Nousiainen

For the surname, see Nousiainen (surname).

Nousiainen (Finnish: [ˈnou̯siˌɑi̯nen]; Swedish: Nousis) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Turku along Highway 8 (E8).^[4] The Finnish-speaking municipality has a population of 4,685 (30 June 2025)^[2] and covers an area of 199.55 square kilometres (77.05 sq mi) of which 0.62 km² (0.24 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 23.55 inhabitants per square kilometre (61.0/sq mi).

Nousiainen Nousis
Municipality
Nousiaisten kunta Nousis kommun
Nousiainen Church
Coat of arms
Location of Nousiainen in Finland
Coordinates: 60°36′N 022°05′E
Country	Finland
Region	Southwest Finland
Sub-region	Turku sub-region
Charter	1867
Government
• Municipal manager	Juhani Kylämäkilä
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	199.55 km2 (77.05 sq mi)
• Land	198.93 km2 (76.81 sq mi)
• Water	0.62 km2 (0.24 sq mi)
• Rank	263rd largest in Finland
Population  (2025-06-30)[2]
• Total	4,685
• Rank	174th largest in Finland
• Density	23.55/km2 (61.0/sq mi)
Population by native language [2]
• Finnish	95.6% (official)
• Swedish	0.8%
• Others	3.6%
Population by age [3]
• 0 to 14	19%
• 15 to 64	60.3%
• 65 or older	20.6%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Climate	Dfb
Website	nousiainen.fi

There are two Natura 2000 sites in Nousiainen: the Kurjenrahka National Park and the Rehtisuo Raised Bog.^[5]

History

Nousiainen was an "ancient parish" (a unit of social organization) before Swedish rule.

Nousiainen was the first seat of the bishop of Finland until the early 13th century, when the seat was shifted to Koroinen, nowadays a part of Turku. It remained, however, a place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.^[6] The coat of arms of Nousiainen depicts Bishop Henry and Lalli.

Nousiainen was mentioned in 1232 as de Nousia and in 1234 as Nosis. Its name is derived from a pre-Christian Finnish personal name Nousia, still the name of some 10-20 men in 2022.^[7] Even after the bishopric was moved to Koroinen, Nousiainen was still an important pilgrimage site until the reformation, as it was thought that bishop Henry was buried there.

The village of Nummi, the current administrative seat of the municipality, was mentioned in 1380 as Nummusby. Court sessions for Nousiainen, Masku and Santamala were held there at the time. By 1556, Nummi was the largest village in Nousiainen.^[8]

Economics

Agriculture has always been Nousiainen's most significant industry. Significant employers also included Teleste Oyj's electronics factory, which, however, has already closed down in the municipality. In 2015, the municipality had 1,009 jobs; of these, 11% were in primary production (agriculture, forestry and fishery), 72% in services and 15% in processing.^[9] The companies that paid the most corporate tax in 2016 were FCR Finland, which operates in the shipbuilding industry, Mynämäen-Nousiaisten Osuuspankki and Maalausliike Helin.^[10]

Culture

Food

Sweetened potato casserole, or imelet perunloora in the local dialect, was named the traditional parish dish of Nousiainen in the 1980s.^[11]

Notable people

• Mikko Rantanen (born 1996), professional ice hockey player for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL)^[12]

Gallery

• 
  A grain processing facility by the Turku–Uusikaupunki railway in Nousiainen
• 
  European route E8 in Nousiainen
• 
  A kiosk at the Rantapiha recreational area by the Lake Savojärvi near Kurjenrahka National Park
• 
  The memorial of Ahti Jalonen (1901–1918), a young victim of the White Terror during the Finnish Civil War
• 
  Emovaha glacial erratic in Nousiainen

See also

• Masku