Paukaneva – an oasis close to the city centre
Paukaneva is a bog in Seinäjoki, west of the centre of Nurmo. It is bordered by the Alajoki field in the south-west, and by the new riverbed built at the mouth of the Seinäjoki to the west. A road runs through the northern part of Paukaneva. The Ostrobothnian railway runs through the south-western area of Paukaneva. The area has a viewing tower and a duckboard nature trail that was built in 2000. Starting from the direction of Vaasantie, the first 700 metres of trail are wheelchair-accessible.
Fauna and flora
The flora of Paukaneva is rugged, as is typical of boglands: shrubs of various sizes and peat moss. It is home to a variety of birds. The species nesting in Paukaneva include Eurasian curlews, Eurasian whimbrel and several seagull species. During migration, swans and geese stop in the area to rest.
History
The fields surrounding Paukaneva, such as Pajuneva and Alajokilakeus, located to the south-west of the area, were cleared for farming land in the 18th century by burning the vegetation. During the famine in the 1860s, efforts were made to turn the entire Paukaneva into farming land. The state offered assistance in the building of drainage in the area, but the land turned out to be too waterlogged for this. The area also housed tar-burning operations in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first duckboards across Paukaneva were built in the 18th century when a chapel was erected in Nurmo. The duckboards enabled the residents of Seinäjoki, who did not have their own church, to make the journey to the church. These duckboards were destroyed in a large forest fire in 1752.
During the Civil War in 1918, at least 27 Red Army fighters were executed by firing squad on the edge of Paukaneva. The deceased were buried in the bog but 20 of them were dug up later the same year. Some of the bodies remained in the bog until 1944, when they were transferred to a cemetery in Nurmo. A memorial was later erected on the site.
New duckboards, a lean-to and a viewing tower have been built in Paukaneva with funding from the EU. The construction was carried out by volunteers from the Lakeuden Elämysliikunta outdoor association.
Parking areas are available in three locations: Along Vaasantie and Kiikuntie and at the end of Karhinkatu, close to the centre of Nurmo.
