Kokemäki is a town and municipality in the Satakunta Region of Finland. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is. The 121kilometre long Kokemäenjoki river flows from Lake Liekovesi, in the Pirkanmaa region, through Kokemäki and in to the Gulf of Bothnia at Pori. The is located at Kokemäki. Kokemäenjoki has long been an important waterway, well known for its salmon, whitefish and lamprey. Finland is constitutionally bi-lingual with a Swedish speaking minority. The municipality is unilingual with the vast majority of the population speaking Finnish. Many, mostly younger, residents are able to understand or speak some English. According to the town's , Kokemäki was granted a town charter in 1869. The municipality of Kauvatsa was merged with Kokemäki in 1969. Kokemäki was granted city status in 1977.
History
It is believed that the Iron Age town of Teljä was located next to the Kokemäenjoki river at Kokemäki. The oldest stone carving yet found in Finland, dated at 8,000 to 9,000 years old, was discovered in nearby Huittinen in 1903. The 10 cm elk's head is in a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Finland in the capital, Helsinki. Archeological finds from in and around Kokemäki have been dated to the Middle Ages. Kokemäki is thought to have been founded in the 12th century, maybe even earlier. The Kokemäki parish was established in 1324. While part of the Swedish Empire, the administrative area of Kokemäenkartanon was created in 1331. Kokemäki served as the administrative centre of the historical province of Satakunta until 1634. The Medieval Kokemäki Castle was demolished in 1367. The medieval trading route of Huovintie goes from Turku, by Kokemäki and the river of Kokemäenjoki. Along the Huovintie were guild houses where travellers could stay overnight. This was located near the Kokemäki church. The legend states that in 1156 Bishop Henry of Uppsala visited Satakunta on a preaching tour as a part of Eric IX of Sweden's first crusade to Finland. St. Henry's Chapel is a neogothic style brick chapel one kilometre east of the town centre of Kokemäki. The chapel was built in 1857 on the site of a medieval wooden granary which was used by Bishop Henry. It is possible that the original building dates back to between the 12th and 15th century, making it the oldest remaining wooden building in Finland. The depicts the bishop's mitre. During the Revolution of 1918 some one-hundred-fifty-three individuals were killed in the municipality of Kokemäki.
Transport
The transport system of Finland is well-developed with an extensive road system.
Road
Highway 2 passes to the south, running from Helsinki to Pori on the Baltic coast. Highway 12 runs from Rauma to Tampere and Nokia, passing through nearby Huittinen. Helsinki is 205 km or two and a half hours away by car. According to , there are two electric vehicle with another 55 within a 160 kilometre radius. The private coach companies OnniBus and ExpressBus operate services to all major towns and regions in Finland.
Rail
have a reputation for being spacious, comfortable and clean. The state-owned rail company VR operates a service between Tampere and Pori, stopping at Kokemäki. The is 3 km to the west of the town centre at Peipohja.
