Vaasa Province

Province of Vaasa
Vaasan lääni
Vasa län
Province of Vaasa Vaasan lääni; Vasa län
County of Sweden 1775–1809; Province of Grand Duchy of Finland 1809–1917; Province of independent Finland 1917–1997
1775–1997
	Coat of arms
Capital	Vaasa
Area
• 1.1.1993	27,319 km2 (10,548 sq mi)
Population
• 1.1.1993	448,384
History
• Established	1775
• Disestablished	1997
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	County of Ostrobothnia
Province of Central Finland
Western Finland

The Province of Vaasa (Finnish: Vaasan lääni [ˈʋɑːsɑn ˈlæːni]; Swedish: Vasa län, Finland Swedish: [ˈvɑːsɑ ˈleːn], Sweden Swedish: [ˈvɑ̂ːsa ˈlɛːn]; Russian: Вазаская губерния) was a province of Finland, established in 1775 when Finland was an integrated part of Sweden from the southern part of Ostrobothnia County and disbanded in 1996.^{[dubious – discuss]} The province was named after the city of Vaasa.

On the death of Tsar Nicholas I in 1855, a small group of citizens in the city of Vaasa tendered a petition to change the name of the city after him. The name of the city came from the Royal House of Vasa and despite that only 15 citizens were backing the proposal the name of the city was changed to Nikolaistad (Russian: Николайстада, Finnish: Nikolainkaupunki).

In 1960 the eastern part was separated as the Province of Central Finland. In 1997 it was reunited with Central Finland, together they merged with the northern part of the Province of Häme and the Province of Turku and Pori to establish the new Province of Western Finland.

The former province corresponds to the current regions of Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Southern Ostrobothnia.

Maps

Municipalities in 1997 (cities in bold)

Former municipalities (disestablished before 1997)

Bergö
Björköby
Esse
Jeppo
Karleby kommun [de; fi; fr; no; smn; sv]
Kvevlax
Lappfjärd
Munsala [eo; fi; no; smn; sv]
Nedervetil
Nykarleby landskommun [fi; fr; no; smn; sv]
Petalax
Purmo
Pörtom
Replot
Seinäjoen mlk [eo; fi; fr; no]
Sideby [fi; no; smn; sv]
Solf [fi; no; smn; sv]
Terjärv
Tjöck [eo; fi; fr; no; smn; sv]
Öja
Övermark

Governors

Bror Cederström 1775–1785^[1]
Adolf Tandefeldt 1785–1794^[2]
Carl Fridrik Krabbe 1794–1805^[3]
Magnus Wanberg 1805–1808^[4]
Nils Fredric von Schoultz [sv] 1808
Carl Constantin de Carnall [fi; ru] 1808–1822^[5]
Herman Henrik Wärnhjelm [fi] 1822–1830^[6]
Gustaf Magnus Armfelt 1830–1832^[7]
Carl Gustaf von Mannerheim 1832–1833 (acting) and 1833–1834^[8]
Carl Olof Cronstedt [fi; fr; ru; sv] 1834–1837 (acting) and 1837–1845
John Ferdinand Bergenheim 1845–1847
Berndt Federley [fi; sv] 1847–1854
Alexander von Rechenberg [fi] 1854–1858
Otto Leonard von Blom [fi; ru] 1858–1861
Carl Gustaf Fabian Wrede 1862–1863 (vt.) and 1863–1884
Viktor Napoleon Procopé 1884–1888
August Alexander Järnefelt 1888–1894
Waldemar Schauman 1894–1898
Gustaf Axel von Kothen [fi; ru] 1898–1900
Fredrik Geronimo Björnberg [fi] 1900–1903
Theodor Knipovitsch 1903–1906
Kasten Fredrik Ferdinand de Pont [fi; ru] 1906–1910
Bernhard Otto Widnäs [fi; ru; uk] 1910–1913
Nikolai Sillman [fi; ru] 1913–1916
Leo Aristides Sirelius [fi; ru] 1916–1917
Juho Torppa 1917 (acting)
Teodor August Heikel 1917–1920
Bruno Sarlin 1920–1930
Erik Heinrichs 1930
Kaarlo Martonen 1930–1938
Jalo Lahdensuo 1938–1943
Toivo Tarjanne [fi; sv] 1943–1944
K. G. R. Ahlbäck [fi; sv] 1944–1967
Martti Viitanen 1967–1977
Antti Pohjonen [arz; eo; fi] 1977–1978
Mauno Kangasniemi [fi] 1978–1991
Tom Westergård [fi] 1991–1997

