Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Joensuu

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Country
  
Finland

Sub-region
  
Joensuu sub-region

Time zone
  
EET (UTC+2)

Population
  
57,879 (1 Jan 2007)

Region
  
North Karelia

Charter
  
1848

Land area
  
1,173 km²

Local time
  
Sunday 7:19 AM

Joensuu wwwhotelroomsearchnetimcityjoensuufinland2jpg

Area rank
  
26th largest in Finland

Weather
  
-4°C, Wind SW at 10 km/h, 96% Humidity

Colleges and Universities
  
University of Eastern Finland

Fall semester in finland joensuu september december 2014


Joensuu (lit. "mouth of the river") is a city and municipality in North Karelia in the province of Eastern Finland. It was founded in 1848. The population of Joensuu is 75,557 (March 31, 2016), although the economic region of Joensuu has a population of 115,000.

Contents

Map of Joensuu, Finland

Joensuu is a lively student city with over 15,000 students enrolled at the University of Eastern Finland and a further 4,000 at the North Karelia University of Applied Sciences.

The largest employers are the municipal City of Joensuu, North Karelian Hospital District Federation of Municipalities, Abloy and Punamusta.

The European Forest Institute, the University and many other institutes and export enterprises such as Abloy and John Deere Forestry give Joensuu an international flavour. Joensuu is as typical of cities in Eastern Finland monolingually Finnish.

Botania visit in joensuu finland


History

The city of Joensuu, which was founded by the Czar Nicholas I of Russia in 1848, is the regional centre and the capital of North Karelia. During the 19th century Joensuu was a city of manufacture and commerce. When in 1860 the city received dispensation rights to initiate commerce, former restrictions against industry were removed and the local sawmills began to prosper and expand. Water traffic was improved by the building and opening of the Saimaa Canal in 1856. Consequently, a lively commerce between the regions of North Karelia, St. Petersburg and Central Europe was enabled. At the end of the 19th century Joensuu was one of the largest harbour cities in Finland.

Throughout the centuries Karelian traders have plied the Pielisjoki River. The river has always been the lively heart of the city. Canals – completed by 1870 – increased the river traffic. Thousands of steamboats, barges and logging boats sailed along the river during the golden age of river traffic. The Pielisjoki River has also been an important log raft route, providing wood for the sawmills and for the entire lumber industry.

During the last few decades, the formerly modest agrarian town has developed into a vital centre of the province. Success in regional annexations, the establishment of the province of Karelia and investments in education have been the most decisive actions in this development.

Municipality of Pielisensuu was consolidated with Joensuu in 1954. At the beginning of 2005, the municipalities of Kiihtelysvaara and Tuupovaara were consolidated with Joensuu. At the beginning of 2009 the municipalities of Eno and Pyhäselkä were consolidated with Joensuu. After the most recent consolidations, there are approximately 73,000 inhabitants in the Joensuu municipal area.

The University of Joensuu (now part of the University of Eastern Finland since January 2010.) has, in twenty-five years, expanded to eight faculties. The University of Joensuu is one of the mainstays for the vitality of the city and so for all North Karelia. Diversified international cooperation in science, industry and commerce benefits the whole region.

The proximity of the eastern border has been an important factor in the history of the city. The Republic of Karelia is once again a significant area for cooperation with nearby regions in Russia. Export companies in Joensuu continue the pre-revolutionary traditions in foreign trade.

Joensuu offers varied cultural activities. A series of events – Ilosaarirock festival, Joensuu Music Winter, Festival of Visual Culture Viscult, Gospel festivals – and the unspoilt environment increase the attractiveness of the city.

Joensuu is sometimes referred to as the Forest Capital of Europe, mainly because the European Forest Institute is based there. Other forestry research and educational facilities are also based in Joensuu.

Statistics

  • Nearest airport with regular air service: Joensuu Airport, Liperi, 11 km
  • Nearest inland port: Joensuu
  • Districts: 26
  • Transport

    Distances to other Finnish cities:

    Joensuu has a railway station and a bus station, which offers intercity connections to Helsinki and local connections to several other places. Numbered bus service is available to all parts of Joensuu (Route maps, Timetables). Note, that if you want to catch a bus, you have to wave at the driver - the bus does not stop automatically. Joensuu also has an airport, with flights to Helsinki.

    Joensuu is located along the Blue Highway, which is an international tourist route from Mo i Rana, Norway to Pudozh, Russia via Sweden.

    Sports

    The city is known for its basketball club Kataja, which plays in the Finnish first-tier league Korisliiga. Other championship level clubs of Joensuu include Josba (floorball), Mutalan Riento (volleyball), the world leading orienteering club Kalevan Rasti (orienteering) and Joensuun Prihat (women's volleyball). The ice hockey team Jokipojat plays in the Finnish second-tier league Mestis, and their home arena is the Mehtimäki Ice Hall. The local football club Jippo plays in the Finnish second Division. Finnish baseball enjoys popularity as well and the local team, Joensuun Maila, plays in the top division Superpesis.

    Joensuu has produced many world class athletes, including Jukka Keskisalo, the European champion in 2006 at 3000m St., and Aki Parviainen, the world champion of Javelin throw in 1999.

    Joensuu is home to biathlete Kaisa Mäkäräinen, who won the overall World Cup title in the 2010-11 Biathlon World Cup season.

    2013 GRC champion and current World RX driver Toomas Heikkinen is from Joensuu.

    Friendship cities

  • Linköping, Sweden
  • Ísafjarðarbær, Iceland
  • Tønsberg, Norway
  • Petrozavodsk, Russia
  • Sortavala, Russia
  • Suoyarvi, Russia
  • Hof, Germany
  • Vilnius, Lithuania
  • References

    Joensuu Wikipedia