Jomala is not a single postcard village. It is a municipality of farms, woods, shorelines and growing residential neighbourhoods beside Mariehamn, with points of interest spread across the countryside. That shape is part of its appeal: one day here can move from a Neolithic settlement to a medieval church, then through a nineteenth-century artists’ landscape and out to the remains of a First World War battery. The municipality counted 5,817 residents on 31 December 2025; that figure covers all of Jomala, not just the church village. ÅSUB recorded an increase of 28 during 2025 and growth of about 2,500 residents since 2000.
A landscape with a long human record
Jettböle gives the oldest layer a concrete address. The Stone Age settlement came to attention by chance in 1905, when people taking sand from the site found pottery, bones and stone fragments. Archaeologist Björn Cederhvarf began excavations that year, and work continued into 1911. The finds—decorated pottery, tools and small clay figures among them—made Jettböle one of the best-known sites associated with Neolithic Pitted Ware culture in Finland. They point to communities whose lives included fishing and seal hunting, alongside evidence of other food practices. Human remains also led to sensational early speculation about cannibalism; later archaeological work has challenged and revised that interpretation. It should not be repeated as an established fact. The evidence makes Jettböle compelling without attaching a grand, unsupported story to it.
Centuries later, Sankt Olof’s Church stands on the Jomala plain beside the parish’s largest Iron Age burial ground. It is among Åland’s oldest surviving stone churches. Scientific dating of the tower’s timber and mortar supports construction in the 1280s, while parts of the nave may be older. The church’s history is still being studied, so claims that it is definitively Finland’s oldest stone building go beyond what the evidence settles. It remains a living parish church and is also used for concerts. The contrast between the grave field, medieval masonry and present-day worship is unusually direct: the same place has been adapted across many generations.
From the artists’ colony to the Russian battery
Jomala’s cultural history is not confined to medieval sites. In 1886, painter Victor Westerholm helped form the Önningeby artists’ colony, which drew Finnish and Nordic artists to the Åland landscape. The museum at Jonesas opened in 1992 inside an old stone barn. Its collection places turn-of-the-century paintings beside objects and photographs that explain the setting in which the art was made; exhibitions and events change, and the café and museum shop operate according to the season. Önningeby is a useful stop for seeing how an island countryside became both a home and a subject for artists.
At Kungsö, the story shifts to the militarisation of the Baltic during the First World War. Russian forces built one of ten coastal batteries in Åland here between 1916 and 1918, placing it on Dalsberg, about 32 metres above sea level. The gun positions are now ruins, but the site and its paths preserve the outline of a military landscape and open views toward the sea. It is a place to understand the strategic history of the islands, not an intact fortress or a reconstructed battlefield.
Walk the municipality in stages
Jomalaleden links many of these separate places in a marked route of about 40 kilometres. It can be walked in sections and crosses woodland, rocky heights, village roads and the Ramsholmen nature reserve. Around Gottby, old farmsteads built from the late nineteenth century onward give the route a distinctly rural character. Other sections reach the church, Kungsö and Vikingavallen, where a rest area overlooks a small lake. The terrain varies, and some stretches follow roads, so sturdy footwear, a map and a realistic stage plan help. Ramsholmen is especially attractive for its wooded meadows and coastal flora; stay on marked paths and respect the reserve.
Jomala’s economy and daily life are closely tied to its neighbours. ÅSUB’s 2021 commuting table counted 2,813 employed residents, of whom 1,895 worked outside the municipality; at the same time, 1,607 people commuted into Jomala for work. The figures are a dated snapshot, but they show why the municipality cannot be understood as an isolated rural economy. Housing has expanded alongside the regional centre, while farming, municipal services and local institutions remain part of its fabric. Mariehamn Airport is also within Jomala, roughly three kilometres from Mariehamn’s centre, giving the municipality an unusual role in the islands’ air connections.
Planning a visit from Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the practical base for visitors who want restaurants, accommodation and a broader choice of everyday services, while Jomala rewards a slower trip beyond the city streets. Ålandstrafiken’s published route 2–3–4 between Mariehamn and Godby includes a stop at Jomala kyrka; routes and timetables can change, and rural attractions are spread out, so check the current schedule before relying on the bus. A car or bicycle makes it easier to combine the museum, church, Ramsholmen and Kungsö, although the walking route connects several of them. Allow time rather than trying to tick off every stop in one rush. Confirm opening days for Önningebymuseet, trail conditions and transport shortly before travelling.
Jomala in three perspectives: parish church, Kungsö battery and island life
Tom Wiklund's short “Kungsö batteri” places the subject in Gottby, Jomala, and invites a closer look at a military trace in the Åland countryside. The available title and description are modest, so this review does not claim the film explains every surviving structure. The setting matters: Russian forces built one of Åland's coastal batteries at Kungsö during 1916–1918, and the official visitor information describes the remains, the hill and its paths. The video is best treated as a field-side introduction, then paired with the site information before setting out. On the ground, visitors should follow marked routes and take care around ruins; the battery is a remnant, not a restored fortress.
“Flytta till Jomala på Åland,” by Fredrik Karlström, approaches Jomala from the perspective of living there rather than ticking off attractions. The published description says the film presents some advantages of life and residence in the municipality, which makes it a useful counterpoint to the heritage-focused clips. It is a personal promotional perspective, not an independent survey of housing, employment or public services; viewers should read it as an invitation to consider everyday life, not as evidence for specific amenities. That framing fits Jomala’s present character as a growing municipality beside Mariehamn, where rural landscapes, local institutions and regional commuting coexist.