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Asikkala
Municipality
Asikkalan kunta
Asikkala kommun
Vääksy Canal
Vääksy Canal
Coat of arms of Asikkala
Coat of arms
Location of Asikkala in Finland
Location of Asikkala in Finland
Country  Finland
Region Päijänne Tavastia
Sub-region Lahti sub-region
Charter 1848
Seat Vääksy
Area
 (2018-01-01)
 • Total 755.55 km2 (291.72 sq mi)
 • Land 563.39 km2 (217.53 sq mi)
 • Water 192.13 km2 (74.18 sq mi)
Area rank 151st largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-12-31)
 • Total 7,968
 • Rank 120th largest in Finland
 • Density 14.14/km2 (36.6/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish 96.6% (official)
 • Swedish 0.2%
 • Others 3.2%
Population by age
 • 0 to 14 13.3%
 • 15 to 64 52.7%
 • 65 or older 34%
Time zone UTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+03:00 (EEST)

Asikkala is a town in Finland. It is located in the southern part of Finland, in a region called Päijänne Tavastia. The main town in Asikkala is Vääksy, which sits by the beautiful Lake Päijänne.

Asikkala is surrounded by other towns like Hämeenlinna, Heinola, Hollola, Lahti, Padasjoki, and Sysmä. The town has about 7,968 people living there. It covers an area of 755.55 square kilometres (291.72 sq mi), with a lot of that area being water. Since 1996, Finnish has been the only official language spoken here.

Asikkala's Past: A Glimpse into History

The oldest things found in Asikkala are tools from around 3000 BCE. That's about 5,000 years ago! An island called Kotasaari in the village of Kalkkinen has been a great place for finding old items from the Stone Age.

During the Middle Ages, hunters from Asikkala traveled north on Lake Päijänne. The oldest villages are thought to be Kalkkinen and Anianpelto. Kalkkinen also had the biggest farm in the area, known as Iisakkila.

Asikkala was first written about in 1443. This was in a document about a border problem with the town of Sysmä. In 1445, it was mentioned as a place that collected taxes from villages like Viitaila, Asikkala, and Urajärvi. Later, in the early 1600s, Asikkala became its own church parish, separate from the larger parish of Hollola.

Exploring Asikkala's Geography

Villages: The Heart of Asikkala

Asikkala is made up of many small villages. In 1967, there were 24 villages officially recognized. These villages are important parts of the community.

  • Anianpelto
  • Asikkala
  • Hillilä
  • Iso-Äiniö
  • Joenniemi
  • Kalkkinen
  • Keltaniemi
  • Kopsuo
  • Kurhila
  • Muikkula
  • Myllykselä
  • Paakkola
  • Pulkkila
  • Pätiälä
  • Reivilä
  • Riihilahti
  • Salo
  • Särkijärvi
  • Urajärvi
  • Vehkoo
  • Vesivehmaa
  • Viitaila
  • Vähimaa
  • Vähä-Äiniö

Weather in Asikkala

Asikkala has a climate with cold winters and mild to warm summers. It's a bit milder than the nearby city of Lahti. This is because of the influence from Lake Päijänne, which helps to keep temperatures from getting too extreme.

People of Asikkala

Population Changes Over Time

In 2020, about 13% of the people in Asikkala were under 15 years old. About 53% were between 15 and 64, and 34% were over 64. The average age was around 50 years old. Most people (97.4%) speak Finnish.

The chart below shows how the number of people living in Asikkala has changed from 1975 to 2020.

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1975 7,798 —    
1980 8,251 +1.14%
1985 8,564 +0.75%
1990 8,822 +0.60%
1995 8,782 −0.09%
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
2000 8,644 −0.32%
2005 8,560 −0.20%
2010 8,552 −0.02%
2015 8,287 −0.63%
2020 8,059 −0.56%
Source: Statistics Finland

Main Living Areas

In 2019, most people in Asikkala lived in urban areas. The two main urban areas are Vääksy and a part of Lahti.

# Urban area Population
1 Vääksy 4,810
2 Lahti central locality 378

Famous People from Asikkala

Many interesting people have come from Asikkala. They include athletes, actors, and politicians.

  • James Hirvisaari (born 1960), politician
  • J. R. Danielson-Kalmari (1853–1933), senator and professor
  • Minna Kauppi (born 1982), orienteer (a sport like cross-country running with a map and compass)
  • Toni Nieminen (born 1975), ski jumper
  • Aaro Pajari (1897–1949), Major General
  • Karri Rämö (born 1986), ice hockey player
  • Joel Rinne (1897–1981), actor
  • Eetu Salin (1866–1919), politician and journalist

Asikkala's Economy

In 2018, most jobs in Asikkala were in services. This includes things like shops, schools, and healthcare. About 29% of jobs were in making things or building. A smaller number (about 10%) were in farming, forestry, and fishing.

The biggest employers in Asikkala in 2019 included the Municipality of Asikkala itself. Other large employers were healthcare providers and companies like JELD-WEN Suomi Oy and Rapala VMC Oyj.

  1. Municipality of Asikkala, 303 employees
  2. Päijät-Häme Health Care Municipal Consortium, 187 employees
  3. JELD-WEN Suomi Oy, 95 employees
  4. Rapala VMC Oyj, 77 employees
  5. Salpaus Further Education, 37 employees
  6. Regional Council of Päijät-Häme, 34 employees
  7. Viipurilainen Kotileipomo Oy, 32 employees
  8. Urajärven Metalli Oy, 30 employees
  9. Parish of Asikkala, 22 employees
  10. Osuuskauppa Hämeenmaa, 22 employees

Culture in Asikkala

Traditional Foods

In the 1980s, Asikkala had some special traditional dishes. These included salmon soup and rieskas, which are flatbreads made from barley. People also enjoyed potato egg butter, berry milk, and a traditional Finnish drink called sahti.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Asikkala para niños

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