Information  on Kangasniemi

General | Largest employers | Investments | A cultural municipality | Investments in culture | Events | Places to visit | Things we are known for | Opportunities

General:

• the municipality was founded in 1867

• location: on trunk road 13, 50 km to Mikkeli, 63 km to Jyväskylä, 47 km to Pieksämäki, 250 km to Helsinki

• area 1326 km² (second largest in Southern Savo), more than 20 % of the area is water

• largest lakes: Puulavesi (Finland’s eighth largest lake) and Kyyvesi

• more than 1550 km of shoreline

• 6.123 inhabitants (31.12.2007), more than half of them live in the main village

• summer guests redouble the number of inhabitants during the summer months

• 3467 summer houses

• economic life: primary production 24 %, processing 21 %, services 50 %, unclassified 5 %

• large forest resources, approx. 12 million cubic meters – yearly growth approx. 500 000 cubic meters

• income tax per cent 19.00
  

Largest employers:

• Kangasniemi municipality, 350 permanent jobs 

• Josadoor Oy, doors for fitted units

• Hovinikkarit Oy, wooden stairs

• Mimet Oy, metal containers and industrial pipes

• Tehomet Oy, lamp posts and columns, steel constructions

• Zetanova Oy, subcontractor, metal industry

• M-S Metalli Oy, steel constructions

• Puulan Kone Oy, Service station with spare parts and garage services

• Reifer Oy, sheet metal products
  

Active municipal investment policy at last 10 years:

• over 24.135.000 € 

• new town hall

• renovation of school centre

• renovation of old people's home + day care centre

• youth club

• industrial plants bought and built approx. 

• indoor skating rink

• renovation and extension of health centre

Traditional stronghold of culture:

Famous cultural figures:

• Otto Manninen and Anni Swan

• Reinhold von Becker

• Ragnar Ekelund

• Hiski Salomaa
  

Investments in culture:

• Memorial statue for Otto Manninen / Ukri Merikanto (uncovered 13.8.2000) in Anni Swanin puisto park

• History of Kangasniemi, part III

• Pirtin Perinnepuisto Traditional Park

• Kangasniemi Music Festival
  

Events in Kangasniemi:

• Kangasniemi Music Festival – a festival of top-class song tuition + concert series

• Kutemajärvi (Lake Lovemaking) Sex Festival

• Luusniemi-Blues – perhaps the smallest international jazz festival in the world

• Amateur Theatre Ilona: summer theatre and programme services

• Syvälahti Dance Pavillion

• Kangasniemi Rally

Places to visit:

• Läsäkoski area: white-water fishing

• Kangasniemi Art Castle

• Wanha Pappila Old Vicarage

• Pitkäpelto Farm Museum and Local History Museum

• Kangasniemi church

• Penttilä Open Air Museum

• Pirtin Perinnepuisto Traditional Park

• Puula cruise

• Puula Golf

• Naarajoki canoeing route

• Rapala stone faces and caves

• 4 nature trails

Kangasniemi is also known for:

• The ’Building lot for one mark’ campaign (1996)

• The ’One-Million-Mark Jackpot’ competition for enterprise ideas (1997)

• Finland’s most beautiful municipality (1997)

• property bonus: maximum of 3.363 € property gift to anyone buying their first home in Kangasniemi, maximum of 1.681 € to anyone turning a summer house into an all-year-round home (2001-2002)

• ’support carrots’ to businesses

Opportunities:

• location near 3 cities – a practical place to live

• quality housing, high service level

• Puula-Kyyvesi –ideal lakes for smaller boats

• Läsäkoski area to be developed for tourism

• positive image – Finland’s most beautiful municipality, clean, safe, culture- and enterprise-friendly