The Finnish town of Kokkola was established Sept. 7, 1620
On September 7, 1620, with the swipe of a pen, King Gustav Adolf II of Sweden changed the small fishing and farming village of Ristiranta into the town Gamlakarleby, later renamed Kokkola.
350 Years of City of Kokkola
Issued in 1970 by Finland
Designer: Paavo Huovinen
On 7 September 1620, the Swedish king Gustav Adolf II signed a document transforming the small Ristiranta village, known for fishing and farming, into a town called Gamlakarleby. Kokkola was established as the Finnish name a little later. In those times, the current Kaupunginsalmi narrow was a slender bay that extended as far as the church hill.
Little by little, Kokkola became a significant hub for maritime activity and shipbuilding. There were shipyards in Kaustarinlahti, Mustakari and Soldatskär. At first, ship routes only covered Turku and Stockholm, since Kokkola, being a so-called ‘maakaupunki’ or ‘inland town’, was not allowed to engage in foreign trade. Largely owing to its active vicar and deputy Anders Chydenius, in 1765 Kokkola was awarded a staple right, meaning the right to conduct foreign trade freely.
In the early 19th century, Kokkola saw its wealth grow rapidly, mainly through the tar and shipping businesses. Members of the town’s bourgeoisie purchased tar from the peasants, exporting it to foreign lands, often to the Mediterranean and English ports. At one point, Kokkola boasted the largest merchant fleet in Finland. The most notable shipping families in the city included the Roos, Donner, Rahm and Kyntzell families.
https://www.kokkola.fi/en/city-of-kokkola/information-about-kokkola/history/
A few more SODs to read on this long weekend:
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey club is wiped out in a plane crash Sept. 7, 2011