,008.76 km² |
| of which inland waterways: | 48.00 km² |
| Residents : | 9,700 (Dec. 31, 2018) |
| Population density : | 9.6 inhabitants / km² |
| Municipality number : | 005 |
| Language (s) : | Finnish |
| Website : | alajarvi.fi |
Alajärvi [ ˈɑlɑjærvi ] is a city in western Finland with 9700 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018).
geography
Alajärvi is in the east of the South Ostrobothnian landscape on the banks of the lake of the same name . Neighboring communities are Soini in the southeast, Ähtäri and Alavus in the south, Kuortane in the southwest, Lapua in the west, Lappajärvi and Vimpeli in the north, Perho in the northeast and Kyyjärvi in the east. In addition to the main town of the same name, the administrative urban area of Alajärvi covers an area of 1,056.8 square kilometers.
history
Alajärvi became a chapel parish of the Lappajärvi parish in 1751 . The political municipality of Alajärvi was established in 1868 when the administration of the rural parishes was separated from the church administration. It has had town charter since 1986. At the beginning of 2009, the neighboring community Lehtimäki was incorporated into Alajärvi.
Attractions
The Gabrielskirche, which can accommodate around 1,000 people and was built in 1836 according to plans by the architect Carl Ludwig Engel, is worth seeing . The bell tower is partly a remnant of the previous wooden structure built by Antti Hakola in 1749. The altarpiece shows the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane . In the village of Lehtijärvi there is also a wooden church from 1800.
The architect Alvar Aalto spent a good part of his childhood and youth in Alajärvi and later returned frequently to relax. Several buildings in the community were built according to his designs, including his "first building", the youth center built in 1919-20, a war memorial (1946), the town hall (1966), the library (1966), the hospital (1967) District administration (1969) and not least Aaltos Mökki , the "Villa Flora". In the town hall, design objects from Aalto and his wife Aino are also shown in a permanent exhibition .
The Nelimarkka Museum, built in 1964, is also located in Alajärvi. On the one hand it is dedicated to the work of the artist Eero Nelimarkka, but on the other hand it also functions as a museum of local history and culture of the South Ostrobothnian landscape.
coat of arms
Description of the coat of arms : In the blue shield there is a silver shield base with the wave cut .
Sons and daughters
- Eino Kaila (1890–1958), philosopher, psychologist, critic and teacher.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Maanmittauslaitos (Finnish Land Surveyors): Suomen pinta-alat kunnittain January 1, 2010 . (PDF; 199 kB)
- ↑ Statistical Office Finland: Table 11ra - Key figures on population by region, 1990-2018
