Kajaani is a town and
municipality in
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
It is the capital of the
KainuuKainuu is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Northern Savonia. In the east it also borders Russia. Kainuu is known in the ancient Norse sagas as Kvenland....
regionFinland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
. It is located southeast of
OulujärviOulujärvi is a lake in Finland located in the Oulu Province. With the area of it is the fifth largest lake in the country. The lake drained by the Oulu River, which flows northwestward from the lake to the Gulf of Bothnia. Its nickname is the "Kainuu sea", and it is surrounded by three...
(Lake Oulu), which drains to the
Gulf of BothniaThe Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
along the
OulujokiOulujoki is a river in Oulu province, Finland.Its origin is Oulujärvi and, its watershed area covers a significant part of Kainuu region....
(river Oulu). There are inhabitants and city
surface area is km2 of which km2 is water. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is PD/km2 . The town is unilingually
FinnishFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
Kajaani is in the center of the
regionFinland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
of
KainuuKainuu is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Northern Savonia. In the east it also borders Russia. Kainuu is known in the ancient Norse sagas as Kvenland....
. Folklorist
Elias LönnrotElias Lönnrot was a Finnish philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for compiling the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from national folklore.-Education and early life:...
began his travels from here when collecting folklore in
KareliaKarelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
.
History
Kajaani was founded in 1651 as one of the Finnish cities founded by the Governor General of Finland,
Per BrahePer Brahe may refer to:*Count Per Brahe the Elder , Swedish statesman*Count Per Brahe the Younger , Swedish soldier and statesman* The Swedish steamer ferry Per Brahe, wrecked in 1918...
. At that time, the Kainuu region—as wood country—was an important producer of
tarTar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
derived from pine, and the tar trade was its major industry. The barrels of tar were shipped to
OulujärviOulujärvi is a lake in Finland located in the Oulu Province. With the area of it is the fifth largest lake in the country. The lake drained by the Oulu River, which flows northwestward from the lake to the Gulf of Bothnia. Its nickname is the "Kainuu sea", and it is surrounded by three...
and then along Oulujoki to
OuluOulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
on the Bothnian coast of the
Baltic seaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. From there, tar was shipped to continental Europe, where it was used as a sealant and an anti-rot agent for ship hulls.
One famous historical monument in Kajaani are the ruins of
Kajaani CastleThe Kajaani castle was built on the Ämmäkoski island of the Kajaani river in the centre of Kajaani, Finland, in the century....
, located on an island in
River KajaaniKajaani River is a river in the Province of Oulu and in the region of Kainuu, Finland.The river runs from Lake Nuasjärvi to Lake Oulujärvi through the city of Kajaani. From there the waters flow trough the Oulujoki river into the Gulf of Bothnia. The river drains a chain of lakes that originates...
in the centre of the city. The castle was originally built in 1604 and completed in 1666. The castle served as an administrative centre,
prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
,
military baseA military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
and a refuge for the citizens.
During the
Greater WrathThe Greater Wrath is a term used in Finnish history for the Russian invasion and subsequent military occupation of Eastern Sweden, now Finland, from 1714 until the treaty of Nystad 1721, which ended the Great Northern War, although sometimes the term is used to denote all of the Great Northern...
in the 18th century the castle was forced to surrender to
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n forces. The Russians blew the castle up in March 1716 and it has been in ruins ever since. Today, the ruins are especially popular among children who like to explore the dark, twisty little passages and have fantasy adventures.
In the beginning of 20th century Kajaani industrialized step by step and the city begun growing especially after a railroad connection southward to Iisalmi and further to Helsinki and St Petersburg was established. The growth of population was strongest just after the Second World War. The population has been decreasing since mid-1990s.
In 1977 the separate rural municipality of Kajaani, Kajaanin maalaiskunta, and Kajaani were consolidated to form the City of Kajaani. The town, in addition to railroad and road connections, is served by a
FinnairFinnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
-operated air connection to Helsinki, during the summer twice daily and three times a day during the winter schedule period.
Kajaani AirportKajaani Airport is an airport in Paltaniemi, Kajaani, Finland, approximately northwest of Kajaani city centre.-Airlines and destinations:-Statistics:-External links:* *...
, located in the Paltaniemi area, close to central Kajaani, is maintained and operated by
FinaviaFinavia Corporation , the former Finnish Civil Aviation Administration, is the managing body of 25 airports located in Finland. Finavia maintains the airport network as well as the navigation system. Finavia's customers are both the travel industry as well as air passengers...
, also serving the needs of non-commercial general aviation.
VuolijokiVuolijoki is a former municipality in Finland. The municipality was consolidated with the city of Kajaani in the beginning of year 2007.Vuolijoki was located in the province of Oulu and was part of the Kainuu region. In 2004 the municipality had a population of 2,643 and covered an area of 895.20...
was consolidated with Kajaani in the beginning of 2007.
