Sastamala is a town and municipality of Finland. It was created January 1, 2009, when the municipalities of Vammala, Äetsä and Mouhijärvi were consolidated into a single town. Later, Kiikoinen also joined Sastamala in 2013.
It is located in the Pirkanmaa region. The town has a population of 24,053 and covers an area of 1,531.75 square kilometres of which 96.14 km2 is water, making it the largest municipality in the Pirkanmaa region in terms of area. The population density is 18.63 inhabitants per square kilometre. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Neighbouring municipalities are Huittinen, Hämeenkyrö, Ikaalinen, Kankaanpää, Kokemäki, Lavia, Nokia, Punkalaidun, Ulvila, Urjala and Vesilahti. The city of Tampere is located 51 kilometres from Sastamala.
There are two highways through Sastamala: Highway 11 between Pori and Nokia and Highway 12 between Rauma and Kouvola.
Culture
Finnish book capital
Sastamala has a long tradition in literature. One of the biggest themed events is the Old Literature Days in the city center during the summer . In July 2011, the Finnish Book Museum Pukstaavi was also opened in Sastamala , which promotes Finnish book culture and reading. Pukstaavi is a national museum that popularly tells the story of the cultural history and social significance of a Finnish book. At the beginning of 2013, the city of Sastamala was declared the book capital of Finland. Since then, the city has chosen Kirjapää each year. The first Bookheads of the year are the authors Mauri Kunnas 2013 and Marko Vesterbacka 2014, Administrative Director Hannu Nikkilä2015 and bookstore Sirkka-Liisa “Samu” Leino 2016.
Attractions and events
- Sastamala medieval church
- St. Olaf’s Church in Tyrvää
- Days of Old Literature
- Sastamala Gregoriana
- Ellivuori Ski Center
- Damn mountain
- Mr. Hakkarainen’s house
- Jaatsi Culture House , Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s childhood home
- Lakeside Golf Vammala
- Vammalan Car and Tractor Museum
- Marski saloon car at Stormin Shell gas station
- Otamussilta
- Häijään Markets
- Sarkia Museum
- Äetsä power plant
- Keikyy Homeland Museum
- Kokemäenjoki
- Iron water , Liekovesi and Kulovesi
- Finnish Book Museum Pukstaavi
History
Municipal associations in the present-Sastamala area from 1932 to 2013.
The mound’s tomb with its swords, dating to the 300th century in Rammimäki, Vammala, is reminiscent of the prosperous armed burials of younger Roman times in coastal areas . It is also the only inland tomb corresponding to the coastal burial tradition at that time. During the Merovingian period, cemeteries became more common in the Sastamala area, which contributes to population growth and population density. The parish of Sastamala was a large parish belonging to the historical province of Satakunta .
The name Sastamala first appeared in the form Sastamall in a letter from King Birger Maununpoja from 1300 or 1303 .
The new city of Sastamala was born at the beginning of 2009, when Vammala , Mouhijärvi and Äetsä merged. Earlier in 1973, Tyrvää and Karkku were connected to Vammala . The municipality of Äetsä had been formed again when Kiika and Keikälä merged in 1981. Suodenniemi joined Vammala in 2007 and Kiikoinen joined the new Sastamala in 2013.
The coat of arms of Sastamala is the coat of arms of the former municipality of Karku , designed by Lauri Ahlgrén .
