Saarijärvi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saarijärvi
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Town
|
|||
| Saarijärven kaupunki Saarijärvi stad |
|||
Church of Saarijärvi
|
|||
|
|||
Location of Saarijärvi in Finland
|
|||
| Country |  Finland |
||
| Region | Central Finland | ||
| Sub-region | Saarijärvi-Viitasaari sub-region | ||
| Charter | 1866 | ||
| City rights | 1986 | ||
| Area
(2018-01-01)
|
|||
| • Total | 1,422.72 km2 (549.32 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 1,251.76 km2 (483.31 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 170.8 km2 (65.9 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 58th largest in Finland | ||
| Population
(2023-12-31)
|
|||
| • Total | 8,847 | ||
| • Rank | 111th largest in Finland | ||
| • Density | 7.07/km2 (18.3/sq mi) | ||
| Population by native language | |||
| • Finnish | 98.3% (official) | ||
| • Swedish | 0.1% | ||
| • Others | 1.6% | ||
| Population by age | |||
| • 0 to 14 | 13.8% | ||
| • 15 to 64 | 53.2% | ||
| • 65 or older | 33% | ||
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | ||
Saarijärvi is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region. The name "Saarijärvi" means "Island Lake" in Finnish.
As of 31 December 2023, about 8,847 people live there. The municipality covers an area of 1,422.72 square kilometres (549.32 sq mi). A big part of this area, about 12%, is water. This means there are many lakes!
Saarijärvi is surrounded by several other municipalities. These include Kannonkoski, Karstula, Multia, Soini, Uurainen, Ähtäri, and Äänekoski.
The official language spoken in Saarijärvi is Finnish. In 2009, the nearby municipality of Pylkönmäki joined with Saarijärvi.
There are 241 lakes in Saarijärvi. The largest lakes are Pyhäjärvi, Summanen, and Lake Saarijärvi.
Saarijärvi is famous for being the home of Bonden Paavo (Saarijärven Paavo). This character is from a well-known poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Also, Pamela Anderson's great-grandfather, Juho Hyytiäinen, left Saarijärvi in 1908 to move to America.
Contents
History of Saarijärvi
Saarijärvi has a long history, going back to the mid-1500s. Back then, it was part of the Rautalampi area.
Early Churches and Parishes
Saarijärvi got its first church in 1628. At that time, the Laukaa parish, which included Saarijärvi, became separate from Rautalampi. Saarijärvi then became its own parish in 1639. It was first called Palvasalmi.
In those days, the parish of Palvasalmi was quite large. It included areas that are now Karstula, Kyyjärvi, Pylkönmäki, and part of Konginkangas. After 1690, the parish was renamed Saarijärvi.
Changes Over Time
Over the years, parts of Saarijärvi became separate areas.
- Karstula, including Kyyjärvi, became its own parish in 1887.
- Konginkangas separated in 1895.
- Pylkönmäki became separate in 1914.
Saarijärvi officially became a town in 1986. Later, in 2009, Pylkönmäki rejoined Saarijärvi.
Saarijärvi's Sister Cities
Saarijärvi has special connections with other towns around the world. These are called "sister cities" or "twin towns." They often share cultural events and friendly exchanges.
Gran, Norway
Kungsbacka, Sweden
Trittau (Amt), Germany
How to Get to Saarijärvi
You can travel to Saarijärvi by bus. For example, the OnniBus.com route from Helsinki to Jyväskylä and Kokkola stops in Saarijärvi.
Famous People from Saarijärvi
Many notable people were born in Saarijärvi. Here are a few:
- Matthias Calonius (1738 – 1817)
- Samuli Häkkinen (1857 – 1918)
- Otto Stenroth (1861 – 1939)
- Adiel Paananen (1897 – 1968)
- Tarmo Manni (1921 – 1999)
- Toivo Hyytiäinen (1925 – 1978)
- Kain Tapper (1930 – 2004)
- Jarkko Nikara (born 1986)
