Hubbry Logo
logo
Kuopio
Community hub

Kuopio

logo
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something to knowledge base
Hub AI

Kuopio AI simulator

(@Kuopio_simulator)

Kuopio

Kuopio (/kuˈpi/ koo-OH-pee-oh, Finnish: [ˈkuo̯pio] ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Savo. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Kuopio is approximately 125,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 147,000. It is the 8th most populous municipality in Finland, and the seventh most populous urban area in the country.

Kuopio has a total area of 4,326.35 square kilometres (1,670.41 sq mi), of which 719.85 km2 (277.94 sq mi) is water and half is forest. Although the city's population is spread over 39/km2 (100/sq mi), the city's urban areas are comparatively densely populated (urban area: 1,618 /km²), making Kuopio the second most densely populated city in Finland. At the end of 2018, its urban area had a population of approximately 90,000. Together with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic and cultural centres of Eastern Finland.

Kuopio is nationally known as one of the most important study cities and centres of attraction and growth. The city's history has been marked by several municipality mergers since 1969, as a result of which Kuopio now encompasses much of the countryside; Kuopio's population surpassed 100,000 when the town of Nilsiä joined the city in early 2013. When Maaninka joined Kuopio at the beginning of 2015, Kuopio became the largest milk-producing municipality in Finland and the second largest beef-producing municipality in Finland. In addition, at the end of the 2010s, Kuopio was characterised by numerous large projects, the largest in the country after the Helsinki metropolitan area. Kuopio has also become a major tourist city with the large tourist centre in Tahkovuori. Kuopio Airport, located in the municipality of Siilinjärvi, is Finland's fifth busiest airport with over 235,000 passengers in 2017.

According to the Kuntarating 2017 survey, Kuopio has the most satisfied residents among the 20 largest cities, and according to the 2018 survey, Kuopio is the best city for property investors. In the Kuntien imago 2018 survey, Kuopio ranks second among Finland's large cities after Seinäjoki in South Ostrobothnia. In T-media's study on the attractiveness and influence of the ten largest cities in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Kuopio is the second most attractive city in Finland, with Tampere in first place.

Kuopio was the European Region of Gastronomy in 2020. It is also known as the home of Kalakukko, a traditional Savonian food, which is why Kuopio is also known as the "Promised Land of Kalakukko".

There are several theories regarding the origins of the name "Kuopio". One theory proposes that in the 16th century, a local notable named Kauhanen in Tavinsalmi, a village approximately 32 km to the northwest of the city, changed his name to Skopa. It is possible that this was derived from the Swedish word "Skopa", as Finland was under Swedish rule at the time and many members of the local Finnish nobility would adopt Swedish or Swedish-sounding names. This may explain why the word was pronounced differently when rendered in colloquial Finnish: first as "Coopia" and later "Cuopio". Another explanation is that Kuopio comes from the Finnish verb "kuopia", meaning "to paw (at)" or "to dig", as when a horse paws the ground with its hoof. The final theory, endorsed by the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland, is that the name "Kuopio" originates from Prokopij, the name of a Karelian man who lived in the Middle Ages and was said to have migrated from the village of Ruokolahti in Southern Karelia to the shores of Lake Kallavesi near present-day Kuopio, possibly to establish a trading post.

The coat of arms of Kuopio was designed in 1823 based on a drawing by either the town councilor Karl Hårdh or his son, Adolf Hårdh, who was an artist. The coat of arms was approved for use in 1823 by the Kuopio Magistrate in accordance with a decree of Alexander I of Russia. The building depicted in the coat of arms is Kuopio Cathedral and is often mistaken for Kuopio City Hall, which was only built in 1886.

The current coat of arms was designed by architect Seppo Ruotsalainen and draws inspiration from the original. The current design was approved by the Kuopio City Council at a meeting on November 25, 1957 and was confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior on June 12, 1958.

See all
city in the region of Northern Savonia in Finland
User Avatar
No comments yet.