The City of Vaasa celebrates its 400th
Anniversary in 2006
Vaasa celebrates its 400th anniversary in
2006. Throughout the whole year different events paying
attention to the anniversary will be arranged in the city.
The anniversary programme is made in co-operation between
the City of Vaasa and associations, enterprises and institutions,
which will guarantee an attractive programme.
 Vaasa
today represents the educational, cultural and tourist centre
of Western Finland. Vaasa is also a multi-facet industrial
city offering good possibilities of development especially
for the international energy industry.
The city was founded by King Charles IX on
October 2,1606 and gave the town the name of his royal house.
Thanks to the sea connections ship building and trade, especially
tar trade, was flourishing from the XVII century. During
the Civil War, Vaasa was the capital of Finland as a consequence
of the occupation of central places and arresting of politicians
in Helsinki. That time the senate decided to move to Vaasa.
To express its gratitude to the town the senate gave Vaasa
the right to add the cross of freedom, independent Finland's
oldest mark of honour designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela,
to its coat of arms.
The city severed from the fire in 1852 when
a wooden part was burnt. The new town rose in 1862 about
7 km to the northwest from the old town. The town's location
at the sea offered good conditions for seafaring. The town
plan in the Empire style was planned by Carl Axel Setterberg.
In the master plan the disastrous consequences of the fire
were considered. Main streets in the new town were five
broad avenues which divided the town into sections. Every
block was divided by alleys.
In the program, the upcoming events are e.g.
the opera that describes the colourful life of the Vaasa-born
composer and conductor Toivo Kuula, the Finland-Swedish
Song Festival, which gathers almost 6000 singers to Vaasa
in the middle of May, the National Folklore Days, which
theme is a bilingual native region. A big public festival
will be arranged also on 10 August in connection to the
Night of Arts, in which many associations are participating.
In October in connection to the city's foundation day, 2
October, there will be a special anniversary week. Welcome
to Vaasa in 2006!
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