bridge
Replot Bridge
Finland's longest bridge, a 1,045 m cable-stayed span leaping into the UNESCO-listed Kvarken Archipelago near Vaasa. The gateway drive to a rising, glacier-sculpted island world.
14 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeFinlandOstrobothnia
Vaasa
Ostrobothnia, Finland · Europe
About Vaasa
Vaasa is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Korsholm, 35km from Kvarken Archipelago.
Vaasa is in Ostrobothnia, Finland, with about 70,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Korsholm, about 4 km away.
Vaasa (Finnish: [ˈvɑːsɑ]; Swedish: Vasa, Finland Swedish: [ˈvɑːsːɑ] ), formerly (1855–1917) known as Nikolaistad (Finnish: Nikolainkaupunki; lit. 'city of Nicholas'), is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Ostrobothnia, located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. Vaasa city hasRead more
approximately 71,000 inhabitants, while the Vaasa sub-region has a population of approximately 112,000. It is the 14th-most populous municipality in Finland, and the tenth-most populous urban area in the country.
The settlement developed from 1606 near Korsholm; King Charles IX of Sweden granted Vaasa its municipal charter in 1611, naming the town after the Swedish royal House of Vasa.
During the Finnish Civil War in 1918, Vaasa briefly served as the capital of White Finland and hosted the Senate of Finland.
The city has several institutions of higher education: the University of Vaasa, the Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, the Novia University of Applied Sciences, and some faculties of the Åbo Akademi University, the University of Helsinki, and the Hanken School of Economics.
Vaasa is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 62% Finnish speakers, 23% Swedish speakers, and 15% speakers of other languages. The municipalities surrounding Vaasa, such as Korsholm and Malax, have a clear majority of Swedish speakers. As a result, the Swedish language maintains a strong position in the city, making it the most significant cultural center for Swedish-Finns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Vaasa?
Within an hour or so of Vaasa: Replot Bridge (14 km), Kvarken Archipelago (35 km).
Where is Vaasa?
Vaasa is in Ostrobothnia, Finland, about 4 km from Korsholm.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 69,819
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Finland
- Region
- Ostrobothnia
- Timezone
- Europe/Helsinki
- Coordinates
- 63.0960, 21.6158
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Finland
Winter tyres mandatory December–February.
Full driving guide for FinlandTags
Worth the detour from Vaasa
2 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Kvarken Archipelago
Finland's only natural World Heritage Site, where the land still rises nearly 1 cm a year after the Ice Age, spawning new islands. Drive the Replot island roads to boulder fields, stone labyrinths and wooden watchtowers.
35 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Vaasa
- Right hereReplot BridgeFinland's longest bridge, a 1,045 m cable-stayed span leaping into the UNESCO-listed Kvarken Archipelago near Vaasa. The gateway drive to a rising, glacier-sculpted island world.
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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