Vaasa is Ostrobothnia's window to the west. The town is the spiritual heart
of Ostrobothnia, open to all. As it has good connections with the outside
world, international winds of change reach the town quickly. Vaasa is the
capital of the province of that name. It has 55,000 inhabitants, 72%
Finnish-speaking and 27% Swedish-speaking.
Vaasa is located at the narrowest point of the Gulf of
Bothnia,
only 80 km/50 miles from Sweden. By boat the journey takes four hours.
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The town's leafy avenues, the large parks that surround the public buildings,
and the green shoreline, go to make up a restful whole which has as its
foundation the Empire-style town plan drawn up by the architect Carl Axel
Setterberg in 1855. In Vaasa the past and the present meet: local enterprise,
distinctive cultural life, two languages, international industry and the
tranquillity of a small town.
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A healthy environment is a part of Vaasa. The sea with its countless
islands gives Vaasa the authentic feel of a coastal town. Boating, fishing,
exploring the archipelago and taking exercise along the beautiful shore are
all popular with the town people. The warmth of the town's welcome is
felt everywhere, in its bustling market, in its business life, in its
friendly service. And as Vaasa is Finland's sunniest town, the sun is often
shining too. |
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The surrounding countryside offers another kind of landscape, a culture rooted in the soil, fields stretching across inland plains, close village communities and centres as well as the characteristic life of the archipelago. The marks of ancient settleme
nt museums, churches, fishing harbours and riverbank life form an integral part of Vaasa's hinterland.
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