Karleby

The land of Karleby is flat, typical for the area of Ostrobothnia.  There are numerous rivers flowing through the land.  The largest river in the parish is Perhonjoki, which flows into the Gulf of Bothnia north of the city of Gamlakarleby. ⁷

Vital forms of livelihood in Karleby included agriculture, hunting, fishing and seal hunting.  Along the coast various trading took place, with the tar export business starting in the early 1700s. Maritime activity and shipbuilding became significant in Gamlakarleby.  1765 Gamlakarleby was awarded a ‘staple’ right, or the right to conduct foreign trade freely. By the early 1800s wealth grew rapidly, primarily through the tar and shipping business. ^{2, 7}

This map of the Karleby parish from 1938 displays on the HisKi project website, made available by the Genealogical Society of Finland. ¹

The Karleby parish church is one of seven medieval stone churches in Ostrobothnia.  The exact age of the church is unknown.  However, it is believed that the oldest parts are from the 1460s.  In the 1760s the church was converted into a cross church according to drawings approved by King Gustav III.  Interior repairs were done in 1932-34 and 1952-55. ^{4, 7}

To view more of the Karleby church, click here.

Karleby Church.  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  Attribution: Anneli Salo