Mäntyharju facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mäntyharju
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Municipality
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| Mäntyharjun kunta Mäntyharju kommun |
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Mäntyharju is located in the Finnish lake region
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Location of Mäntyharju in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region | Southern Savonia | |
| Sub-region | Mikkeli sub-region | |
| Charter | 1595 | |
| Seat | Mäntyharjun asemanseutu | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 1,210.98 km2 (467.56 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 981.26 km2 (378.87 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 229.23 km2 (88.51 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 79th largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 5,522 | |
| • Rank | 159th largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 5.63/km2 (14.6/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 95.4% (official) | |
| • Swedish | 0.2% | |
| • Others | 4.4% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 11.2% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 51.3% | |
| • 65 or older | 37.5% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
Mäntyharju is a municipality in Finland. It's located in the Southern Savonia region, about 40 kilometers southwest of Mikkeli. The name "Mäntyharju" means "Pine Ridge".
This municipality has a population of about 5,522 people. It covers an area of about 1,210.98 square kilometres (467.56 sq mi) in total. A big part of this area, about 229.23 km2 (88.51 sq mi), is water! The coastline around its many lakes is almost 1520 kilometers long. This means there are about 6.2 people living in each square kilometer.
Mäntyharju is surrounded by other municipalities like Heinola, Hirvensalmi, Kouvola, Mikkeli, Pertunmaa and Savitaipale. Everyone in Mäntyharju speaks Finnish.
Many Finnish families love to spend their summer holidays in countryside houses called cottages. Mäntyharju is very popular for this! It has the fifth highest number of summer cottages in all of Finland. People love Mäntyharju because it has many clean lakes. It's also not too far from Helsinki, the capital of Finland, which is about 200 kilometers away by car. You can even take a fast train directly to Helsinki from Mäntyharju. Because of all the summer visitors, the population of Mäntyharju can triple during the busiest summer months!
Mäntyharju is also home to the Art Centre Salmela. This center hosts one of Finland's biggest cultural events every year in July and August. It's a great place to experience Finnish art and culture.
Contents
History of Mäntyharju
The area where Mäntyharju is today used to be a borderland. It was located between the historical regions of Tavastia, Savonia, and Karelia.
Early Beginnings
The parish of Mäntyharju was officially formed in 1595. A parish is like a church district. It was created from parts of other areas like Iitti, Sysmä, Pellosniemi (which is near Mikkeli), and Taipalsaari. Even before 1595, there was a small chapel in a village called Kyttälä. At that time, Kyttälä was part of Iitti.
Divided and Reunited
In 1743, something important happened called the Treaty of Turku. After this treaty, western Mäntyharju stayed under Swedish rule. But the eastern part, including the main church, became part of Russia. Imagine your town being split in half between two different countries!
Luckily, the two parts of Mäntyharju were reunited in 1821. This happened when a larger area called Old Finland was added to the Grand Duchy of Finland. The Grand Duchy was connected to Russia but had its own special rules.
New Municipalities
Later, a new parish called Pertunmaa was formed on May 20, 1924. It became its own municipality in 1926. Pertunmaa also included smaller parts of Hartola and Joutsa. This shows how towns and their borders can change over time.
Notable People from Mäntyharju
Mäntyharju has been home to several interesting people who have made a name for themselves.
- Antti Häkkänen (born 1985): He is a politician who served as the Minister of Justice of Finland from 2017 to 2019.
- Antti Jaatinen (born 1987): He is a professional ice hockey player.
- Sami Savio (born 1975): He is also a politician.
- Edward Vesala (1945–1999): He was a famous Finnish jazz musician. He was a composer, bandleader, and drummer known for his unique avant-garde style.
- Kake Randelin (born 1955): He is a popular Finnish singer.
Images for kids
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