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Larsmo

Coordinates:63°45′N022°45′E/ 63.750°N 22.750°E/63.750; 22.750
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(Redirected fromEugmo)
Larsmo
LarsmoLuoto
Municipality
Larsmo kommun
Luodon kunta
Larsmo Church
Larsmo Church
Coat of arms of Larsmo
Location of Larsmo in Finland
Location of Larsmo in Finland
Coordinates:63°45′N022°45′E/ 63.750°N 22.750°E/63.750; 22.750
CountryFinland
RegionOstrobothnia
Sub-regionJakobstad sub-region
Charter1867
Government
• Municipal managerGun Kapténs
Area
(2018-01-01)[1]
• Total853.28 km2(329.45 sq mi)
• Land142.74 km2(55.11 sq mi)
• Water711.07 km2(274.55 sq mi)
• Rank283rd largestin Finland
Population
(2023-12-31)[2]
• Total5,843
• Rank156th largestin Finland
• Density40.93/km2(106.0/sq mi)
Population by native language
Swedish91.5% (official)
Finnish5.2%
• Others3.3%
Population by age
• 0 to 1429.4%
• 15 to 6456%
• 65 or older14.7%
Time zoneUTC+02:00(EET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+03:00(EEST)

Larsmo(Finnish:Luoto,Finnish:[ˈluo̯to]) is amunicipalityinFinland,located on the west coast of the country. Larsmo is situated inOstrobothnia,along theGulf of Bothnia.The population of Larsmo is approximately 6,000, while thesub-regionhas a population of approximately 50,000. It is the 156th most populousmunicipalityin Finland.

Larsmo consists of anarchipelagoof about 360 islands and numerousskerries.The length of the coastline is about 500 kilometres (310 mi). Lake Larsmo (Larsmosjön), which is Finland's largest artificialfresh waterlake, is also located in the municipality. Larsmo covers an area of 853.28 square kilometres (329.45 sq mi) of which 711.07 km2(274.55 sq mi) is water. Thepopulation densityis 40.93 inhabitants per square kilometre (106.0/sq mi).

Larsmo is abilingualmunicipality withFinnishandSwedishas its official languages. The population consists of5% Finnish speakers,92% Swedish speakers, and3% speakers of other languages. Prior to 2014, Swedish was the sole official language of Larsmo.

Larsmois also the name of one of the villages in the municipality of Larsmo.

History[edit]

The land which was to become Larsmo rose from the sea some 2,000 years ago, due topost-glacial rebound.Today the municipality consists of more than 360 islands.

The nameLarsmowas first recorded around 1375 asLamershambyand laterLarismo(1544),Larsmoo,Larsmo(1546), andLarismo by(1548).[6]

The administrative municipality Larsmo was founded in 1867, having previously belonged to theparishofPedersöre.Hunting,fishingandagricultureused to be important sources of income. However, industry and service have now taken over since the changes of agriculture nowadays require larger farms to be profitable. The businesses are mainly influenced by the strong traditions ofcraftingorboat building.

Finnish independence movement[edit]

The municipality came to play an interesting role in the Finnish independence-movement. During the dark autumn night of December 6, 1905, the steamerSSJohn Graftonsailed into the Larsmo archipelago with its cargo of weapons, meant to be used for theindependence movementin Finland and the revolutionary attempts in Russia. The cargo was unloaded and transported away with the help of the local population. However, the ship ran aground when the ship was heading out to sea. The crew decided to blow up the ship before the Russian guards would find it. The crew fled to Sweden with some smaller sailing vessels and the ship was blown up on December 8.[7][8]The news soon spread around the world and was mentioned in a number of newspapers. This incident is often counted as the first attempt for a free Finland and to obtain independence from Russia. There is a monument on Orrskär.[9]SSEquity,another ship, loaded with weapons, also unloaded its cargo in the Larsmo archipelago,[10]and a memorial plate is now in place at the Tolvmangrundet island.

Emigration[edit]

Emigrants from Larsmo founded the town ofLarsmont, Minnesota,in the United States in the early 1900s. They originally requested to name the town Larsmo, but railroad officials did not approve and instead chose the name Larsmont.[11][12]

Coat-of-arms[edit]

The municipalcoat-of-armswas officially approved in 1952. It has been designed byGustav von Numersand depicts a two-mastedskötbåtin silver on a blue shield (askötbåtis a traditional fishing vessel which could be sailed or rowed). The coat-of-arms symbolizes the boat-building and fishing traditions in the municipality.[13]

Religion[edit]

Prominent religious movements in the region are theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland,LaestadianismandConservative Laestadianism,as well as a smaller number ofBaptists.[14]Larsmo has traditionally had the country's highestfertility rate– 3.4 in a 2013–2015 study[15]– due to the influence of Laestadianism.[16]

Settlements[edit]

The two largest islands are called Larsmo and Eugmo, and these two islands also make up the two administrative villages of the municipality. Other larger settlements are Risö häll, Holm, Eugmo, and Bosund. The church village is called Fagernäs and is located on the Larsmo island.

Economy[edit]

The municipality has always been connected to ship-building and still is.[17]Among the more well-known ship-building companies areBaltic Yachts,which builds high-tech sailing yachts in carbon fiber, as well asBella boats.

Larsmo has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Finland.[18]

Culture[edit]

A library in Larsmo.

A number of cultural events are held every summer in the municipality. A small jazz festival, calledFöusjazz('barn jazz'), is arranged every summer at the stone barn in Fagernäs. Many famous jazz artists have appeared at the festival. Many events are also held at Köpmanholmen and at Bjärgas hembygdsgård. A fish market is held every summer at the fishing harbour in Bosund.

