Heinola

Heinola
Town
Heinolan kaupunki
A view from Heinola railway bridge towards the town center
Coat of arms
Location of Heinola in Finland
Coordinates: 61°12′N 026°02′E / 61.200°N 26.033°E / 61.200; 26.033Coordinates: 61°12′N 026°02′E / 61.200°N 26.033°E / 61.200; 26.033
Country	Finland
Region	Päijänne Tavastia
Sub-region	Heinola sub-region
Charter	1776
City rights	1839
Government
• Town manager	Jussi Teittinen
Area (2016-01-01)
• Total	676.07 km2 (261.03 sq mi)
• Land	676.33 km2 (261.13 sq mi)
• Water	162.96 km2 (62.92 sq mi)
Area rank	125th largest in Finland
Population (2016-03-31)
• Total	19,498
• Rank	57th largest in Finland
• Density	28.83/km2 (74.7/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	7,001,980,000,000,000,000♠98% (official)
• Swedish	6,999,200,000,000,000,000♠0.2%
• Others	7,000,180,000,000,000,000♠1.8%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	7,001,144,000,000,000,000♠14.4%
• 15 to 64	7,001,637,000,000,000,000♠63.7%
• 65 or older	7,001,219,000,000,000,000♠21.9%
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate	20.5%
Climate	Dfc
Website	www.heinola.fi

Heinola is a town and a municipality of 19,498 inhabitants (31 March 2016) located in the region of Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. Neighbour municipalities: Asikkala, Hartola, Iitti, Kouvola, Mäntyharju, Nastola, Pertunmaa and Sysmä.

Heinola is perhaps best known for its summer activities such as the Sauna-sitting World Championships, and for being the cradle of rheumasurgery.

Heinola used to be a remote village of then larger Hollola until it gained significance in 1776 when Gustav III of Sweden promoted it to be the governmental center of the province in which it was then located. The grid plan of the city center is from that era. Heinola also became a center of commerce for nearby regions.

When Finland became a part of Russia in 1809, the capital of the province was moved eastwards with the state border. To compensate this, Heinola gained a city status in 1839. Before World War II, Heinola was widely known as a spa town, and until 1972 it served as a location for an institute (seminaari) that taught elementary school teachers. These both were established in the 1890s and played an important role in the town life.

Heinolan maalaiskunta was united to Heinola in 1997.

After World War II Heinola has been economically an industrial town, mainly due to its wood processing industry. Industry remained the largest source of employment until the 1970s, when the trade and services sector grew larger, following a national trend.