General information regarding the history of Uusikaupunki

The founding of Uusikaupunki

Uusikaupunki was founded in the centre of Vakka-Suomi in 1617. The founding of the town is linked to a situation in which the local peasants used to organise large markets in Männäinen (currently they are held in the Kalanti parish) for exchanging goods. The bourgeoisie of the neighbouring towns complained about it arguing that only town merchants should be allowed to carry out such trading activities. King Gustav II Adolf decided to legalise the market by founding a town, which was named Uusikaupunki. Uusikaupunki was founded on April 19, 1617.

Centre of wooden tableware production

Uusikaupunki and the surrounding area used to be considered the centre of Finnish wooden tableware production from the Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century. Local peasants would make wooden receptacles and furniture as a secondary source of income. For example, a particularly large number of vakka storage boxes, kousi ladles and chairs were produced in the Kalanti region. In fact, this is why the area is called Vakka-Suomi (‘Vakka Finland’).

Finland's first glass factory in Uusikaupunki

Finland’s first glass factory used to stand in the centre of Uusikaupunki, where there is currently a K-Market shop. The factory produced crystal, drinking glasses and window glass, for example. No single complete objects made in the factory have survived to this day. The factory was founded in 1681 and it was closed down due to a fire already in 1685. The factory generated a loss because the owner believed crystal was worthless. In 1683, due to the owner lowering the workers’ wages, a strike was organised. This was the first ever strike in Finland. The strike was led by glassblower Pietari Orre. The restaurant ‘Orren krouvi’ was named after him.

Uusikaupunki Peace Treaty 1721

The peace treaty that ended the Great Northern War was concluded in Uusikaupunki on August 30, 1721. The war was fought between Sweden and Russia, Finland being a Swedish colony at that time. Russian troops had occupied Finland at the beginning of the 18th century and in 1713 they arrived in Uusikaupunki. As a result, several people fled to Sweden. The peace talks took place in Uusikaupunki on the southern edge of the central square. In 1961, 240 years after the conclusion of the peace treaty, a monument designed by artist Reino Harst, born in New York, was erected in the central square of Uusikaupunki.

The oldest building in Uusikaupunki

The old church of Uusikaupunki is the only building from the 17th century that has survived to this day. The building of the church began almost immediately after the founding of the town. It was completed in 1629. The interior of the grey stone church follows 18th century style with its paintings and interior ceiling that is reminiscent of the bottom of an inverted sailing ship, old benches, etc. The church stopped being used when a new church was built in 1863, but in 1975 it was redeployed as a summer church. The Uusikaupunki museum also used to be housed in the old church.

Shipping town

Uusikaupunki used to be a famous shipping town. From the 1850s to the 1880s, the town's merchant fleet was one of the largest in Finland. There used to be several ship yards near the harbour that were used for building sailing ships. At the time, almost all local families were somehow involved in the shipping industry. In 1876, the frigate Jalo, the largest sailing ship ever built in Finland, was completed. The last ocean-going wooden sailing ships were built in the Uusikaupunki shipyards in the 1920s.

Old wooden houses of Uusikaupunki

Uusikaupunki is full of wooden houses. The town has been destroyed several times by fires. The last large-scale fires took place in 1846 and 1855. The Uusikaupunki that we know now has largely been built since then. In 1855, the municipal architect Chiewitz drew up a new town plan for Uusikaupunki. The current townscape is largely in accordance with that plan. There are only a few old stone houses left in Uusikaupunki (the town hall, fire station and pharmacy building).

In the 1950s and 1960s, the town centre was remodelled. For example, Alisenkatu and the area surrounding the market square were modernised. Since the 1970s-80s, the old town has been restaured and protected. According to the Finnish Heritage Agency, Uusikaupunki is one of the best-preserved empire-style wooden cities in Finland.

The sleeping town awakens

From the end of the 19th century to the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, Uusikaupunki was just a small tranquil town. The population remained small, around 3000-5000 inhabitants.

In 1965, the pesticide factory Rikkihappo Oy (Kemira) started operating in Uusikaupunki, and in 1969, the Saab-Valmet car factory produced the first passenger car manufactured in Finland, the Saab-96. The town started to grow and develop.

Large urban area

Uusikaupunki has a total area of approximately 1,900 square kilometres, most of which is covered by water Over the last decades, Uusikaupunki has grown, as several municipalities have been incorporated into it. In 1969, Uusikaupunki rural community, in 1974 Pyhämaa, in 1981 Lokalahti and in 1993 Kalanti were incorporated into Uusikaupunki.

Famous Uusikaupunki residents

The master composer Berndt Henric Crusell was born in Uusikaupunki in 1775. Crusell and his family moved away from Uusikaupunki when Berndt was 8 years old. At the age of 12, the talented boy was accepted as a musician into the queen's lifeguard and the Viapori regiment’s band. At the age of 16, Berndt was appointed leader of the band. Later, Berndt went on to study in Berlin and Paris, amongst other places. Crusell has also been called the ‘father of Finnish music’ because he is the most important Finnish composer of that time. Oi Terve Pohjola is probably the most famous of Crusell’s choral songs. Crusell's clarinet concertos are also very well-known.

Physicist Johan Jacob Nervander (1805-1848) was born in Uusikaupunki into a pharmacist's family. Nervander was a physics researcher who invented the galvanometer, for example. He founded a magnetic observatory, from which the Finnish Meteorological Institute was eventually born. In his youth, Nervander was a poet and leader of a ‘Saturday society’, as well as a close friend of the writers Runeberg and Snellman.

The painter Robert Wilhelm Ekman (1808-1873) was the son of a mayor of Uusikaupunki. Ekman studied in Stockholm, where he gained his title of court painter. The frescoes in Turku Cathedral were made by Ekman. Ekman also produced altarpieces for several churches (Uusikaupunki, the Old Church of Helsinki, Sääksmäki, Tammela, Vaasa, Pori and Pertteli). Ekman was the founder of the Turku Drawing School.

The painter Arvid Liljelund (1844-1899) was the son of a tailor in Uusikaupunki. Liljelund’s artwork represented the so-called Düsseldorf school. Liljelund died in Lepäinen while painting.

Archbishops Aleksi Lehtonen (archbishop during 1945-51) and Martti Simojoki (1964-78) were both born in Uusikaupunki.

Incorporation of municipalities

The following municipalities have been incorporated into Uusikaupunki:

1969: Uusikaupunki Rural Municipality (891 residents)
1974: Pyhämaa Municipality (848 residents)
1981: Lokalahti Municipality (1121 residents)
1993: Kalanti Municipality (3917 residents)

Text: museum director Mari Jalava