General Information of Porvoo
Porvoo is Finland's second oldest town, a beautiful city full of history. The timeless and unique atmosphere in Old Porvoo attracts travellers from all over the world.
In today's Porvoo, the past and the present merge in perfect harmony. The strata from different epochs can be discerned in the structure of the town. Porvoo is a dynamic town centre fostering culture and traditions which offers its inhabitants humane and pleasant surroundings.
Porvoo is located in the eastern Uusimaa-region on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, ca 50 km east of Helsinki.
Porvoo - Finland's second oldest town
The settlement in the Porvoo region began in the 13th and 14th centuries, and the town is mentioned in documents in the early 14th century. In earlier times the Porvoo region also included Askola, Pornainen and Pukkila, which are today Porvoo’s neighbor towns.
Six towns were established in Finland during the Middle Ages. Some of them grew to be towns without any official order having been issued. This was the case with Porvoo, which got the town rights after Turku in the 14th century. The story tells that in 1346 Maunu Eerikinpoika (Magnus Eriksson), then the King of Sweden, visited Porvoo and granted the town rights there and then. The Porvoo Castle was built on the hill and the town was named Borgå ("castle river") in Swedish.
The Porvoo parish and the church originated in the 13th century. The church was first built of wood, later of stone. It was founded high on the hill to dominate the town.
Area
Porvoo’s land area is 655 km², water area is 1 114 km² and the population density is 70 person/km². The town is divided in the centre area, bigger suburbs such as Kevätkumpu, Huhtinen, Näsi, Peippola and Gammelbacka, smaller urban areas and a wide rural- and archipelago area.
Inhabitants
The town of Porvoo has about 48 700 inhabitants, of which 51% are female and 49% men. The fact that Porvoo is a bilingual town brings its own twist to the everyday life. The people here speak Finnish and Swedish, sometimes even in the same sentence. About 65% of the inhabitants are Finnish speaking, and about 32% of the inhabitants are speaking Swedish as their mother tongue. 3% of the inhabitants speak some other language.
More than half of the citizens of Porvoo gain their livelihood from trade and services, compared to a third who work in the industrial sector.
Industry and commericial life
Today's Porvoo is a vivid city catering a full range of commercial and public services. The city is a thriving centre for the economic region of the eastern part of the province of Uusimaa.
Porvoo originally grew up as a trade centre and it continues to be an attractive focal point as a centre of business and commerce. The volume of retail trade makes Porvoo one of the bigger municipal centres. People from the wide surrounding area come to the town to do their shopping.
The traditions and structure of industry and commercial life are based on three vibrant industrial branches in Porvoo - the graphics, electrotechnical and petrochemical industries. The publishing house, Sanoma-WSOY Oyj, has the longest traditions within the graphics industry. The Ensto Group has specialized in the electrotechnical field as well as in automation and electronics. The oil refinery belonging to the national oil company Neste oil and the petrochemical production plant of Borealis Polymers Oy are nowadays part of the modern profile of Porvoo.
Something old and something new
Old Porvoo, located just north of Mannerheiminkatu; the Empire district to the south; and downtown Porvoo, which is between the two, complement each other superbly.
The Old Town provides one of Porvoos most colourful sights and tourist attractions. Old Porvoo is famous for its narrow lanes and brick-coloured riverside warehouses.
Charming Old Porvoo (Traveller's Porvoo)
In the Empire-style part of the town, the low wooden houses belong to the classical town plan where the streets form squares. It is here that the home of Finland's greatest poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, provides one of Porvoo's most popular tourist attractions.
Downtown Porvoo is full of life
The Market Square is the heart of the city, surrounded by City Hall, the bus station (Matkahuolto), specialty boutiques and services (including those at Lundi Shopping Center). The range of products at the marketplace varies by season. The market café is one place locals meet with their friends and neighbours.
The guest marina and ferry dock at Jokiranta are pulsing with life, especially in summer. The bridge at Aleksanterinkatu, completed in autumn 2004, and the newly restored Jokiranta area now encourage locals to take an evening walk and enjoy the latest improvements to the downtown area. Flower beds, fountains, cafés and sundecks have turned the shore into an attractive gathering place.
The West Bank of the future
On the opposite bank, the Porvoo of the future is rising. The wooden town district has been influenced by Old Porvoo: the town plan is equally dense and the colour scheme similar. The houses along the river bank conduct a subtle dialogue with the waterfront storehouses.
Alongside the residential area there is a campus and a commercial centre is being built. The Art Factory, an old factory making frame mouldings, at present under renovation, will in the future provide a setting for various events and offer inspiration to artists, who can rent studio premises on the upper floor.
Porvoon Kuninkaanportti is a new business area under construction near the western highway ramp. The first phase of building is designed to accommodate stores that require a lot of space.