Laukaa

Sister cities

• Rõngu Rural Municipality
• Stevns Municipality
• Modum Municipality
• Östra Göinge Municipality
• Pereslavl-Zalessky

History

The name of Laukaa likely comes from the now obsolete word lauas (genitive: laukaan), stream pool, in this case referring to the Koivulahti bay in the lake Saraavesi. The name is also related to that of the river Luga in Russia (), albeit only through the word from which the names are derived. The area of Laukaa was an important route to both the lake Keitele in the northwest and Rautalampi in the northeast. Laukaa itself was a part of the Rautalampi parish, gaining its first subordinate church in 1593. This church was located near modern Tarvaala (aka Laukkavirta), which was therefore the original center of Laukaa. The center shifted to the modern location in Pellosniemi sometime in the 17th century. Laukaa became a separate parish in 1628. It included Saarijärvi until 1639, Jyväskylä until 1837, Jyväskylän mlk (to which Toivakka was moved in 1871) and Sumiainen until 1868 and Äänekosken mlk until 1907 (administratively 1911).

Geography

Neighbouring municipalities are Hankasalmi, Jyväskylä, Konnevesi, Toivakka, Uurainen and Äänekoski. There are all together 129 lakes in Laukaa. Biggest lakes in Laukaa are Lievestuoreenjärvi, Kuusvesi, Leppävesi and Lake Uurainen. * Hoho * Kuhaniemi (or Kuhankoski) * Kuusa (or Kuusaa) * Lankamaa * Leinola * Leppävesi * Lievestuore * Metsolahti * Saarilampi * Savio * Simuna * Tarvaala * Tervatehdas * Tiituspohja * Valkola * Vehniä * Vihtasilta * Vihtavuori * Vuontee * Äijälä

Most-observed species

• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  896
• Siberian Flying Squirrel

  Pteromys volans (Linnaeus, 1758) · Mammalia
  616
• Willow Warbler

  Phylloscopus trochilus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  605
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  569
• Redwing

  Turdus iliacus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  424
• Fieldfare

  Turdus pilaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  397
• Eurasian Kestrel

  Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  377
• Eurasian Siskin

  Spinus spinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  328