Siirtola

Siirtola is a Finnish noun with several related meanings. In its broad sense, it denotes a place that serves as a shelter or refuge for people in need, such as temporary housing, lodging for the displaced, or other forms of shelter provisioning. The term can also refer to a settlement or community associated with emigrants, newcomers, or relocated groups, especially in historical or regional contexts.

The word is formed with the root siirt- and the common place-name suffix -ola, a productive pattern in Finnish for naming places connected to a particular function or activity. Because of its historical associations with relocation and asylum, siirtola often appears in older texts and in regional naming, rather than as a routine term in contemporary everyday language.

In modern usage, siirtola is relatively rare outside fixed expressions or historical descriptions. It may occur in discussions of past welfare practices, urban planning heritage, or regional toponymy. As a proper noun, it also appears as part of place names or as a surname in Finland, reflecting its old and diffuse sense of a “place of refuge” or “settlement.”

Related terms include siirtolaisuus (emigration and immigration), siirtokunta (colony), and siirtolainen (emigrant or settler). These words share the underlying theme of movement, settlement, and the placement of people in new or protected environments.

---