Äänekoski

Sister cities

• Hveragerðisbær
• Aywaille
• Sigdal
• Örnsköldsvik Municipality
• Brändö

History

Äänekoski is named after the nearby rapids. Folk etymology connects the name to the word ääni "sound", but Terho Itkonen has suggested another origin: a Sámi term meaning "big, large" (compare Northern Sámi eanas, "most"). Swedish sources mention a salmon fishery by the rapids around 1455, Ænækoski laxefiskeri. At the time, it was not a proper settlement and was located in the hunting grounds of the people of Sysmä. The Rautalampi parish was established in 1561, at the time it was a large parish covering most of Central Finland north of the Päijänne. The Laukaa parish, including the area of Äänekoski, was separated from Rautalampi in 1628. A settlement named Äänekoski has existed at least since 1752. It remained a part of Laukaa until the parish was established in 1907 and the municipality Äänekosken maalaiskunta was established in 1911. At the time, Äänekosken maalaiskunta was called simply Äänekoski. The municipality was divided in 1932: the actual settlement of Äänekoski became the kauppala of Äänekoski, Suolahti became another kauppala while the old Äänekoski municipality was renamed Äänekosken maalaiskunta and its administrative seat was moved to the village of Honkola. Äänekoski and Äänekosken maalaiskunta still shared a parish. The first industrial enterprises appeared in 1896–1900. Four municipalities have been consolidated with Äänekoski: Äänekosken maalaiskunta in 1969, Konginkangas in 1993 and Sumiainen and Suolahti in 2007. Äänekoski adopted the coat of arms of Suolahti in 2007.

Geography

Äänekoski is located along Finnish national road 4 approximately 40 km north of Jyväskylä. Finnish national road 69 to Suonenjoki begins in Hirvaskangas, 12 km south of Äänekoski center. Finnish national road 13 between Kokkola and Lappeenranta passes through Honkola, 6 km south of Äänekoski center. Äänekoski center is located between the Ääneselkä open water part of Lake Keitele and Lake Kuhnamo. Modern Äänekoski is a product of a merger of multiple former municipalities, where the following villages were officially named: * Konginkangas: Kalaniemi, Konginkangas center, Pyyrinlahti * Sumiainen: Paadentaipale, Raikkaus, Sumiaisten kirkonkylä (Sumiainen church village) * Suolahti: Suolahti center * Äänekoski ja Äänekosken maalaiskunta (Rural Municipality of Äänekoski): Äänekoski center, Honkola, Kangashäkki (main part of which is in Uurainen), Kiimasjärvi, Koivisto (Koivistonkylä) and Petruma. Besides these official divisions, the following villages or neighborhoods are also informally recognized: Hietama, Hirvaskangas, Laajaranta, Liimattala, Mämme, Parantala and Rannankylä. The area is heavily forested. It is also defined by the fractured Lake Keitele, which stretches generally in the southwest-northeast direction from Äänekoski center to the open waters of Keitele proper in Havusalmi, but which has multiple bays in the perpendicular, southeast-northwest direction. There are 13 Natura 2000 protected areas in Äänekoski. These include esker areas, waters rich in bird life and part of the Hitonhauta-Kylmähauta-Hirvasjoki ravine area, which extends from Äänekoski to Laukaa. There are altogether 170 lakes in Äänekoski. The biggest lakes are Keitele, Kuhnamo and Niinivesi. One of the world's smallest rivers, the Kuokanjoki (just 3.5 meters long), is within the area.…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,178
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,943
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,869
• Common Redpoll

  Acanthis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,609
• Eurasian Siskin

  Spinus spinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,397
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,287
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,143
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

  Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  958