Central Ostrobothnia

Central Ostrobothnia is one of Finland's smallest regions, a quiet stretch along the Gulf of Bothnia where Finnish and Swedish are spoken side by side. A trip to Central Ostrobothnia takes you to the wooden town of Kokkola and to Kaustinen, home to Scandinavia's largest folk music festival each year.

Coast and Rivers

The region lies on the west coast between Ostrobothnia and North Ostrobothnia. Here the land rises almost a centimeter out of the sea every year, and old harbors now lie far inland. Rivers such as the Perhonjoki wind through fields and forests to the coast. Around 68,000 people live in the region, more than half of them in Kokkola, known in Swedish as Karleby. Inland you'll find small towns like Kannus and Toholampi, with wooden churches, farms, and lakes where families spend the summer; in fall they gather mushrooms and lingonberries in the forests.

Sights in Central Ostrobothnia

Kokkola was founded in 1620 and preserves one of Finland's loveliest wooden house districts in Neristan, with colorful houses, gardens, and courtyards. In the English Park, a captured British landing craft recalls a skirmish in the Crimean War in 1854, when townspeople successfully defended the city; the boat stands as a curiosity in a pavilion. Off the coast lie skerries with fishing huts and swimming spots, such as the island of Tankar with its lighthouse and seal museum, reachable by boat in summer. Kaustinen, inland, is the center of Finnish folk music. The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in July draws musicians from around the world, and the town's fiddle music tradition is recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. A folk music institute and a museum with instruments such as the kantele round out the offerings.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

The cuisine is hearty and shaped by the sea: salmon, Baltic herring, rieska bread, and oven-baked cheese. In summer, fresh strawberries and new potatoes fill the market stalls. Kokkola sits on the Helsinki–Oulu railway line, with the express train taking about four hours, and Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport has connections to Helsinki. The best time to visit is June through August, when festivals take place and boat trips to Tankar are running.