Climate
Kajaani lies within the
subarctic climateThe subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
zone, but the proximity of the Baltic Sea and warm airflows from the Atlantic result in a much milder climate than many locations in this latitude. Summers are cool and in winter, temperature can drop below −30 °C.
Culture
Since 1993 The Art Museum of Kajaani (
) has operated in the city. The collection of the museum centers on Finnish
modern artModern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
.
The Kajaani Town Theatre
Kajaanin kaupunginteatteri was established in 1969 and is one of the most respected theaters in Finland. It was chosen as the Theatre of the Year in 2003 and continues to attract ambitious actors and theatre directors, as well as a wealth of audience from across Finland. As the leading theatre in the
KainuuKainuu is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Northern Savonia. In the east it also borders Russia. Kainuu is known in the ancient Norse sagas as Kvenland....
district, every year the Kajaani Town Theatre goes on the road to tour neighbouring towns and villages, and has been known occasionally to find its way to Southern Finland as well.
The most notable annual cultural events in Kajaani are
Kajaanin Runoviikko (The Kajaani Poetry Week), originally known as Sana ja Sävel, and
Kainuun JazzKevät (The Kainuu Jazz Spring).
Economy
| Population of Kajaani (Dec 31) |
| Year |
Population |
| 1987 |
36,056 |
| 1990 |
36,428 |
| 1997 |
36,541 |
| 2000 |
36,088 |
| 2002 |
35,842 |
| 2004 |
35,675 |
| 2008 |
38,140 |
Important industries in the city today are
sawmillA sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and
lumberLumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
. Paper industry was also very important employer. UPM Kymmene's Kajaani paper mill was the biggest private employer in Kajaani and its history dated back to 1907. Paper was made in Kajaani from 1919 to 2008. However UPM Kymmene decided to close the paper mill by the end of 2008 due to lack of profitability and high energy costs. Closure of a paper mill will be the end of one era in Kajaani's history. UPM's Kajaani sawmill will continue its operations as earlier.
Military base
Kainuu BrigadeKainuu Brigade is a Finnish Army unit situated in Kajaani. The brigade trains most conscripts, approximately 4000 annually...
is also an important employer. It is the largest garrison in Finland—the Brigade employs approximately 600 people and trains 4,000 conscripts a year. There is a polytechnical institute in the city.
The engineering and railway rolling stock manufacturer
Transtech OyTranstech Oy is Finland's major domestic manufacturer of railway rolling stock. It specialises in building railway vehicles for extreme climatic conditions, such as those encountered in Finland.-History:...
has a factory at
OtanmäkiOtanmäki is a village to the south-west of Kajaani, Finland. Otanmäki is located in Vuolijoki within the bounds of the City of Kajaani municipality....
to the south-west of Kajaani. Many of
VRVR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
's carriages have been built at Otanmäki.
Famous persons
- President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Urho KekkonenUrho Kaleva Kekkonen , was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth President of Finland . Kekkonen continued the “active neutrality” policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine which came to be known as the “Paasikivi–Kekkonen...
lived 1911 - 1921 in the town.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kajaani is
twinnedTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
| City |
Country |
Year |
| Östersund Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
|
 Sweden |
1943 |
Rostov-on-Don-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
|
 Russia |
1956 |
Schwalm-Eder-KreisSchwalm-Eder is a Kreis in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Vogelsbergkreis, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Waldeck-Frankenberg.-History:...
|
 Germany |
1973 |
Nyíregyháza- Tourist sights :Nyíregyháza also has several museums and exhibitions, showing the city's rich cultural heritage.* Collection of the International Medallion Art and Small Sculpture Creative Community of Nyíregyháza-Sóstó – periodic exhibitions of works of contemporary artists-Twin towns — Sister...
|
 Hungary |
1981 |
MarquetteMarquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
|
 United States |
1997 |
JiujiangJiujiang , formerly transliterated Kiukiang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city in Jiangxi province, the largest one being Nanchang...
|
 China |
2006 |
The Districts and Villages of the City of Kajaani
Districts:
- Heinisuo
- Hetteenmäki
- Hoikankangas
- Huuhkajanvaara
- Katiska
- Kettu
- Komiaho
- Kuurna
- Kylmä
- Kättö
- Kätönlahti
- Laajankangas
- Lehtikangas
- Lohtaja
|
|
Districts: (cont'd)
- Nakertaja
- Onnela
- Palokangas
- Petäisenniska
- Puistola
- Purola
- Soidinsuo
- Suvantola
- Teppana
- Tihisenniemi
- Tikkapuro
- Variskangas
- Yläkaupunki
|
|
Villages:
- Jormua
Jormua is a very old village ashore the lake of Oulujärvi in the town of Kajaani, Finland. The village has a population of about 750....
- Koutaniemi
- Kuluntalahti
- Lahnasjärvi
- Lehtovaara
- Linnantaus
- Mainua
- Murtomäki
- Paltaniemi
|
Maps
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