Kuninkaankivi (King’s rock)
Karby Pedersöre
Swedish kings with their entourages began travelling along the Bothnian Coast Road already in the early 1600s. More than a century passed from those days before the king of Sweden with his entourage made a journey to Finland. In the summer of 1752, the journey of King Adolf Frederick began from southern Finland along the old Kyrönkangas summer road to Ostrobothnia and continued from there along the coastal road to Tornio.
By the road in Karby, between Uusikaarlepyy and Pietarsaari, there is a rock with a memorial plaque commemorating the king’s journey. The section of the coastal road near the rock is a living reminder of the roads that used to be travelled by horses and wagons.
Stories
The townspeople in Ostrobothnia thoroughly prepared themselves for the king’s visit, cleaning and decorating places. Due to Adolf Frederick’s busy travel schedule, the royal entourage is known to have stopped only for dinner at Uusikaarlepyy and passed Pietarsaari without stopping at all. They did have time, however, to stop by the road for a royal salutation. The king spent one night in Kokkola, where cows, pigs and dogs had been hidden from his eyes. (Nikander: Kuningas Aadolf Fredrikin käynti Kokkolassa v. 1752)
The king naturally had to stop at many localities on his journey. According to folk memory, the king and his entourage stopped to have a meal at Karby rock. In the Southern Ostrobothnian municipality of Kurikka, there is a rock that has been named Kusikivi (“pissing rock”) because it is said to have been used by the royal entourage for their basic needs. (Kusikivi)
Photos
Kuninkaankivi (King’s rock)
Kuninkaankivi (King’s rock)
Kuninkaankivi (King’s rock) a long time ago (Pedersöre storsockens historia II)
