Inkoo (Ingå)

Ingå (in Finnish Inkoo) is a municipality with a vast archipelago in the province of Nyland (Uusimaa) in southern Finland, 60 km west of Helsingfors (Helsinki).

Population: 4.800. The majority, 67,4 %, is Swedish-speaking, 32 % is Finnish-speaking.

• Half of the population lives in the main centre of Ingå, other important sub centres are Degerby, Täkter (Tähtelä), Solberg (Päivölä), Fagervik and Barösund.
• Land area: 346 km², sea area: 492 km², lake area: 8 km².
• Inhabited since the Stone Age, Ingå became famous in the middle of the 17th century when the iron trade started at Fagervik enabling the development of the district. Nowadays the vast archipelago is popular with holiday makers, who double the population during the summer.
• Ingå has continually been a source of inspiration for numerous artists from both home and abroad - authors, painters, poets and musicians.
• The Bågaskär Coast Guard in the archipelago of Ingå is also in charge of passport control for boat travellers heading for Estonia.
• The anchor shown in the parish coat of arms stands for seafaring and harbours, and the cross symbolizes the parish church that is consecrated to S:t Nicholas, the patron saint of seafarers.
• The Swedish name of Ingå is probably derived from the male name Inge, in addition to "å" (river) = Inges å = Ingå. The Finnish name of the community is Inkoo.

Special sights:

• The medieval church of S:t Nicholas in the main centre of Ingå contains prominent fresques.
• The first timber church of Degerby was replaced by a new church which scarcely had been completed when the Porkala-area, including Degerby, upon the termination of the war in 1944 had to be let out on a lease to the Soviet Union. The leasing contract was revoked in 1956 and the church was immediately restored.
• The museum Gammelgården.
• The Energy Park (founded by the Power Plant Company Imatran Voima) in Kopparnäs exhibiting solar power panels and wind mills.
• The foundry area in Fagervik, with its red timber church from the 18th century, one of three privately owned churches in Finland, as well as the two newly restored blacksmith's workshops.