Kuusankoski: Finland

Kuusankoski is an industrial town in southeastern Finland in the region of Kymenlaakso in the province of Southern Finland. The population of Kuusankoski is 20,392 (2003) and the total area is 129.5 km² of which 114 km² is land and 14.56 km² water. It is located some 130 km northeast of Finnish capital Helsinki. Kuusankoski is primarily known for paper manufacturing and three large factory complexes. Sometimes it is nicknamed as the “Paper capital of Finlandâ€?.
Kuusankoski (as a municipality, not the settlement) was founded in 1921 from the parts of neighboring Iitti and Valkeala. It gained the status of kauppala (literally “a place of commerce�) in 1957 and became a town in 1973.
The history of Kuusankoski during the last one and a half centuries has been tightly bound around the establishment of the paper factories and their development. The establishment of the factories dates back to 1870s and 1890s, when the rapids of river Kymijoki were made to deliver electricity to waking industry. Since then and until the modern age of automation, the factories have offered job to many generations of Kuusankoski citizens, making the area somewhat more prosperous than the neighbouring regions. Today, the heavy influence of the factories on the every day life has significantly lessened, but their historical importance remains well known.
Kuusankoski is said to be the most social democratic town in Finland. Social Democratic Party of Finland has gained more than 50-60% support in different kind of elections. When calculation is based on income per citizen, Kuusankoski is among the 20 richest municipalities of Finland.
The cityscape of Kuusankoski consists mostly of element-based block of flats built during the 1960s. However, there are some exceptions, like a school and a church built in the beginning of the last century. Another kind of architecture is represented by culture building Kuusankoskitalo, a typical creation of modern Finnish architecture and a library built in a functionalistic style. Cityscape is also characterised by the beautiful river Kymijoki which makes a curve through the town.