Viitasaari is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region. The town has a population of 6,100 and covers an area of 1,589.13 square kilometres of which 340.43 km2 is water. There are all together 230 lakes in Viitasaari. Biggest lakes are Lake Keitele, Lake Kolima and Muuruejärvi. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Leisure and culture
Museums
On Viitasaari, you can get to know the history in museum sites describing the development of various fields. They are carried out in collaboration with the city, various associations and private people. The entity is called Museokesä. Museum Summer was among the four Central Finland award nominees of the Association of Central Finland in 2016. Paloka Pelimannitalo was chosen as the winner of the competition held in that year under the theme Save the Tradition . The other three finalists, Viitasaari Museum Summer , Konginkangas Kotiseutukerho Kömin Kilta and Keuruu Kotiseutuyhdistys Keurusselä Society, received an honorable mention.
Fishing Historical exhibition
Huopanankoski has an Hautomo fishing history exhibition, which, in addition to the main exhibition, has an annually changing theme. In 2016, the theme was flies and the history of the Finnish Sport Fishermen’s Association about the organisation’s activities during 97 years. On the shore of the rapids, there is a cultural trail about a kilometer long. Along the trail are paintings presenting local history.
A logging
The Savivuori outdoor area, located in the Viitasaari urban area, has a Forestry Museum . The main object of the museum is a forest cabin. The Väljänpökö forest cabin, originally built by Metsähallitus in the Seläntaus forest area in 1940, was moved to Savivuori in 1964. The older, original cabin crew room has been preserved. After the transfer of ownership to Lahti Oy, a second crew room was built in 1947. This crew room houses the museum’s main exhibition, which was renovated in 1997.
The Horse Stable of the Forestry Museum has been moved to Savivuori from the Mäntyjoki forest site. Between 1948 and 1952, the cabin area was used by Metsähallitus , Oy Wilhelm Schauman Ab , Tampella and Lahti Oy .
Savutupa is the croft of the Laaja farm in the village of Vuoskoski, which was moved to Savivuori in 1957. In addition to the actual forest work museum, the barn of the Kokkola farm and the windmill moved from Naistenjärvi were built in 1641 in the same area. In the immediate vicinity of the Forestry Museum is the Savivuori observation tower, which is open to the public in summer like a museum.
Kärnä power plant museum
After the actual electricity production, an electricity plant museum was opened at the power plant built in Kärnänkoski in 1996. In addition to the history of electrification, the Kärnu power plant museum presents the operations of the provincial electricity company Keski-Suomen Valo Oy . Today, the power plant museum is privately owned.
Parks
Tori Beach
A new park was opened in the center of Viitasaari on 30 September 2016. The townspeople were able to come up with ideas and implement the area extensively.
Porthan park
Porthan Park is named after Henrik Gabriel Porthan , who was born on Viitasaari . Porthan was born in a rectory located on the site of the present park.
Rhododendron Park
Viitasaari Alpine Rose Park was established in 2016.
Tanholiinin park
A park on the shores of Lake Keitelejärvi.
Sword Park
A park located in the Jurvansalo area.
Miller Park
A park located in the southern part of Viitasaari, which also has a beach.
Veteran Park
Opened in September 2018, the park is close to the old high school.
Events
- Music Time – a festival of new music
- Traktorijatzit – a popular music event in Suovanlahti
- Mid Finland Truckmeeting – Truck assembly event in the center of Viitasaari
- Wilma Market – Summer event at Viitasaari Square
- Home and Garden Fair – Two-Day Spring Event Ballroom at Hurricane
- Value Days – discussion event Ateljeetalo Tuulensuu
- Christmas Market – Christmas sales at the wooden high school in the center of Viitasaari, ie the old joint school
- Invention Week – invention fair event at Viitasaari Arena
- Heavy Metal Evening (before Heavy Metal Meeting )
- VitisOpenFest festival
Food culture
Viitasaari’s parish dishes were named vendace good and nosterieska in the 1980s.
Transportation
Viitasaari is located along Highway 4 . During the summer, the Keitele watershed has inland waterway traffic. Today, traffic is mainly private small boating. Previously, the steamer S / S Ylä-Keitele (now Ylli) operated in Keitele . In winter, taking into account the ice conditions, two ice roads will be opened from the center of Viitasaari to Keitele. One of them goes to Kymönkoski and the other to Permos. The length of the waste roads is more than three kilometers. The weight limit on ice roads has been two tons.
Long-distance buses for long-distance buses can be used from Viitasaari to Helsinki, Lahti, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Kajaani, Ylivieska without a change of car, and with a cross-border express service to Joensuu, Kuopio, Seinäjoki and Vaasa.
The nearest passenger railway station to Viitasaari is located 87 km from the Pyhäsalmi train stop in the municipality of Pyhäjärvi .
The Jyväskylä – Haapajärvi line runs through the western parts of Viitasaari . The Viitasaari area has its busiest raw wood loading station, Keitelepohja. The former Kutemainen traffic site is also in the Viitasaari area. State Railways stopped passenger traffic on the section in 1968.
Jyväskylä Airport is located 78 kilometers from Viitasaari, and the distance to Jyväskylä Travel Center is 104 kilometers. Several Viitasaari – Jyväskylä bus services run through the airport.
The local newspaper Viitasaari Seutu is published once a week in Viitasaari .
History
Tienoo got his first inhabitants from Häme. Settlement became more frequent, especially from the 16th century under the leadership of the people of Häme, but later the Savoans became the majority of the inhabitants. The former name of Viitasaari is Viitasalo, according to the island near the city center, now the Old Church Island . Viitasaari originally belonged to the large municipality of Rautalammi, but due to long distances it became independent in 1635. At that time, the municipality still included Kivijärvi, Pihtiputa, Konginkangas and Kannonkoski. Henrik Gabriel Porthan, the father of Finnish history, is from Viitasaari. In 1882, Viitasaari was the first in Finland to receive the position of municipal doctor .
