Why has the port of Kokkola been moved several times?
Opposite Isokari lies the port of Ykspihlaja. Kokkola has had significant port activity for centuries. The first port was located by the church of Kaarlela. That is where the current name of the residential area, Tervaholma, comes from. The port was illegal, as the state sought to restrict peasant sailing.
Due to the land uplift following the last ice age, the first port eventually became too shallow for shipping. The port’s operations were moved to the mouth of the bay, near the Kokkola market square founded in 1620. The golden age of shipping began when the city obtained the rights to engage in overseas sailing in 1765. At the same time, the port was moved off Halkokari, as the strait by the town had also become too shallow due to land uplift.
As the old harbour bay also became shallower, port operations gradually began to move entirely to Ykspihlaja. The area was used as a winter port as early as the 18th century. The first shared pier was built in Ykspihlaja in the 1860s. In 1885, a railway was built to the port of Ykspihlaja, and the old port was entirely taken out of use. Today, the port of Ykspihlaja is a major international seaport. The shipping channel has been dredged several times, and a 13-metre-deep fairway leads to the port.
