Visit by the sister cities in honor of Kuopio’s 250th anniversary

Kuopio250 anniversary celebrations are currently underway. Last week the city has welcomed distinguished guests from five long-standing sister cities: Besançon (France), Castrop-Rauxel and Gera (Germany), Minneapolis (USA) and Opole (Poland). Kuopio presented the city through company visits, business opportunities and cultural attractions.

Innovation, energy and cooperation

The corporate guests received a warm welcome and expert presentation in Kuopio. The places visited included Matkus’s new recycling center, Elävä Circular Mall and the Jätekukko sorting station, Kuopion Energia, FinVector, Lumoava, the Luola sports and event center, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke.

“Kuopio’s Luola was an impressive experience for visitors – the dual-purpose Luola serves as both a civil defense shelter and an active sports and event venue for the residents of Kuopio,” says Kirsi Soininen, Marketing Director of Kuopio.

Particular interest was sparked by the recycling mall. The Elävä Circular Mall and Jätekukko sorting station form a unique combination of circular services for private customers and businesses in Kuopio. Beyond the important aspect of material reuse, this unit creates significant opportunities for collaboration among various stakeholders in the city.

Energy sector discussions were lively and new contacts were made for future cooperation. Finland is a pioneer in district heating and expertise in the field attracted attention.

“From our beginnings, my company has drawn its inspiration and innovation from the Nordics, leaders in the district energy industry. During this trip to Kuopio, I have had the pleasure of connecting with and learning from district energy professionals in the community who are thinking creatively about sustainable heating solutions and the future of district energy. Our learning and collaboration continues.” says Luke Gaalswyk, President and CEO of Ever-Green Energy, a Minnesota based district energy company.

Kuopio250 International Day brought together local businesses. Finnish Honorary Consul Elaine Kumpula from Minnesota emphasized the power of working together. She sees many opportunities for cooperation, especially between companies in the food industry, as there are many similarities in production between the regions. Kumpula also mentioned design companies that could find new markets in the US through Minneapolis.

Guests were introduced to the following companies: Aminoversum Oy, ANDRITZ Oy, Granlund Group, Lasilinkki Oy / Essis by Lasilinkki, LightningChart Oy, Osuuskunta Maitomaa, Savon Voima Oyj, Snow Secure Oy and Taiga Concept.

”My Kuopio250 delegation visit from Minneapolis has been incredibly useful for me to learn about zero-carbon technology innovation in the North Savo region. As an energy developer, Eurotech looks for best-of-breed technologies to help our customers decarbonize their operations in an economical and scalable way. Integrating biogas production assets is increasingly an essential part of our solutions.” says Christina Joyce, CEO of Eurotech Ventures in Minneapolis.

Cultural experiences

The cultural program included visits to the Kuopio Museum, the KUMMA Art Museum and the VB Photography Centre. In addition guests enjoyed a concert by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra at the Music Centre.

At Kuopio Museum, visitors explored the permanent exhibition guided by Miia Jonninen, while at KUMMA, Museum Director Anna Vilkuna introduced the current exhibition. At VB Photography Centre, the ongoing anniversary-themed exhibition My Story – Faces of Time from Kuopio was presented by Artistic Director Laura White.

The guided tours received high appreciation from the visitors. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, City Operations Officer of Minneapolis, who was visiting Kuopio for the third time, was delighted that there were still new things to see and experience in the city.

Kuopio charmed first-time visitors

Kuopio has made a positive impression on first-time visitors, who have been particularly surprised by the innovation and high level of expertise of the region and its people. In addition to the market square celebrations, the weekend program also included the Christmas opening ceremony, the Välke light show and a Kalpa–Jyp ice hockey festive match.

“We hope that the visit program will open doors and generate positive outcomes for Kuopio’s businesses, culture and people. We are delighted that many of our international guests have also attended the Kuopio football team`s KuPS gold celebration,” says Mayor Soile Lahti.