| Jakobstad | |
| Official Name: | City of Jakobstad Swedish: Staden Jakobstad Finnish: Pietarsaaren kaupunki |
| Native Name: | Finnish: Pietarsaari |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Flag Size: | 120x70px |
| Coordinates: | 63.6667°N 64°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Finland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ostrobothnia |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jakobstad sub-region |
| Leader Title: | City manager |
| Leader Name: | Anne Ekstrand |
| Established Title: | Charter |
| Established Date: | 1652 |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +02:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +03:00 |
| Named For: | Jacob De la Gardie |
Jakobstad (pronounced as /sv-FI/; Finnish: Pietarsaari, in Finnish ˈpie̯tɑrˌsɑːri/) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Jakobstad is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Jakobstad is approximately, while the sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the most populous municipality in Finland.
Jakobstad covers a land area of NaNJakobstad}}. The population density is NaNPD/km2NaNPD/km2. Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The city of Vaasa is located 98km (61miles) southwest of Jakobstad.
Jakobstad is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of Finnish speakers, Swedish speakers, and speakers of other languages.
The Swedish name literally means Jacob's City or Jacob's Town, in reference to Jacob De la Gardie. The town was founded at the old harbour of the parish Pedersöre and this name lives on in the Finnish name of the municipality, Pietarsaari, literally Peter's Island.
The town was founded in 1652 by Ebba Brahe, the widow of the military commander Jacob De la Gardie, and was granted city privileges by Queen Christina of Sweden. The town was founded at the old harbour of the parish Pedersöre. Pedersöre remains an independent municipality neighbouring Jakobstad.
The city grew slowly at first, with the authorities scarcely promoting any growth. In 1680 the inhabitants were ordered to relocate to the cities of Kokkola, Oulu and Nykarleby, but the order was rescinded. Wars also contributed to the slow growth, and the city was invaded by Russian troops twice during the Greater Wrath, and large parts of the town were burnt to the ground. A majority of the inhabitants fled the city. While those with means moved across the sea to the Swedish side, others took shelter in the forest or in the archipelago. Many were captured or killed. During the 1720s, some of the previous inhabitants returned, while newcomers also added to the population. The subsequent decades were finally marked by a period of growth, and the current church was built in 1731.
The economic foundation was laid in the mid 18th century, with tar manufacturing and tobacco packaging at its centre. Trade started to develop rapidly in Jakobstad as of 1765, when the cities along the Finnish shore of the Gulf of Bothnia were granted privileges by the Swedish crown to trade directly with foreign countries. This also led to shipbuilding becoming a major activity in Jakobstad. The first ships to sail with goods to foreign countries were the galeas Jacobstads Wapen and the brig Enigheten. Trade and shipbuilding made Jakobstad a wealthy city, and a notable businessman of that time was the merchant and shipbuilder Adolf Lindskog, who also became one of the richest men in Finland.
The early 19th century was a time of upheaval, which saw the 1808–1809 war between Sweden and Russia, as well as a devastating fire in 1835 that destroyed approximately half of the city. Despite this, the economic progress continued, and a brewery, a matchstick factory and several banks were founded after 1850. In 1859, the merchant and shipowner Peter Malm started a steam powered sawmill, which was only the second such installation in Finland. The Crimean War was a major setback to shipping industry, as the British navy puts up an effective blockade and the shipping fleet in Jakobstad during the Åland War was reduced from 26 ships to 9.
Notable businessmen in the 19th century were Otto Malm and Wilhelm Schauman, the latter founding a chicory (coffee substitute) factory in Jakobstad in 1883. This moment in time is usually considered as the start of industrialization in Jakobstad. In 1900, the Strengberg tobacco factory was the largest employer in Jakobstad.
An artillery school was located in Jakobstad during the Finnish civil war. During World War II, the city was bombed once by Soviet bomber planes, causing a few casualties. Up until the 1960s, the town was pretty small and mainly Swedish speaking with a pretty small finnish speaking minority, but because of the industrial expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, the need for additional work force caused a large influx of Finnish speakers and the city became almost majority finnish speaking.[1]
During the second half of the 19th century, the city changed from a city of shipping to an industrial city. From 1850 to 1900, the population increased from about 1,500 to over 6,000 inhabitants. The existing factories developed rapidly and new factories were established. Production in the factories was still small-scale. The city produced everything from beer and spirits to soaps and matches. The Finnish-speaking population in the city increased sharply when the tobacco factory expanded and was in great need of labor.
Results of the 2017 Finnish municipal election in Jakobstad:
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Swedish People's Party | 19 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 10 | |
| Left Alliance | 5 | |
| Christian Democrats | 4 | |
| Pro Pietarsaari-Jakobstad | 3 | |
| Green League | 1 | |
| Centre Party | 1 |
At the end of July, Jakobsdagar takes place. The event lasts for an entire week and includes various festivities such as concerts, merchant stalls, competitions, and performances. It attracts a large number of people each year.
The name of the event translates to "Jacob's days" and refers to the name of the city.
At the end of November a chamber music festival called Rusk is held annually in Jakobstad. At the heart of this festival embracing superb chamber music and various other genres of the arts is the Schauman Hall in the centre of town, but the events also spread out into the surrounding urban environment.
In the 1980s, a rural liverwurst was named traditional food of Jakobstad.[2] The culture of cafés and restaurants is lively in Jakobstad anyway, as the Strengberg tobacco factory was the first Finnish industrial plant to offer lunch to its employees.[3] Jakobstad has ethnic restaurants, home-cooked lunch restaurants, à la carte restaurants and cafés, pubs and nightclubs.[4]
The town's football team FF Jaro currently plays in Ykkösliiga, the second league in Finland. They are also home to Kakkonen side Jakobstads BK. The woman's league football club FC United has been very successful over the years.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland. Jakobstad is twinned with:[5] [6]
Asker, Norway
Eslöv, Sweden
Garðabær, Iceland
Jamestown, United States
Jūrmala, Latvia