References

^ Elgenstierna, Gustaf Magnus (1925). Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor med tillägg och rättelser (in Swedish). P.A. Norstedt. p. 810. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Porthan, Henrik Gabriel (1886). Bref till Mathias Calonius: Åren 1797–1800 (in Swedish). Tidnings- & tryckeri-aktiebolagets tryckeri. p. XCI. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Porthan, Henrik Gabriel (1886). Henrik Gabriel Porthans bref till Mathias Calonius (in Swedish). Tidnings- & tryckeri-aktiebolagets tryckeri. p. XXXIV. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Ehrström, Eric Gustaf (2008). Dagbok från fälttåget i Österbotten 1808 (in Swedish). Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. p. 131. ISBN 978-91-7353-228-0. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Carpelan, Tor Harald (1903). Finsk biografisk handbok. 2 Bder (in Swedish). p. 433. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Danielson, Johan Richard (1897). Finska kriget och Finlands krigare, 1808–1809 (in Swedish). Weilin & Goö. p. 787. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Heinricius, Gustaf (1914). Från samhällslifvet i Åbo, 1809–1827: kultur- och personhistoriska skildringar (in Swedish). Tidnings- & tryckeri-aktiebolagets tryckeri. p. 210. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
^ Finland, Svenska litteratursällskapet i (1907). Förhandlinger och uppsatser (in Swedish). p. XXII. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

63°06′00″N 21°37′00″E / 63.1000°N 21.6167°E / 63.1000; 21.6167

[Elgenstierna_1925-1] Elgenstierna, Gustaf Magnus (1925). Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor med tillägg och rättelser (in Swedish). P.A. Norstedt. p. 810. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Porthan_1886b-2] Porthan, Henrik Gabriel (1886). Bref till Mathias Calonius: Åren 1797–1800 (in Swedish). Tidnings- & tryckeri-aktiebolagets tryckeri. p. XCI. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Porthan_1886a-3] Porthan, Henrik Gabriel (1886). Henrik Gabriel Porthans bref till Mathias Calonius (in Swedish). Tidnings- & tryckeri-aktiebolagets tryckeri. p. XXXIV. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Ehrström_2008-4] Ehrström, Eric Gustaf (2008). Dagbok från fälttåget i Österbotten 1808 (in Swedish). Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. p. 131. ISBN 978-91-7353-228-0. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Carpelan_1903-5] Carpelan, Tor Harald (1903). Finsk biografisk handbok. 2 Bder (in Swedish). p. 433. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Danielson_1897-6] Danielson, Johan Richard (1897). Finska kriget och Finlands krigare, 1808–1809 (in Swedish). Weilin & Goö. p. 787. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Heinricius_1914-7] Heinricius, Gustaf (1914). Från samhällslifvet i Åbo, 1809–1827: kultur- och personhistoriska skildringar (in Swedish). Tidnings- & tryckeri-aktiebolagets tryckeri. p. 210. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

[Finland_1907-8] Finland, Svenska litteratursällskapet i (1907). Förhandlinger och uppsatser (in Swedish). p. XXII. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

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v t e Former provinces of Finland
In parentheses are years when provinces were established and disestablished.
1634–1775	Turku and Pori (1634) Nyland and Tavastehus (1634) Ostrobothnia (1634–1775) Viborg and Nyslott (1634–1721) Kexholm (1634–1721) Kymmenegård and Nyslott (1721–1747) Savolax and Kymmenegård (1747–1775)
1775–1831	Turku and Pori (1634) Nyland and Tavastehus (1634–1831) Vaasa (1775) Oulu (1775) Kymmenegård (1775–1831) Savolax and Karelia (1775–1831) Viipuri (1812)
1831–1918	Turku and Pori (1634) Vaasa (1775) Oulu (1775) Viipuri (1812) Häme (1831) Uusimaa (1831) Mikkeli (1831) Kuopio (1831)
1918–1997	Turku and Pori (1634–1997) Vaasa (1775–1997) Oulu (1775) Viipuri (1812–1945) Häme (1831–1997) Uusimaa (1831–1997) Mikkeli (1831–1997) Kuopio (1831–1997) Åland (1918) Petsamo (1921–1921) Lapland (1938) Kymi (1945–1997) Central Finland (1960–1997) Northern Karelia (1960–1997)
1997–2009	Oulu (1775–2009) Åland (1918–2009) Lapland (1938–2009) Southern Finland (1997–2009) Western Finland (1997–2009) Eastern Finland (1997–2009)
Related	Historical provinces