The story
In the 1550s, the Finnish Church, under the influence of Protestant reformer Mikael Agricola, established parish church in Kuopionniemi. Governor Per Brahe the Younger founded the settlement of Kuopio in 1653. However, the official date of the city's founding is November 17, 1775, when King Gustav III of Sweden ordered the formal establishment of the city as the governmental seat of Savo-Karjala Province (Swedish: Savolax och Karelens län, Finnish: Savonlinnan ja Karjalan lääni).
Following the conclusion of the Finnish War in 1809, which occurred in the context of the broader Napoleonic Wars, Finland would be annexed by the Russian Empire as an autonomous Grand Duchy. In the 19th century, Eastern Finland would see considerable infrastructural investment and modernization, particularly in the realm of transportation. The development of infrastructure would lead to the further economic integration of previously isolated, inland areas, with economic and commercial hubs on the Baltic Coast. Major public works projects built during this time include the Saimaa Canal in 1856, which opened up a summer route between Lake Saimaa and the Baltic Sea, and the Savo railway in 1889, which passed through Kuopio en route to Mikkeli, Kouvola, Vyborg, and St. Petersburg. Kuopio's original train station was built the same year and would serve as the city's main rail terminus until 1934, when it was demolished replaced by the current Kuopio railway station.
Following World War II, Kuopio's population would grow significantly due in part to the settlement of Karelian evacuees and a high birth rate. Population growth necessitated the expansion of schools. At the end of the 1940s, support was also provided for school transports and the provision of free school meals, expanding a welfare program that had been active since 1902. In the 1960s, the construction of suburbs began with the development of Puijonlaakso. Since then, Kuopio has seen the further construction and growth of suburban areas. These include Tiihotar (as part of Saarijärvi) in the 1960s, Saarijärvi, Kelloniemi, and Levänen in the 1970s, and Jynkkä and Neulamäki in the 1980s.
The city of Kuopio has expanded to encompass several surrounding towns. The municipality of Maaninka joined the city of Kuopio in 2015, the town of Nilsiä in 2013, and Karttula in 2011, Vehmersalmi in 2005, Riistavesi in 1973, and Kuopion maalaiskunta in 1969.
From Wikipedia’s article on Kuopio, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5