300 m
Old Bridge and Saarisilta-bridge
Kalajoki
The old Ostrobothnia coastal road crossed the river where the current Saarisilta is now located. The oldest bridge was described tall and beautiful, but it was burned down during the War of Finland (1808-1809).
Construction for a new stone bridge started in 1809. The bridge was later renovated and repaired in the 1870-1880s, by the lead of builder master Anton Lankila.
The bridge used to be a place for social gatherings. There were benches where people would sit and admire the beautiful scenery of the river landscape.
The stone bridge was demolished in 1973 when the current bridge was built.
The bridge has had an important role with people traveling between the areas of Oulu and Kokkola. The old Ostrobothnia coastal road used to follow the Kalajoentie street and cross the old bridge – which means that everyone had to take this path.
However, the traffic back then was less busy than nowadays, and the means of transportation were also different; instead of cars people used horse carriages, horses, sleds, bicycles or just their own feet.
Image description:
- The old bridge (Museovirasto)
- An aerial shot of Sillanpää (Kalajoen kotiseutuyhdistys)
Cultural history of Tynkä by bike
“Churches, crime scenes, and landscapes”
The popular biking route, Bridges of Tynkä, has many fascinating sites of local history that even date back to the Middle Ages.
For 500 years, Kalajoki has been an important center for farming and social life, where many different enterprises and businesses have flourished.
The route consists of stories, historical research, cultural heritage, and art. For example: the locations of the first and second church of Kalajoki, historical crime scenes, art, traditional landscapes, antiques...
Route details:
- The route is app. 18 km long.
- The biking route uses a sidewalk almost the entire length of the route. In Tynkä, you have to bike along the “highway” for a few hundred meters.
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