Österbottniska parker och trädgårdar

Parks and gardens in Old Vaasa

Parks in Karleby

Kronoby Folk High-School

Parks and gardens in Old Vaasa

Kingsbarn Park in Old Vaasa

Törnävä Manor Park

The Hiking Trail: Waterloo – Lisagrynnan

Parks and squares in Kaskinen

Carlsro in Kristinestad

Old Vaasa is situated about 7 km south-east of Vaasa city centre. Old Vaasa is classified as a provincial area of national importance in the assessment made by the Ministry of the Environment of the work of the 1992 Landscape Committee. The area is a picturesque, many-faceted treasure with much to offer in the areas of culture, ancient history and settlement, as well as having natural landscape that deserves protection and conservation.

The land uplift phenomenen has had a great deal of importance in the history of the area and research has arrived at the conclusion that the land rose from the sea in this area about 1,000 years ago. In the second half of the 14th century, Korsholm Castle was erected as the adminirative centre. Vaasa city was founded in 1606 by Karl IX. The city grew up around the Church of Mary, which was a sturdy, stone building, and during the 17th and 18th centuries a symmetrical street plan was made for the city. The aim was to create a green garden-town, both with a view to fire prevention and for the well-being of the inhabitants. With this prerogative, the north-western district was reserved as a pedestrian area and Hovrättens alle (Crown Court Avenue) was established. In 1852, however, a fire raged in the city and very few buildings escaped destruction. The courthouse was one of them and in 1862 it was transformeed into a church. The avenue leading up tp the courthouse existed in the town plan already in the 1750’s and the first of the lime-trees that line the avenue today were planted in 1836.

CONTACT

Parker i Gamla Vasa
Vasa stads turistbyrå
Stadshuset
PB 3 65101 Vasa
Tel: 06-325 1145
www.vaasa.fi
touristinfo@vaasa.fi

The Ruins and their park grounds
In the Vaasa fire of 1852, Holy Mary’s Church, the belfry, the common school and the town hall were all reduced to ruins. A park area was formed around the ruins, which is now well frequented both summer and winter.

The Station Park
The State Railway’s chief gardener J. K. Kornman designed this park in 1909. His design was realized by the planting of rare types of trees and decorative bushes.

Crown Court Avenue
Crown Court Avenue (Hovrättsallen) in Old Vaasa was designed in 1776 by Carl Fredrik Adlerkrantz and has now been longer in use than any existing public park in Finland. In 1781 the first aspen-trees were planted along the avenue’s four lanes. Over the years 1836-1842 the aspens were replaced by lime-trees. The lime-tree avenue escaped the fire of 1852 and is an impressive sight today.

Yxgärde
Anders Johan Dahl, a teacher who was an enthusiastic plant collector, started to create this natural-looking garden oasis in 1907. Today the garden is at its best in the spring, when white, yellow and blue wood anemones * and corydalis carpet the ground.

Vallarna
Vallarna (The Pasture) in Old Vaasa is a softly rounded hill where Korsholm Castle was built in the 14th century. The hill is connected to Crown Court Avenue by a pathway. On the top of the hill there is a stone cross, a monument commemorating ancient crusaders.

Haga Vicarage
When Queen Kristina bequeathed the whole royal demesne to the municipality of Vaasa in the mid-1640’s, Haga farm was included in the gift. The inhabitants of Vaasa were given the area for cabbage growing and as pastureland. The vicarage escaped destruction in the fire of 1852 and is owned by The Association of Evangelical Churches.

Alkula
During the first part of the 19th century, G.A. Wasastjerna had a tobacco plantation on Alkula farm. A.A. Levon bought the farm in 1843 and started a successful factory business there. He took a great interest in horticulture and a legacy of maple-trees, lilac bushes and Siberian leguminous bushes from that time can still be found at Alkula today. The main building (dating from 1793) and its grounds are maintained today by the organisation ”4-H”.

Korsholm Hospital
Korsholm hospital, designed by C.L. Engel, was built during the years 1841-1844 beside Old Vaasa canal. The hospital is surrounded by a beautiful park with valuable trees, that was established in the 1840’s.

Hovrättsbacken (Crown Court Hill)
Hovrättsbacken is a valuable historical site with clumps of larches and old pine-trees. In between the trees there are small glades that are the remains of ancient hay-fields. Beside this area of beautiful, natural landscape, there is an ”art park” which was established by fine artist Fritz Jakobsson in the 1990’s.

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