Huittinen, Satakunta Region, Finland

🇫🇮 Huittinen is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Satakunta region, 63 km (39 mi) south-east of Pori and 75 km (47 mi) south-west of Tampere. The town covers an area of 539.59 square km (208.34 sq mi) of which 6.97 km² (2.69 sq mi) is water. The population density is 18.54 inhabitants per square kilometre (48.0/sq mi).

History In 1904, one of Finland's most famous ancient objects, the Elk's Head of Huittinen from the Stone Age, was found in the village of Palojoki in Huittinen. It is now in the National Museum. In addition to the artefact finds, there is a comb ceramic residence in Korkeakoski and a younger burial site in Sammu village, as well as some cemeteries. Researchers have concluded that the Huittinen got their first inhabitants mainly from the north-west, from the direction of the lower course of the Kokemäenjoki.

Huittinen is mentioned as a churchwarden in 1414. The gray stone church of the Huittinen was built at the end of the 15th century. The church burned down in 1783 and a high tower was added during the repair. On flat terrain, the tower can be seen far into the surroundings. Before the stone church, there was a wooden church in Huittinen.

The Juusela farm in Nanhia village has been considered the seat of the Juslenius family. The most famous member of the family was bishop Daniel Juslenius. Vicar Nils Idman Sr., known for his financial and scientific interests, also came from the same house. Archbishop Erkki Kaila's father, Jonatan Johansson, served as assistant keeper of Huittinen in the 1860s.

Lauttakylä, the centre of Huittinen, became Southwest Finland's most important land transport hub long before the age of cars. The railways were far away and the waterways were not navigable for long distances. However, a passenger ship operated from Lauttakylä along the Kokemäenjoki to the Kyttälä railway station on the Tampere–Pori line right from the completion of the line until the 1930s. Lauttakylä was born at the intersection of the old Helsinki–Pori and Turku–Tampere roads, where Loimijoki was crossed by ferry. Bus service from Lauttakylä to all directions started as early as the early 1920s.

Geography In terms of surface forms, Huittinen is mostly flat and the lowest areas are located along the rivers in the central part of the city. The bedrock, which is mostly granodiorite, is not visible anywhere in the city area. The highest hills, reaching more than 100 meters above sea level, are located in the south in the direction of Vampula. Well-known viewpoints are Ripovuori, Kännönvuori and Korkeakallio. A ridge section runs through Huittine, which comes from the north-west from the Kokemäki side and continues through Huhtamo to the Punkalaidun side.

Economy The Jokisivu gold mine in Huittinen is operated by Polar Mining, with an annual production of around 300–400 kilos of gold.

Transport Thanks to its location, Huittinen is a very busy hub for bus traffic. The current bus station was completed in 1965. Before Huittisten became a town, Lauttakylän Auto was Finland's largest company operating bus services from the rural municipality, and Huittinen bus station was Finland's busiest rural bus station. There is no train station in Huittinen, but there is a section of the Tampere-Pori railway line of about one hundred meters running in the municipality's territory – at the northern end of Kuukinmaantie. The nearest train stations are in Kokemäki and Sastamala.