Laukaa
Laukaa (; ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located next to Jyväskylä and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The subject of the Laukaa's coat of arms refers to the municipality's abundant coniferous forests and Laukaa's location in the heart of Finland. The explanation of the coat of arms is "a red heart in a silver field, from which grows a three-pronged green conifer." The coat of arms was designed  by Olof Eriksson and approved by the Laukaa Municipal Council at its meeting on June 6, 1955. The Ministry of the Interior confirmed the use of the coat of arms on September 5 of the same year. Geography. Neighbouring municipalities are Hankasalmi, Jyväskylä, Konnevesi, Toivakka, Uurainen and Äänekoski. There are all together 129 lakes in Laukaa. Biggest lakes in Laukaa are Lievestuoreenjärvi, Kuusvesi, Leppävesi and Lake Uurainen. Saraakallio Stone Age rock paintings. Saraakallio, the largest Stone Age rock painting site of Fennoscandia is located in Laukaa. The paintings consists of over 100 figures. The oldest paintings are about 6 600  years old. The most common themes in Saraakallio paintings are deer, human, and boat figures. Saraakallio rock paintings are made by using red paint, which is made of hematite-containing soil mixed presumably with blood, urea and eggs. Keitele Canal. Three of the five locks on the Keitele Canal (Kuusa, Kuhankoski and Kapeenkoski) are located in Laukaa. The canal route combines Lake Päijänne and Lake Keitele. The canal route was finished in 1994. Its original purpose was serving log floating. Nowadays the route is used by inland ships and boaters. The construction of the canal was executed by the Russian  Zarubezhtransstroi Company on a "turn key" basis in 1990-1994. The total length of the Keitele-Paijanne route is , of which is canal section. Rest of the route follows river's natural water flow. Kuusankoski, Kuhankoski, and Kapeenkoski are also famous recreational fishing places. The local theatre, Kuusan Kanavateatteri, Kuusa Canal Theatre, is active all year round giving performances in the restored building dating from the year 1914. In summer the Kuusa Canal forms a unique backdrop setting for the outdoor stage. The seating area is designed for 650 people and is covered with a canopy. Twin towns - sister cities . Laukaa is twinned with: