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Porvoo History, Finland

Knowing the rich history of Porvoo

The Provoo city in Finland along with the Porvoo Rural Municipality were both united in the year 1997. This new municipality is now known as the City of Porvoo. It is an exceptionally attractive destination for leisure as well as business travelers. In new Porvoo, the overall quality of environmental protection and town planning has great priority. The Castle Porvoo was constructed on a hill and this town was then given the name of Borgå. Also, the parish of Porvoo and its church originated in 13th C and this church was earlier made of wood and then was later converted into a stone establishment.

The Porvoo church was founded on top of the hill in order to dominate the entire town. During the time of Middle Ages, about 6 towns were duly established in the state of Finland. Some of these towns developed to be the towns without having an official order. The similar was the case with the city of Porvoo as well that got its town rights in the 14th C after Turku. It has been estimated that in the year 1346, the King of Sweden, Maunu Eerikinpoika visited this city of Porvoo and contributed by granting the town right.

This beautiful city was founded on the junction of the river and the sea, a place at which a large number of people from neighborhood villages came to trade their items. Products from Europe made their travel all through Porvoo to north and various people from northern parts got commodities such as fur to this city to be then transported through Tallinn to the Central Europe. This way the city flourished with the help of trading activities. The most influential and wealthiest townsmen were the traders from Germany. They also constructed a local administration centre with market place and town hall.

The storehouses on the riverside surrounded the medieval harbor in which the salt and various other goods were imported. The complete exporting rights of the staple city were first approved to the city of Porvoo in the 16th century. Since the increase of mercantilism of the 17th century, dried fish, tar, linen, timber and butter were products that were exported from this city of Porvoo even though tar was to be traded through Helsinki.

In the year 1740, Porvoo was featured with about 1600 inhabitants and was for some time, the second largest city in the entire Finland. Also, the very oldest library that was opened to the general masses of Finland was started in 1728 in the very famous Porvoo Grammar School.

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