Karstula Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Karstula

Municipality

Karstulan kunta
Karstula kommun

Karstula Church

Coat of arms

Location of Karstula in Finland

Country

Finland

Region

Central Finland

Sub-region

Saarijärvi–Viitasaari sub-region

Charter

1867

Area

(2018-01-01)

• Total

963.19 km² (371.89 sq mi)

• Land

887.06 km² (342.50 sq mi)

• Water

76.22 km² (29.43 sq mi)

Area rank

86th largest in Finland

Population

(2023-12-31)

• Total

3,625

• Rank

200th largest in Finland

• Density

4.09/km² (10.6/sq mi)

Population by native language

• Finnish

97.6% (official)

• Swedish

0.1%

• Others

2.3%

Population by age

• 0 to 14

12.3%

• 15 to 64

52.8%

• 65 or older

34.9%

Time zone

UTC+02:00 (EET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+03:00 (EEST)

Website

www.karstula.fi

Karstula is a town in Finland. It was started in 1867. You can find it in the Central Finland area. Karstula has about 3,625 people (as of 31 December 2023). It covers an area of about 963.19 square kilometres (371.89 sq mi). A small part of this area, 76.22 km² (29.43 sq mi), is water. The number of people living in each square kilometer (its population density) is about 4.09 inhabitants per square kilometre (10.6/sq mi).

Karstula is next to other towns like Kannonkoski, Kivijärvi, Kyyjärvi, Saarijärvi, and Soini.

There are 159 lakes in Karstula. The biggest lakes are Pääjärvi, Enonjärvi, and Vahanka.

History of Karstula
- Plans for a New Town
Buildings and Design
Getting Around Karstula
Famous People from Karstula
Local Culture
Sister Cities
Gallery
See also

History of Karstula

The name Karstula probably comes from an old family name, Karstunen. This name was first seen around 1541. Later, in the 1700s, it appeared in the area that is now Central Finland.

Karstula was first part of the Saarijärvi church area. In 1775, it got its own small church. Karstula was allowed to become its own separate church area and town in 1858. But it officially separated later, in 1887. The nearby town of Kyyjärvi was part of Karstula until 1929. Kyyjärvi then got its own church area in 1944.

Plans for a New Town

Some towns, including Kannonkoski, Karstula, Kivijärvi, and Kyyjärvi, once planned to join together. They wanted to form a new, bigger town called Suomenselkä. This was supposed to happen on January 1, 2022.

Karstula, Kivijärvi, and Kyyjärvi agreed to this plan. However, Kannonkoski decided not to join. After Kannonkoski left, Kivijärvi also pulled out of the plan. The idea of Karstula and Kyyjärvi merging also failed. This happened at a meeting in Kyyjärvi on May 17, 2021. The government also did not force them to merge.

Buildings and Design

Many old buildings from the early 1900s are still in the town center. They show what countryside buildings in the area used to look like.
There is also a small house designed by Alvar Aalto. He was a very famous Finnish architect. This house is not often mentioned in books about his work.

Getting Around Karstula

Several important roads go through Karstula. These include:

Highway 13, which connects Kokkola and Lappeenranta.
Main road 58, which goes between Kangasala and Kärsämäki.
Main road 77, connecting Kyyjärvi and Siilinjärvi.

You can also travel to Karstula by bus. The OnniBus.com company has a route that goes from Helsinki to Jyväskylä and then to Kokkola, stopping in Karstula.