Kemijärvi | Exploring Finland
Kemijärvi is a town in northern Finland, in the province of Finnish Lapland. It lies along the shores of the lake that shares its name. The town is the seat of the local municipality, a municipality of around 6.900 inhabitants. Around 4.300 people live in the town. Since receiving its town status in 1973, Kemijärvi is the northernmost town in Finland.
A Short History of Kemijärvi
The first settlement at the lake Kemijärvi is dated to 1630, but it was not successful due to bad harvests. New settlers arrived in 1635 and a small settlement was established. Propositions for building a church at Kemijärvi started in 1642. The idea was to make the church reachable for the Sámi settlements in the region. The church was completed and had its own priest already in 1648.
The church attracted further development of the settlement and Kemijärvi became an independent parish in 1779. The town rights were granted in 1973 and resulted in Kemijärvi becoming the northernmost town in Finland. Rovaniemi has since expanded even further north, but the center of Rovaniemi is still further south than Kemijärvi.
Things to Do and See
The center of Kemijärvi is quite small. There is a small commercial center and then there is the school and the church. One thing is, however, guaranteed. The waterfront will never be far away. Finding somewhere to enjoy the tranquility, to truly just admire the view of the lake is fairly easy. If you look for somewhere to swim in the summer, then there is the large Pöyliöjärvi Beach right next to the center of the town. There is also a smaller beach at the camping site just a short distance away.
In the western part of Kemijärvi is the Kemijärvi Local History Museum. This open-air museum tells the story of life in the area during the 19th and 20th century.
There are in addition several outdoor activities to enjoy in the surrounding area. Both the Suomu Ski Resort and the Pyhä Ski Resort offer the possibility of alpine skiing. There are also several tracks for cross-country skiing in the area, many fairly close to the town center. Even ice swimming is a possibility here during the winter.
During the summer the sun won’t set for about a month during June and July. This opens up for plenty of opportunities in the local wilderness. Hiking, canoeing, and fishing are some of the more popular activities.
How to Get to Kemijärvi
- Flights: You will not find many flights going from the small Kemijärvi Airfield. The nearest larger airport is Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) to the west.
- Car: Kemijärvi lies along road E63 between Sodankylä and Kuusamo. There is also Road 82 that connects the town with Rovaniemi in the west.
- Train: The local train station handles only a few trains each day. The connections from here are to and from Helsinki and Rovaniemi.
The driving distance from 5 major Finnish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Helsinki – 892 kilometers (10 h 20 min)
- Turku – 903 kilometers (10 h 50 min)
- Vaasa – 604 kilometers (7 h 20 min)
- Oulu – 288 kilometers (3 h 40 min)
- Joensuu – 598 kilometers (6 h 50 min)
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