There are two museums in the municipality. The previously mentioned Bjärgas hembygdsgård is anopen-air museumportraying rural society in the 1930s and also a countryside shop from the 1950s.[19]The Bosund Boat, Fishing and Hunting Museum (Bosund Båt-, Fiske- och Jaktmuseum) displays older boats and fishing and hunting equipment.[17]The exhibitTerra Mareat Köpmanholmen shows howpost-glacial reboundhas affected the coastal landscape.

The two libraries in Holm and in Bosund serve the inhabitants of the municipality. Further, there are four school libraries: Risö, Näs, Holm, and Cronhjelm School libraries.[20]

Transportation[edit]

Roads

Larsmo is located between the cities ofJakobstadin the south andKokkolain the north. The lively trafficked Seven Bridges' Road (De sju broarnas väg) goes through Larsmo and connects the municipality with the mainland. The road's official designation is Regional Road 749.

Buses

TheINGSVA(previously:Haldin & Rose) bus company has a number of lines going through the municipality.

Railroad

There is no railroad in the municipality. The closest stops are located inBennäsorKokkola.

Airports

The closest airports areKokkola-Pietarsaari Airport,which is about 30 km (20 mi) from Holm, and theVaasa Airport,which lies about 120 km (75 mi) away. There is also a small field for ultra-light aircraft in Bosund.

Ferries

The closest ferry route to Sweden isWasalinefromVaasainFinlandtoUmeåinSweden.Jakob Lines,which went from Jakobstad and Kokkola, ceased activity in 1999.

Recreation[edit]

There are a number of paved pedestrian roads in the municipality. There are walking paths of different lengths in Holm (8 and 13 km), as well as in Fagernäs (5 km), Bosund (8 km) and on Öuran (5.7 km).

The winter sports are concentrated to Holm where there are 5.5 km of skiing paths as well as facilities forbiathlon.Ice hockey rinks are located in Risö, Holm, Näs and Bosund.

There are nine un-supervised beaches in the municipality: Vikarholmen, Assarskär, Fagernäs, Kackur, Sonamo, Köpmanholmen, Annäsgrundet, Svennasminne and Brännbacka. Most of them have dressing rooms, toilets and life-saving equipment.

Sports[edit]

The soccer clubLarsmo bollklubbwas founded in 1952 and is currently in Division 4.[21]The ice hockey teamIF Puckenis currently playing in Division 3.[citation needed]

Attractions[edit]

Twin towns[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018"(PDF).National Land Survey of Finland.Retrieved30 January2018.
  2. ^"Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years".Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26.ISSN1797-5395.Retrieved2024-04-29.
  3. ^"Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years".Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26.ISSN1797-5395.Retrieved2024-04-29.
  4. ^"Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020".StatFin.Statistics Finland.Retrieved2 May2021.
  5. ^ab"Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023".Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022.Retrieved7 May2023.
  6. ^Huldén, Lars.Larsmo Larsmo, Österbotten(in Swedish).Society of Swedish Literature in Finland.
  7. ^Fellman, Ida (24 October 2017)."Ofärdsåren och affären John Grafton".Yle(in Swedish).Retrieved7 January2024.
  8. ^"Larsmo kommun - Turism - John Grafton".Municipality of Larsmo(in Swedish). Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved7 January2024.
  9. ^"Sights".Municipality of Larsmo.Retrieved7 January2024.
  10. ^Barck, Berndt (2017).Fartyget s/s Equity och dess befälhavare(in Swedish).
  11. ^Sundman, Sara (24 December 2017)."Följ med HBL till finlandssvenska Larsmont i Minnesota!".Hufvudstadsbladet(in Swedish).Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved18 June2022.
  12. ^Alanen, Arnold R. (2012).Finns in Minnesota.St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press.ISBN978-0-87351-854-3.OCLC769430592.
  13. ^"History".Municipality of Larsmo.Retrieved7 January2024.
  14. ^"Väckelse och båtliv i Larsmo".Åbo Akademi(in Swedish). 1 November 2023.Retrieved25 February2024.
  15. ^"Svenskspråkigas fruktsamhet i Finland: Vilka är skillnaderna mellan språkgrupperna?".Tankesmedjan Agenda(in Swedish).Retrieved2024-02-26.
  16. ^Finnäs, Fjalar (1991)."Fertility in Larsmo: The Effect of Laestadianism".Population Studies.45(2): 339–351.ISSN0032-4728.
  17. ^ab"Bosund båt-, fiske och jaktmuseum".Österbottens Museiportal(in Swedish).Retrieved7 January2024.
  18. ^"Larsmo siktar på att fortsätta växa".Kommuntorget.fi(in Swedish).Retrieved9 August2023.
  19. ^"Bjärgas hembygdsgård".Österbottens Museiportal(in Swedish).Retrieved7 January2024.
  20. ^"Bibliotek".Municipality of Larsmo(in Swedish).Retrieved7 January2024.
  21. ^"Historia".LBK.Retrieved7 January2024.
  22. ^"Vennskapskommunesamarbeid: Larsmo kommune, Finland og Klæbu kommune, Norge"(PDF).Trondheimsregionen(in Norwegian).Retrieved7 January2024.
  23. ^"Larsmo satsar på barnfamiljerna".Yle(in Swedish).Retrieved7 January2024.
  24. ^"Vänort".Malå Kommun(in Swedish).Retrieved2024-01-07.

External links[edit]