Welcome to Nykarleby - the town by the river - which was founded in 1620 by Gustaf II Adolf. In 1975 the rural communes of Munsala, Jeppo and Nykarleby were incorporated into the town. The population numbers approx. 8,000, the total area covers 814 km2. The majority of the inhabitants are Swedish speaking.

St. Birgitta Church, which lies by the bridge crossing the river of Nykarleby, is one of the most famous sights of the town. The church was built in 1708 and is considered one of the most beautiful in Ostrobothnia. The ceiling paintings in the church date from the 18th century and are the work of Daniel Hjulström and Johan Alm. The paintings on the windows behind the altar were painted by Lennart Segerstråhle in 1940. The church also has a Thelin organ from 1786.

On January 14, 1818, Zacharias Topelius, one of Finland’s great authors, was born at Kuddnäs. Kuddnäs is now owned by the town of Nykarleby and since 1934 it has been a museum. In addition to the main buildings, there are also a baker’s cottage, a shed for carriages and a summer house. The museum is open to the public from May to August.

The Nykarleby Museum was established by Josef Herler (1886-1968), who collected many of the things himself during the 1950’s. The museum is furnished as a "borgarehem" (home of upperclass-people) to illustrate the trading and seafaring traditions of the old town. The museum is located in the former northern custom-house. The museum contains a unique collection of dresses worn by the upperclasses in Nykarleby in the 19th century. A technical museum also belongs to the museum, which has artifacts such as a printingpress, etc.

Brostugan (The Bridge Cottage) was built at the same time as a new bridge was built across the river in 1817. Brostugan was the bridge guard’s home in the 19th century. The bridge guard’s task was to collect a bridge fee from everyone who did not live in the town before they passed the bridge. Brostugan is owned by the town of Nykarleby and a summer café is housed there now. Brostugan is especially popular and known for its wall paintings, the work of Gunnar Clement in 1941, with subjects from the history of the town. Brostugan is one of the town’s historically valuable buildings.

An important forerunner within education is Anders Svedberg’s elementary school in Munsala, founded in 1862. The school was the first elementary school in Swedish-speaking Finland, and teachers were also trained there. Pupils came from all over Ostrobothnia, from Åland and Petersburg. The schoolhouse is preserved and Finland’s Swedish School Museum has taken care of it and also published a history of the school.

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