Korsholm

Vaasa was an important place of governance when Finland was part of Sweden. It started in the 14th century when Korsholm castle was built near the village of Korsholm (Finnish: Mustasaari). In 1606 the village was granted city status and five years later it was renamed Wasa in honor of the Swedish royal lineage. The old names live on in the municipality that surrounds Vaasa.

The old town of Vaasa burned to the ground in 1852, and when it was rebuilt it was relocated closer to the sea some six kilometres north-west from its original location. In the same process the town was renamed Nikolainkaupunki/Nikolaistad in honour of Russian Czar Nikolai I, as Finland at that time was a Grand Duchy under Russian rule (1809–1917). In its new location the town became an important sea-faring city and a local businessman named Carl Gustaf Wolff (1800–1868) was at one point the biggest shipowner in the Nordic countries. When Finland proclaimed its independence in 1917 the name of the town was again reverted to Vaasa. The town was made capital of the white side (conservative, bourgeois) during the civil war (1918), when Helsinki was occupied by the red side (socialist, communist). It has since then been known as The White City; the support for the whites was very strong in the area.

Around 25% of Vaasa's population is Swedish-speaking and even more are bilingual in Finnish and Swedish. In the area surrounding Vaasa the majority of people are Swedish-speaking; Korsholm has a 70% Swedish majority. The ties to Sweden are strong among the Swedish-speaking of the region, including those in Vaasa itself. The city is shielded from the open sea by its large archipelago; the nature of this area is nearly globally unique as it continuously rises from the sea due to post-glacial rebound. The Kvarken Archipelago, which is a UNESCO world nature heritage site, is lies off Vaasa.

Tourist information:

Vaasa and Korsholm Municipal Government websites

By car:

Highway 3 (also E12) from Helsinki through Tampere to Vaasa (419 km). The coastal national road 8 (E8) goes from Turku through Rauma and Pori to Vaasa (332 km) and continues through Kokkola to Oulu (318 km). E8 and E12 both continue to Norway: via Tornio to Tromsø and by ferry to Umeå and on to Mo i Rana, respectively. The Blue Highway uses E12 in the west, in the east it leads to Russia (but the border is closed as of 2025).

By train:

All trains from Helsinki to Oulu and Rovaniemi via Tampere stop in Seinäjoki. From there you can take connecting trains to Vaasa. There are also trains that go straight to Vaasa via Seinäjoki. Three of these trains also go to Vaasa from Jyväskylä. Check timetables at VR's web site.

1 Vaasa railway station, Ratakatu 13. (updated Oct 2019)

By bus:

There are west coast bus connections from Oulu to Turku, which go through Vaasa. Buses connect Vaasa also to Helsinki, Tampere, Pori, Kokkola and Hämeenlinna. Coming via Tallinn, there may be coach connections with arranged transfer from the port, mostly via Kamppi. Coming via Stockholm, there may be direct coaches from Turku harbour. Check Matkahuolto and Onnibus for timetables and such.

2 Vaasa Travel Centre (Vaasan matkakeskus; Vasa resecentrum), Ratakatu 17, 65100 Vaasa (Next to Vaasa railway station.).

By boat: