Ii (Swedish: Ijo) is a municipality in the province of Northern
Ostrobothnia. The municipality is home to 9,848 people and covers an
area of 2,872.43 km², of which 1,206.00 km² is sea area and 52.33
km² is inland water. The population density is 6.1 inhabitants /
km². Ii is a popular summer cottage resort. The neighboring
municipalities are Oulu, Pudasjärvi, Ranua and Simo.
The
municipality of Ii and the municipality of Kuivaniemi ceased to
exist on 1 January 2007, and their former areas were transformed
into a new municipality of Ii. The coat of arms of the new
municipality became the coat of arms of Kuivaniemi.
In ancient times, the Iijoki, Olhavanjoki and
Kuivajoki, which cut through the municipality of Ii, were
considerably more important water routes. At least the Olhava region
was already inhabited during the Stone Age. Fish rivers attracted
Lapland taxpayers. Early in the Middle Ages, the Ii coast was
inhabited by wilderness men from Upper Satakunta. Russian Karelians
competed with the people of the Upper Satakunta, who considered the
area to be under their control. