Lapua

This article is about the town in Finland. For the arms manufacturer, see Nammo. For the village in Åland, see Lappo, Åland.
Lapua
Lappo
Town
Lapuan kaupunki
Lappo stad
Lapua Cathedral
Lapua Cathedral
Coat of arms of Lapua
Coat of arms
Location of Lapua in Finland
Location of Lapua in Finland
Coordinates: 62°58.2′N 023°00.5′E
Country Finland
Region South Ostrobothnia
Sub-region Seinäjoki sub-region
Charter 1865
Market town 1964
City rights 1977
Government
 • Town manager Satu Kankare
Area
 (2018-01-01)
 • Total 751.82 km2 (290.28 sq mi)
 • Land 737.16 km2 (284.62 sq mi)
 • Water 13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi)
 • Rank 115th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-09-30)
 • Total 14,036
 • Rank 79th largest in Finland
 • Density 19.04/km2 (49.3/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish 96.9% (official)
 • Swedish 0.2%
 • Others 2.9%
Population by age
 • 0 to 14 17.8%
 • 15 to 64 57.6%
 • 65 or older 24.6%
Time zone UTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website www.lapua.fi
Illustration in Finland framstäldt i teckningar edited by Zacharias Topelius and published 1845-1852.

Lapua (Finnish: [ˈlɑpuɑ]; Swedish: Lappo) is a town and municipality of Finland.

It is located next to the Lapua River in the region of South Ostrobothnia. The town has a population of 14,036 (30 September 2023) and covers an area of 751.82 square kilometres (290.28 sq mi) of which 13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi) is water. The population density is 19.04 inhabitants per square kilometre (49.3/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

In the early 14th century, permanent settlement began to spread to the Lapuanjoki Valley. Residents came from, among other areas, the settlement center of Suur-Sastamala in Upper Satakunta, which had good land and water connections to the north. The focus of Ostrobothnia's settlement was initially on the lower reaches of the Kyrönjoki River. The proximity to the sea of the Kvarken area, which is rich in natural resources, was especially attractive. Lapua at that time had some Lapps who considered the region their wilderness area. The name Lapuan was probably given by the coastal Swedes precisely because of the Lapps who lived in the area.

The Battle of Lapua was fought between Swedish and Russian forces near the outskirts of the town on 14 July 1808 as part of the Finnish War.

Lapua is the seat of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Lapua. The Lapua Cathedral, designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, was built in 1827. In the 1930s the radical anti-communist Lapua Movement was founded and named after the town.

Lapua State Cartridge Factory

Lapua is also home to a large ammunition factory, which commenced operations in 1927 as the State Cartridge Factory. This factory was the primary supplier of ammunition to the Finnish Army during the Winter War and World War II. An explosion occurred in a warehouse of this factory on 13 April 1976, resulting in the deaths of 40 employees. After the explosion, the factory was relocated 6 kilometres (4 mi) away from the town centre and continues production today as Nammo Lapua, part of the Nordic Ammunition Group (Nammo). The original site of the factory and the surviving buildings are now an arts centre, a library and a theater.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Lapua is twinned with:

Notable people

See also