Haapasaari (Kotka)

Haapasaari (Finnish: [ˈhɑːpɑˌsɑːri]; Swedish: Aspö) is an island and a former municipality of Finland in the former Kymi Province, now in the Kymenlaakso region. It was consolidated with the town of Kotka in 1974.

Haapasaari
Former municipality
Haapasaaren kunta
Aspö kommun
Aerial view of Haapasaari
Aerial view of Haapasaari
Coat of arms of Haapasaari
Coat of arms
Location of Haapasaari in Finland
Location of Haapasaari in Finland
Coordinates: 60.2879°N 27.1958°E / 60.2879; 27.1958
CountryFinland
ProvinceKymi Province
RegionKymenlaakso
Merged into Kotka1974
Area
 • Land5.0 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Population
 (1973-12-31)
 • Total66

It was the only insular municipality in the Gulf of Finland that was not ceded to the Soviet Union. The other insular municipalities were Suursaari, Tytärsaari, Lavansaari and Seiskari.

Geography
Map of the municipality

The Haapasaari municipality consisted entirely of islands with no road connection. As the name of an area, Haapasaari also refers to the former municipality's territory. The largest island was not Haapasaari itself, instead Vanhankylänmaa was the largest.[1]

The island of Haapasaari is divided into two parts by a bay: Länsipää or Vestinpuoli in the west and Uustinpuoli in the east.[2]

Climate

Haapasaari has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with moderation from the Gulf of Finland.

Climate data for Kotka Haapasaari (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1997- present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 7.7
(45.9)		 5.7
(42.3)		 8.7
(47.7)		 17.7
(63.9)		 25.0
(77.0)		 29.7
(85.5)		 31.3
(88.3)		 28.5
(83.3)		 21.5
(70.7)		 16.4
(61.5)		 12.5
(54.5)		 8.9
(48.0)		 31.3
(88.3)
Average high °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 0.4
(32.7)		 5.5
(41.9)		 11.7
(53.1)		 16.7
(62.1)		 20.4
(68.7)		 19.6
(67.3)		 14.9
(58.8)		 9.2
(48.6)		 4.5
(40.1)		 1.2
(34.2)		 8.3
(46.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.3
(26.1)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 2.6
(36.7)		 8.5
(47.3)		 13.8
(56.8)		 17.8
(64.0)		 17.4
(63.3)		 13.1
(55.6)		 7.5
(45.5)		 2.9
(37.2)		 −0.4
(31.3)		 6.1
(43.0)
Average low °C (°F) −5.6
(21.9)		 −7.5
(18.5)		 −4.9
(23.2)		 0.5
(32.9)		 6.1
(43.0)		 11.8
(53.2)		 15.9
(60.6)		 15.5
(59.9)		 11.4
(52.5)		 6.1
(43.0)		 1.4
(34.5)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 4.0
(39.2)
Record low °C (°F) −25.7
(−14.3)		 −26.5
(−15.7)		 −22.9
(−9.2)		 −12.1
(10.2)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 3.9
(39.0)		 9.1
(48.4)		 8.7
(47.7)		 3.2
(37.8)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 −11.9
(10.6)		 −24.2
(−11.6)		 −26.5
(−15.7)
Source 1: FMI climatological normals for Finland 1991-2020[3]
Source 2: Record highs and lows 1997- present[4]

History

Haapasaari has had some inhabitants since the medieval times, likely since the late 13th century following the Third Swedish Crusade, but a village on the island was first mentioned in 1547. In that year, the island had ten houses.[5] Its initial inhabitants were Swedish. The island was a part of the Pyhtää parish until 1642, when the Kymi parish was separated from it.[6] The ancestors of the current inhabitants originated from nearby Vanhankylänmaa, migrating to Haapasaari in the 18th century or slightly earlier. Vanhankylänmaa was likely inhabited in the medieval times as well, today it is uninhabited.[7]

The first church in Haapasaari was built in 1776, though a chapel can already be seen in maps from 1741. A new church was built in 1858, remaining there to this day. Haapasaari became an independent parish in 1909.[8] Soon afterwards, it became a municipality in 1913. In the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Haapasaari peaked at 348. The island of Rankki, known for its fortress, was transferred to the Haapasaari municipality in 1935. Haapasaari started to decline after the Second World War. The municipality was consolidated with the town of Kotka in 1974.[9]

Church
Haapasaari Church.

The current church of Haapasaari was built in 1858. It is Finland's easternmost insular church and has room for 250 people.[10]

Services

Shop

Haapasaari has Finland's smallest cooperative shop (osuuskauppa).[11]

School

Haapasaari had a school from 1890 to 1973. At its peak, it had 50 students. The school's storehouse now has a museum showcasing historical life in Haapasaari.[12]

Tick-borne encephalitis

Like many other southern Finnish islands, Haapasaari has a significant population of ticks. Researchers visited Haapasaari's disestablished school in 2011 to collect samples from ticks. The researchers discovered that two out of a hundred sampled ticks carried the tick-borne encephalitis virus, twice as much as in other risk areas of Finland. The ticks carry the more dangerous Siberian variant of the virus.[13]

See also

References
  1. "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). p. 63. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  2. "Karttapaikka - Maanmittauslaitos". asiointi.maanmittauslaitos.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  3. "FMI normals 1991-2020". fmi.fi. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. "FMI open data". FMI. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. "Rannikon Puolustaja - RP-lehti 1/1997 - Haapasaari - silmä Suomenlahdella". rannikonpuolustaja.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  6. "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). p. 63. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  7. "Itäisen Suomenlahden kansallispuiston ja Natura 2000 -alueen hoito- ja käyttösuunnitelma" (PDF). julkaisut.metsa.fi (in Finnish). p. 28. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  8. "Suomen Sukututkimusseura". hiski.genealogia.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  9. "Rannikon Puolustaja - RP-lehti 1/1997 - Haapasaari - silmä Suomenlahdella". rannikonpuolustaja.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  10. "Haapasaaren kirkko - Kotka-Kymin seurakunta". kotka-kyminseurakunta.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  11. "Haapasaaren Osuuskaupasta - Haapasaari-Seura ry". haapasaariseura.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. "Haapasaaren koulu - Haapasaari-Seura ry". haapasaariseura.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  13. "Idylli kätkee taakseen pelottavan totuuden - tervetuloa Suomen vaarallisimmalle saarelle - Yle Uutiset". yle.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.