Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Pori


Pori is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some 15 kilometres (9 mi) from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäenjoki River, which is the largest in Finland. John III established it in 1558.   Pori is the most important town in the Satakunta region. Pia sent me this card from Pori.
The municipality has a population of 83,192 (31 January 2012) and covers an area of 1,704.07 square kilometres (657.95 sq mi) of which 870.01 km2 (335.91 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 99.74 /km2 (258.3 /sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Pori is the 11th largest city in Finland, and the 7th largest urban area. The Neo-Gothic Juselius Mausoleum, located in the Käppärä cemetery in central Pori, was built in 1903 by the wealthy industrialist F.A. Juselius for his daughter Sigrid, who died when she was only 11 years old. The mausoleum was designed by the architect Josef Stenbäck. The mausoleum originally had frescoes painted by artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela, but these decayed after a short time. Akseli’s son Jorma Gallen-Kallela using his father’s sketches restored the frescoes.
Pori is known, among other things, for the sandy beaches of Yyteri and for hosting Pori Jazz, an annual international jazz festival. Performers at the jazz festival have included Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, The Brand New Heavies and Steely Dan. B.B King is an honorary mayor of the city.