History

When the creator created the Suomenniemi, he scattered many stones and rocks here. But even then they were not used. So the creator threw them Merikarviato the land and the sea, but after doing so he felt bad.

How do people live here when the land and sea are full of rocks?

The Creator thought for a moment and decreed that the herring shoals would remain in shoals forever. Merikarvian on the waters, so that man would have work and sustenance. And so it happened.

Where does the name come from? Merikarvia?

Merikarvia was once the hunting area of ​​Sastamala or Vammala, the game trail ran from Sastamala to Sastmola. Merikarvian is thought to have been transformed from the word karva, which was the common name for fur (karva-karvia). Furs were an important trade item and a means of exchange. Swedish-speaking scribes transformed the name Sastamala into Sastmola. In the 1500th century, the name Sastamala was forgotten and Ylä- and Ala-Sastamala were born – later the names Karkku and Tyrvää were formed.

MerikarviaThe first inhabitant of the area is mentioned in documents as Andar de Sastamall. The name Sastamall can be found in a complaint made by a delegation to the king in 1303. The reason for the complaint was the visits of Sastamala wilderness visitors to the fishing waters and wilderness areas of Sastmola and vice versa. Both had been promised the right to use the area, but it became too crowded. As a result of the dispute, a boundary was drawn up. In 1348, a boundary marker called the German Stone was built between the wilderness visitors and the coastal settlers, between the present-day Siikainen and Merikarvian border, in the middle of the Karvianjoki River. The word saksa comes from the word saxesten, which usually referred to a border mark.

The sea shapes the landscape

MerikarviaThe vibrant coastline and archipelago were created as a result of land uplift. When the weight of the continental ice sheet eased ten thousand years ago, the bedrock that had been sunk into the depression began to rise. The process is slow but continuous. The land rises Merikarviaat about 7 mm per year, or about a meter in 140 years. Traces of the Ice Age are visible in the archipelago and the coastline. A maze of capes, bays and straits, or inlets and bays, as the people of Sea Buckthorn say, have been created on the coast. The uplift of the land is moving cottages and piers away from the coastline. The stones protruding to the surface indicate that the channels need to be deepened. This phenomenon is pleasing to the sea buckthorn bush, as it is constantly gaining new living space.

The birth of the congregation

Excommunicated from Ulvila and Pori parishes MerikarviaThe parish was founded in 1639. At that time, the population was about 200 and there were 21 houses, most of which were in Ylikylä and Alakylä. The population of the chapel congregation was about 500 100 years later. Parish administration began with regulations issued in 1647. The clergy had the right to hold parish or church meetings in the sacristy and parish hall when necessary. The vicar acted as chairman, and at first only house owners were entitled to vote. About half of the parish's residents were Swedish-speaking, and since it was a time of Swedish rule, church services were initially entirely in Swedish. Taking into account the needs of the Finnish-speaking population, in 1739 the Pori Episcopal Conference decreed that every second Sunday both the morning and afternoon sermons had to be held in Finnish. In 1865, the municipal administration became independent. Naturally, there was no clear distinction between it and the ecclesiastical administration immediately.

The sea carries

Boat and shipbuilding became widespread and became known beyond the borders of the municipality. Tar, and later timber, were transported by sea using peasant sailing skills. Ship equipment and the sawmill industry experienced a strong boom in the 1840s, and abundant timber exports began. Schooners, frigates, galleys and yachts were built. Sawmills were established. The first MerikarviaAmong the entrepreneurs of the 19th century, Antti Ahlström rose to a prominent and responsible position. His life's work was not limited to one municipality, but to an entire country and era. He has indelibly marked his name in the history of the Finnish timber trade and industry. Antti Ahlström also understood the importance of popular education. MerikarviaThe first elementary school opened in 1873, built, equipped and maintained with funds donated by Antti Ahlström. Ahlström also founded a second elementary school in the municipality on the island of Haminaholma.