Vehkalahti
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Vehkalahti is a former municipality surrounding the town of Hamina in south-eastern Finland. At the beginning of 2003 Hamina and Vehkalahti combined to form a new town of Hamina.
First markings of Vehkalahti are dated in 1336. The Vehkalahti church (now known as Maria's church) was build in the 14th century at the place were the town of Hamina is now. Vehkalahti was a famous market place at the time and they had plans to build a town there. In 1653 the area surrounding the church became a town, which was called Vehkalahden Uusikaupunki (Veckelax Nystad in Swedish and Newtown of Vehkalahti in English). You can read more of this in the article about Hamina.
While the area in the immediate vicinity of the church building became a town, the surrounding land remained countryside. Formerly the area of Vehkalahti was much larger, almost the entire Kymenlaakso, but later many areas became new municipalities. Biggest population centers are Husula, Salmenkylä, Uusi-Summa, Poitsila and Neuvoton, there are also many rural villages like Reitkalli, Kannusjärvi and Pyhältö.
In literature, Vehkalahti is particularly renowned for its peculiar medieval petty nobility, knaappiaateli.
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