Äänekoski is a town in Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region. The town has a population of 18,576 and covers an area of 1,138.39 square kilometres of which 253.84 km² is water. Neighbouring municipalities are Kannonkoski, Konnevesi, Laukaa, Saarijärvi, Uurainen, Vesanto and Viitasaari. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The municipality of Äänekosken maalaiskunta was consolidated to Äänekoski in 1969 and the municipality of Konginkangas in 1993. The municipalities of Sumiainen and Suolahti were consolidated to Äänekoski in 2007.

Educational Services 

Basic education in Äänekoski is provided in eight  primary schools, of which Äänekoski Central School has the largest primary school. It has about 580 students. There are two primary schools in primary education.  General upper secondary education has been organized at Äänekoski Upper Secondary School . Vocational education is provided by the North Central Finland Vocational College (POKE), and the Central Finland University in Suolahti has provided education since 1894 .

Food culture 

In the 1980s, Äänekoski’s parishes were oven -baked and pea tufted and barley porridge made from barley groats.

Attractions 

Attractions in Äänekoski include:

• A statue of Kalle Piilonen, sculpted in 1996 by the artist Nora Tapper. Located in the center of Äänekoski’s Independence Park.
• Kapeenkoski area with four flowing rapids and various outdoor routes.
• Merchant Memorial, a work by Veikko Hirvimäki made in 1980 from the cornerstones of Wessmann’s trade. Located in Wessmann Park.
• Boil the Museum, a functional special museum for water and rail transport in Suolahti Harbor and Wanhalla Station.
• Koivisto local road, Koivisto village is part of a more than two hundred year old market and postal road between Vaasa and Kuopio. 
• Poverty village, an entity built by the villagers of Rautionmäki.
• Loaders sculpture, bronze sculpture in the courtyard of Suolahti Wanha Station. It was sculpted by sculptor Tapio Junno in 1982.
• Markkamäki wooden house area, a protected wooden house area representing the style of the 1950s.
• Pukkimäki wooden house area, a wooden house area built in the 1920s, with buildings designed by Birger Brunila , for example .
• Mikko Park, named after Mikko Niskanen , a film director from Äänekoski .
• Memorial to the Mallet War, in 1714 the Battle of Great Hate was fought on that site . An obelisk-shaped monument was erected in 1950.
• The Paper Tree Swims statue, which is the work of the artist Jussi Koivusalo about the birth of Äänekoski in 1982. Located in the center of Äänekoski.
• Singing monster trail , outdoor route in Sumiainen in the villages of Syvälahti, Lohilahti and Vihijärvi.
• Hiskinmökki, the oldest wooden house in Äänekoski, built in the 19th century.
• Suolahti Wanha Station , a protected railway station built in 1898 in Suolahti . The house has been visited by e.g. Akseli Gallen-Kallela on her painting trips in Central Finland.

Äänekoski’s attraction also includes Helsinki’s Seurasaari’s first building complex, the Niemelä croft , which Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Yrjö Blomstedt found in Konginkangas. All the buildings in Torpa were moved to Seurasaari in 1909.

Events 

Several events are held in Äänekoski every year. The biggest of these are the summer Keitele Jazz and Iron Wire Festivals. In 2018, the Summer Clubs were held in Äänekoski, Liinkatala, Konginkangas.