Nystad

Nystad, called Uusikaupunki in Finnish, is a port on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. Its surrounding district was long known for wooden vessels and furniture made by farmers as a second occupation. King Gustav II Adolf founded the town in 1617, giving a recognised centre to trade that local peasants had already carried on at the market of Männäinen.

The town's first glassworks opened in 1681 but closed after a fire in 1685. In 1683 its glassblowers had stopped work in protest against a reduction in wages. The Great Northern War brought much greater destruction: Russian forces reached Nystad in 1713, and many inhabitants fled. In 1721 Swedish and Russian representatives met here to negotiate peace. Because the town had been damaged, a building from a nearby estate was brought to the marketplace for their meetings. The Treaty of Nystad ended the war and confirmed Russia's acquisition of territories on the eastern Baltic and in southeastern Finland.