Vaasa-the sunniest city in Finland

Vaasa was founded in 1606 by Carl IX. Burnt to ground in 1852, ten years later a new city was built 7 kms away from the old site.The population is 58 000,71% Finnish speaking, 25% Swedish, 4% other languages.

The Kvarken archipelago is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The land rising is about 8-8.5 mm/year and the land area grows with 1 kmVyear. During the summer one can make lovely cruises in the archipelago. In summertime it is also possible to go in the tracks of the meteorite and visit the Meteoria, the visitor's Centre in Söderfjärden, the clearest and most beautiful crater formation in Northern Europe, now a round large cultivation land of 2300 hectares. Especially during the autumn this field is a halting place of many thousands of cranes.

For tourists travelling either with families, in groups or as individuals Vaasa provides many alternatives from the popular Family Fun holiday packages to spa weekends and theatre packages. There are 2 professional theatres, 22 different museums and galleries, 3 art museums and the city orchestra.

The walking centre is a meeting place for people and services. Walking routes, jogging tracks, trails and outstanding long cycle paths along the seashore are like winning the first prize in the lotto for outdoor and keep-fit enthusiasts.

The educational sector in the city may be characterized by its interest in new ideas and the various trials it undertakes, as well as by an increased internationalization. In place of the Finnish matriculation examination, upper secondary school students in Vaasa may study for the International Baccalaureate examination at the IB-school, something which is possible in only a few places in Finland. There are three units on higher education level: the Finnish University of Vaasa, two Swedish: the Swedish School of Economics and the Åbo Akademi i Vasa.

There are also two institutes of vocational higher schools: one Bilingual and the other Swedish. The number of students exceeds 10.000. The most important international enterprises are Wärtsilä, ABB, Vacon, KWH Group and Vaasa Engineering. Vaasa has established many co-operative links with other European cities and regions.