Sysmä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsysmæ]) is a municipality of Finland. It is situated in the Päijät-Häme region. The municipality has a population of 3,496 (31 December 2023)[2] and covers an area of 936.18 square kilometres (361.46 sq mi) of which 269.14 km2 (103.92 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 5.24 inhabitants per square kilometre (13.6/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Asikkala, Hartola, Heinola, Kuhmoinen, Luhanka, and Padasjoki. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Sysmä | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Sysmän kunta Sysmä kommun | |
 Sunset at Lake Päijänne and Päijätsalo natural park | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Sysmä in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 61°30′N 025°41′E / 61.500°N 25.683°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Päijänne Tavastia |
| Sub-region | Heinola sub-region |
| Founded | 1442 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal manager | Marketta Kitkiöjoki |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 936.18 km2 (361.46 sq mi) |
| • Land | 666.76 km2 (257.44 sq mi) |
| • Water | 269.14 km2 (103.92 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 128th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 3,496 |
| • Rank | 204th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 5.24/km2 (13.6/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 97.1% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 2.6% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 8.3% |
| • 15 to 64 | 48.4% |
| • 65 or older | 43.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | sysma |
Itä-Häme newspaper is established in Sysmä.
According to historians, the word sysmä means either a "dark forest" or an "uninhabited wilderness."[6] Sysmä is also a lake in Joroinen and another lake in Ilomantsi.
History edit
The first settlers in the area came from Sääksmäki, as evidenced by village names such as Voipala in Sysmä, which is named after Voipaala in Sääksmäki. Rapala may also be named after Rapola.
Sysmä was first mentioned in 1442, when it was already a separate parish. Jämsä was separated from it on the same year. Sysmä was a large parish, though most of its northern lands lacked a permanent population. The northern parts were eventually settled by Savonians and in 1561, the area became the Rautalampi parish which included most of modern Central Finland north of the Päijänne; from Toivakka to Pihtipudas.
The original dialect spoken in Sysmä was a Tavastian dialect. It was replaced by a Savonian dialect soon after Ivar Tawast killed 400 peasants from Sysmä, Jämsä and Kuhmoinen in Padasjoki during the Cudgel War. Many farms in Sysmä were left without owners, so they were taken by Savonian settlers.[7]
Sysmä was also occasionally known in documents as Sysmäki due to association with the word mäki (hill), compare Kärsämäki which used to be Kärsämä.
Hartola was a part of Sysmä until 1784. At the time, the Hartola parish also included Joutsa, Luhanka, Leivonmäki and the western part of Pertunmaa.
Population edit
Sysmä has suffered chronic, steady population decline over the last 50 years. It has many alternative homes, used principally as holiday homes.[9]
Some villages edit
Joutsjärvi, Karilanmaa, Kinnarila, Koivisto, Liikola, Nikkaroinen, Nuoramoinen, Onkiniemi, Otamo, Rapala, Ravioskorpi, Taipale, Unaja, Valittula, and Vintturi.
Attractions edit
Many summer events are held in Sysmä during which the population could even triple seasonally.
- One of the most popular events is called Sysmän suvisoitto.[10]
- Kammiovuori mountain where is seven meters high glacial erratic Sysmän Linta[11]
- Another glacial erratic in Sysmä is Onkiniemen liikkuva kivi.[12]
Famous people edit
- Usko Kantola, actor
- Pekka Streng, musician
- Olavi Virta, singer
- Lauri Rapala, founder of Rapala
- Onni Schildt, politician
- Ernst Tandefelt, Swedo-Finnish nobleman and assassin
References edit
- ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Immigration record high in Finland in 2023". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Lähilehti (no 46), 21 October 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2022. (in Finnish)
- ^ "Jämsän murteen historiaa - Kotimaisten kielten keskus". kotus.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Sysmä Community Currency : An Analysis of its Success from the Perspectives of Purposes, Stakeholders and Promotion|https://research.fi/en/results/publication/0363734219
- ^ http://www.suvisoitto.fi/ Sysmän Suvisoitto
- ^ Facta2001, WSOY, 1981. (in Finnish)
- ^ Maailman ja Suomen Suuratlas, p. 315. WSOY, Instituto Geografico Agostini, Novara, Igda, 1985. ISBN 951-0-12598-9. (in Finnish)
External links edit
Media related to Sysmä at Wikimedia Commons
- Municipality of Sysmä – Official website (in Finnish)
- Sysmä's Prehistory
 | This Southern Finland location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |