General Information of Porvoo 

A long time ago...
The Porvoo Castle was built on the hill and the town was named Borgå ("castle river") in Swedish. The Porvoo parish and the church originated in the 13th century. The church was first built of wood, later of stone. It was founded high on the hill to dominate the town.

Six towns were established in Finland during the Middle Ages. Some of them grew to be towns without any official order having been issued. This was the case with Porvoo, which got the town rights after Turku in the 14th century. The story tells that in 1346 Maunu Eerikinpoika (Magnus Eriksson), then the King of Sweden, visited Porvoo and granted the town rights there and then.

In today's Porvoo, the past and the present merge in perfect harmony. The strata from different epochs can be discerned in the structure of the town. Porvoo is a dynamic town centre fostering culture and traditions which offers its inhabitants humane and pleasant surroundings.

The town of Porvoo has about 48 580 inhabitants and an area of 654 km². The town is a thriving centre for the economic region of the eastern part of the province of Uusimaa. Porvoo is a bilingual town with about 32% of the inhabitants speaking Swedish as their mother tongue. More than half of the citizens of Porvoo gain their livelihood from trade and services, compared to a third who work in the industrial sector.

The traditions and structure of industry and commercial life are based on three vibrant industrial branches in Porvoo - the graphics, electrotechnical and petrochemical industries. The publishing house, Sanoma-WSOY Oyj, has the longest traditions within the graphics industry. The Ensto Group has specialized in the electrotechnical field as well as in automation and electronics. The oil refinery belonging to the national oil company Neste oil and the petrochemical production plant of Borealis Polymers Oy are nowadays part of the modern profile of Porvoo.

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Something old and something new
Old Porvoo, located just north of Mannerheiminkatu; the Empire district to the south; and downtown Porvoo, which is between the two, complement each other superbly. Porvoon Kuninkaanportti is a new business area under construction near the western highway ramp. The first phase of building is designed to accommodate stores that require a lot of space.

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Downtown Porvoo is full of life
The Market Square is the heart of the city, surrounded by City Hall, the bus station (Matkahuolto), specialty boutiques and services (including those at Lundi Shopping Center). The range of products at the marketplace varies by season. The market café is one place locals meet with their friends and neighbours.

The guest marina and ferry dock at Jokiranta are pulsing with life, especially in summer. The bridge at Aleksanterinkatu, completed in autumn 2004, and the newly restored Jokiranta area now encourage locals to take an evening walk and enjoy the latest improvements to the downtown area. Flower beds, fountains, cafés and sundecks have turned the shore into an attractive gathering place.

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A modern wooden city on the west riverbank
The undeveloped western bank of the Porvoo River began to fill up when architect Tuomon Siitonen's proposal won the architectural competion held in 1998. His idea, involving densely packed single-family housing, combines the rationality of Empire Porvoo with verdant highlights and social functionality. Construction in the area is still in progress, but the future will see lively activity on both sides of the river, as is always the case in cities whose river serves as a means of transportation to and from the dowtown area.

Taidetehdas, an old industrial building on the west bank, is also being renovated at a rapid place. Occupants of the red-brick building include the Porvoo Theatre; the Konsta Art Lending Service; the Art Hall; renovated workspace for Porvoo artists; and rooms to rent for celebrations, exhibitions and private events.

 

 

 

Last updated 26.2.2010