Vimpeli

The municipality of Finnish baseball and the Circular church

The municipality of Vimpeli was founded in 1866 and it is the 28th oldest municipality in Finland. There are 3500 inhabitants in Vimpeli and it is situated in Ostrobothnia (Etelä-Pohjanmaa) on the eastern coast of Lake Lappajärvi. The lake was shaped 77 million years ago when a meteorite hit the ground.

Vimpeli is part of the province of Western Finland and its area is 330 km². More than a third of the population live in the centre.

The main industries are manufacturing industry, farming, building work and services. Vimpeli has a lot of entrepreneurs if the amount of the population is considered. The best-known enterprises are Rannila (steel sheets for roofing etc.), Rumtec (culverts, ladders) and Järviseudun Peruna (potato flour).

Vimpeli has good private and official services and good traffic connections. In Vimpeli you find e.g. the following public services: a health centre, an old people's home and a kindergarten.

There are seven schools in Vimpeli: five lower level comprehensive schools, an upper level and a senior secondary school (lukio) which is specialized in drama. The municipality is the biggest employer with its 180 employees.

Saarikenttä baseball stadium

Finnish baseball is different from American baseball. Partly because of its original character it is regarded as the national sport of Finland.

One of the most famous Finnish baseball clubs in Finland is Vimpelin Veto. Despite the small size of Vimpeli, Veto has obtained outstanding results in Finnish baseball, e.g. two national championships.

The stadium has been built on a small island on the Vimpeli -river.

The Circular church of Vimpeli

 

In the early nineteenth century Finland was still part of Sweden. King Gustav III was fascinated by the Roman temple of Pantheon and he thought that the architects should use its circular formation as a model when building churches.

Jacob Riif built the 12-cornered church in 1807 and as far as we know it is nowadays the only circular church which has been built of wood. The Circular church has also its own site. The Lutheran parish of Vimpeli has its own websites.

The address of the municipal office is:

Vimpelin kunta
Patruunantie 15
62800 Vimpeli
Finland

tel. + 358 (0)6 2412 600
fax + 358 (0)6 2412 6301
mail vimpelin.kunta@vimpeli.fi

Municipal manager:

You may also contact municipal manager Jyri Mäntylä in English by e-mail or phone +358-(0)44 465 9300.

Genealogical queries:

In genealogical studies we recommend the English sites of Genealogical Society of Finland.

Most registeries are kept by parishes. We may though help you in terms of our resources if you have some specific questions concerning Vimpeli municipality. Inquieries can be sent to municipal manager Jyri Mäntylä by e-mail.