Encyclopaedia Fennica

Österhankmo

25 km northeast of Vaasa via Kvevlax

Edellinen: Möhkö ironworks


Just a small evening walk near Vaasa, in Österhankmo village in Korsholm. Difficult to get here by accident, it's at the end of a small dead-end road, partially on a peninsula.

Sundet bay in Österhankmo

Rural views

View from Karika observation tower to the north

A rocky mound named Karika in the woods next to the village, a bit over 30 m over sea level, has a nice observation tower. Hadn't even heard of this one before yesterday.

Karika terrain

The tower

I don't remember ever seeing such a tower with a small Finnish flag :)

Art by a forest road

The sea (Kvarken/Merenkurkku strait) is visible in the north, and the archipelago barely visible on the horizon seems to be Mickelsörarna, uninhabited except for a research station and some cottages. Far in the south there are two wind farms that I couldn't identify. Of Vaasa buildings I could only spot the Vaskiluoto coal power plant.

Mickelsörarna isles on the horizon

Wind farms

In Österhankmo the sea forms a shallow narrow bay several kilometers long, named Sundet. Could it be Kyrönjoki river's old course? That river, the biggest river of South Ostrobothnia and the water source for Vaasa, now flows into the sea some kilometers to the south, into Vassorfjärden bay, but its current mouth is very visibly strongly shaped by human activity, in particular with levees protecting fields around from spring floods. Well, and the beach is the reason we came here on a weekday evening in first place :) I don't swim, may take a dip on the very hottest days of summer at best, but my girlfriend uses every opportunity for it.

Nice public beach probably usually used only by locals

There is also a small Finnish War (Swedish-Russian war of 1808-1809) monument on the shore. Here Colonel Bergenstråhle and his force of 1100 Swedish troops landed in June 1808 in an attempt to liberate the city of Vaasa, captured and sacked by Russians. The attempt failed; the force joined the main Swedish army.

Finnish War monument

The village has no customer-facing businesses or public buildings, except for a village house and a youth club. The latter has a book exchange shelf next to it.

Village house

Youth club

Book exchange

Ostrobothnia can be amazingly beautiful in summer evenings. If only I left home with a camera more often :)


Ajo-osoite: Beach: Silldisvägen 105, Korsholm. Observation tower: Lekmosundin huvilatie 77, Korsholm (short trail from there). Monument: Österhankmontie 906, Korsholm (follow the sign towards the shore)

Saavutettavuus joukkoliikenteellä: Only school buses, timetables not suitable for a day trip

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