1649–2024

375th Anniversary of Kristinestad      

The charter of Kristinestad was dated at Turku Castle on 5th December 1649. In 2024, we celebrate the 375th anniversary of the town.

The 375th anniversary of Kristinestad is noticed in all activities. The goal of the anniversary is to strengthen the sense of togetherness and interaction between the residents.

History

Kristinestad was founded in 1649 as a trading place on the island of Koppö. The Count, Governor-General Peter Brahe, named the city after Queen Christina who was the monarch at that time, or after his wife, Countess Kristina Katarina Stenbock.

The town of Kristinestad was surrounded by a lively Ostrobothnian countryside where great amounts of tar, meat and grain was produced for export. Ships sailing from abroad imported salt and iron and also cotton to the factories established in Tampere.

Thanks to a good natural harbour and skilled shipbuilders, Kristinestad became a powerful seafaring operator in the 19th century. The city had at best 200 sea captains and Finland's third largest amount of ships. Residents of the city bought merchandise from bourgeois shops, and the annual market was famous throughout the country. In the year 1850 Kristinestad was the 14th largest town in Finland with it’s 2 404 inhabitants.

As the era of sailing ships came to an end and the iron steamships took over the seas, the powerful era of the town of Kristinestad began to wane. At the same time, many of the inhabitants migrated to America and later to Sweden.

Kristinestad is almost the only Nordic wooden house town which has managed to avoid fires for several centuries. New buildings have also been built in the historic centre of the city, but the original grid plan, the town hall, the historic 18th-century church Ulrika Eleonora and most of the wooden houses in the centre have been preserved.

Today Kristinestad has about 6 200 inhabitants. Since 1973 the city has also included the municipalities of Sideby, Lappfjärd and Tjöck. The area is especially known for entrepreneurship and potato cultivation – One third of Finland's food potatoes are produced in Kristinestad. The rich Ostrobothnian cultural heritage, living bilingualism and energy projects bring life to the region.

The main celebration will take place on 17th August 2024

In honour of the Kristinestad’s 375th anniversary a free park festival for everyone, will be held on Saturday 17th August 2024 at 3 pm in the Town hall park. Information about other events can be found here.

We all want to celebrate! Residents, associations, companies – everyone is welcome to join the celebration!