Pirkkala

Pirkkala (Finnish: [ˈpirkːɑlɑ]; Swedish: Birkala) is a municipality of Finland. It is located some 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-west from Tampere in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of 20,658 (26 October 2023)[3] and covers an area of 104.04 square kilometres (40.17 sq mi) of which 22.66 km2 (8.75 sq mi) is water.[2] The population density is 253.85 inhabitants per square kilometre (657.5/sq mi), which makes it the most densely populated municipality in Finland that does not use the title of town or city. Pirkkala is also currently the fastest-growing municipality in the Pirkanmaa region.[6] The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Pirkkala
Birkala
Municipality
Pirkkalan kunta
Birkala kommun
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
Coat of arms of Pirkkala
Coat of arms
Location of Pirkkala in Finland
Location of Pirkkala in Finland
Coordinates: 61°28′N 023°39′E
Country Finland
RegionPirkanmaa
Sub-regionTampere sub-region
Charter1922
SeatNaistenmatka
Government
 • MayorMarko Jarva[1]
Area
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total104.04 km2 (40.17 sq mi)
 • Land81.38 km2 (31.42 sq mi)
 • Water22.66 km2 (8.75 sq mi)
 • Rank304th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-10-26)[3]
 • Total20,658
 • Rank53rd largest in Finland
 • Density253.85/km2 (657.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
[4]
 • Finnish95.4% (official)
 • Swedish0.4%
 • Others4.2%
Population by age
[5]
 • 0 to 1419.9%
 • 15 to 6461.8%
 • 65 or older18.3%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.pirkkala.fi

Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is located in southwest Pirkkala. The most significant main road in Pirkkala is Tampere Ring Road.

History

Great Pirkkala

The former parish of Suur-Pirkkala (Great Pirkkala) is mentioned in historical writings from the 14th century. It occupied over half of Pirkanmaa, a region nowadays populated by about 526,000 inhabitants. Suur-Pirkkala began to split when new parishes and municipalities were founded and wanted independence. [7]

South and North Pirkkala

In 1922 the Pirkkala was split into Pohjois- (Northern) and Etelä-Pirkkala (Southern Pirkkala) due to a movement in Southern Pirkkala led by agronomist Hannes Palmroth of the Partola Estate to gain independence from the more industrial North. [8]

Pirkkala

In 1938 the name of Northern Pirkkala was changed to Nokia and after an appeal to the President of Finland Kyösti Kallio in 1939, Southern Pirkkala reverted to its original name Pirkkala. The present-day province of Pirkanmaa that was founded in the 1950s is named after Pirkkala as it was in the center of the region that was more or less the same area as the historic Great Pirkkala

Sights

Pirkkala has been inhabited by the Stone Age and Iron Age, and many ancient finds have been made in the area.[9]

The red-brick old church was designed by Ilmari Launis in 1921, and it is known that it was built on the site of the old Pirkkala parish church.[10] The white new church from 1994, designed by Simo Paavilainen and Käpy Paavilainen, is located near the current town center, Naistenmatka. In its year of completion, the church, which has a modern appearance, was chosen as the most beautiful new building in Finland.

The Sculpture Park has been formed near the municipal center from the works of art of the international cast iron symposia of 2001 and 2003. It consists of sculptures of contemporary art, which are mostly placed around Lake Vähäjärvi. The idea of the cast iron symposiums is Villu Jaaniso, an artist from Pirkkala who moved from Estonia to Finland. Other materials were used in the 2003 event.[11] Perhaps the most prominent of the sights is the Jaaniso's Peruspirkkalalainen statue on the edge of the Suupantori market square in the town center, or the Valte statue according to its model.[12]

Notable people

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Pirkkala is twinned with:

  • Pirkkala Municipal Ofiice
    Pirkkala Municipal Ofiice
  • Veska Shopping Centre
    Veska Shopping Centre
  • Baushaus store in Pirkkala
    Baushaus store in Pirkkala
  • Pirkkala Public Library
    Pirkkala Public Library
  • Old Church of Pirkkala
    Old Church of Pirkkala
  • Naistenmatka district along Suupantie
    Naistenmatka district along Suupantie

See also

References
  1. "Municipal administration - The Mayor". Pirkkala.fi. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  2. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  3. "Preliminary population statistics 2023, September". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  4. "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  5. "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. Pirkkala kiihdyttää kasvua, Tampereen kauppakamarilehti 1/2005 (in Finnish)
  7. "Tietoa Pirkanmaasta". Pirkanmaan liitto (in Finnish).
  8. Pitkin poikin Pirkkalaa : pitäjänlukemisto. [Pirkkala]: Pirkkalan kunta. 1997. ISBN 9519687114.
  9. Pirkkalan kunta: Pirkkalan muinaisuudesta – Suur-Pirkkalasta Pirkkalaksi (in Finnish)
  10. Pirkkalan kunta: Pirkkalan kunnan historiaa Pirkkalankylä (in Finnish)
  11. Pirkkalan kunta: Pirkkala Sculpture 03 (in Finnish)
  12. Pirkkalan kunta: Peruspirkkalalainen (in Finnish)
  13. "Networks, town twinning and partnerships" (PDF). City of Solna. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2013-08-04.

Media related to Pirkkala at Wikimedia Commons Pirkkala travel guide from Wikivoyage


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