Laukaa

Laukaa [ˈlɑu̯kɑː] (Swedish Laukas) is a municipality in Finland with 18,823 inhabitants as of 31 December 2020. It is located in the Central Finland Landscape, 22 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Jyväskylä. Neighbouring municipalities are Äänekoski to the north, Konnevesi to the northeast, Hankasalmi to the east, Toivakka to the south, Jyväskylä to the southwest, and Uurainen to the west.

Laukaa Parish was founded in 1593, making it one of the oldest in Central Finland. The parish originally included large parts of neighbouring parishes. Laukaa is the intersection of state roads 4 (E 75), 9 (E 63) and 13, as well as the railway line between Pieksämäki and Haapajärvi. The municipality benefits from its proximity to Jyväskylä, the largest city in the region, and has shown positive population development for years.

Laukaa's most famous sons are four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen and communist politician Otto Wille Kuusinen. Laukaa has twinned municipalities with Modum in Norway, Östra Göinge in Sweden, Vallø in Denmark, Pereslavl-Saleskij in Russia and Rõngu in Estonia.

The villages of Laukaa are Haapala, Harhala, Hoho, Kirkonkylä (Pellosniemi), Kuhaniemi, Kuusa (or Kuusaa), Lankamaa, Laukkavirta or Tarvaala, Leinola, Leppävesi, Lievestuore, Metsolahti, Saarilampi, Savio, Simuna, Tervatehdas, Tiituspohja, Valkola, Vehniä, Vihtasilta, Vihtavuori, Vihtiälä, Vuontee and Äijälä.

Coat of arms

Description of the coat of arms: "In the silver coat of arms a red heart studded with a stylized fir branch".

Politics

As in most rural areas of Finland, the Centre Party is the strongest party in Laukaa. In the 2008 local elections, it won over a third of the votes. In the municipal council, the highest decision-making body in local affairs, it has 16 out of 43 deputies. The Social Democrats are the second largest group with nine seats, followed by the conservative National Rally Party with seven. Five seats were won by the Left Alliance, two each by the right-wing populist Basis Finns and the Green Alliance.