Raahe
Raahe (Finnish: [ˈrɑːhe]; Swedish: Brahestad; Finland Swedish: [brɑːheˌstɑːd]) is a town and municipality of Finland. Founded by Swedish statesman and Governor General of Finland Count Per Brahe the Younger in 1649, it is one of 10 historic wooden towns (or town centers) remaining in Finland. Examples of other Finnish historic wooden towns are Kaskinen (Kaskö), Old Rauma, Porvoo (Borgå), Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), and Vaasa (Vasa). After a devastating fire in 1810, Raahe was rebuilt adhering to new design principles which minimized the risk of fire and enlarged some civic spaces. Old Raahe (or "Wooden Raahe") is noted for its Renaissance-inspired rectilinear town plan featuring an unusual central-square (called Pekkatori) with closed corners.
Raahe
Brahestad | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Raahen kaupunki Brahestads stad | |
Raahe Church and statue of Per Brahe | |
|
Coat of arms | |
Location of Raahe in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 64°41′N 024°28′E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | North Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Raahe |
| Charter | 1649 |
| Named for | Per Brahe the Younger |
| Government | |
| • City manager | Leena Mikkola-Riekkinen |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
| • Total | 1,889.00 km2 (729.35 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,013.78 km2 (391.42 sq mi) |
| • Water | 870.77 km2 (336.21 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 77th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
| • Total | 23,794 |
| • Rank | 43rd largest in Finland |
| • Density | 23.47/km2 (60.8/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 96.3% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.1% |
| • Others | 3.6% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 18.1% |
| • 15 to 64 | 56% |
| • 65 or older | 25.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www |
Raahe is located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Bothnia in the region of North Ostrobothnia, 75 kilometres (47 mi) southwest of Oulu and 126 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Kokkola. The municipality has a population of 23,794 (December 31, 2023) and covers an area of 1,889.00 square kilometres (729.35 sq mi) of which 870.77 km2 (336.21 sq mi) is water. The population density is 23.47/km2 (60.8/sq mi). Historically an agricultural and maritime region, Ostrobothnia supplied the largest number of immigrants from Finland to the US and other countries such as Canada and Australia during the great migration of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The neighboring municipalities of Raahe are Haapavesi, Oulainen, Pyhäjoki, Siikajoki and Siikalatva. Founded as a Swedish-and-Finnish-speaking town, the municipality is now unilingually Finnish.
Three municipalities have been consolidated with Raahe: Saloinen in 1973, Pattijoki in 2003 and Vihanti in 2013.
The asteroid 1786 Raahe was named after this town and municipality.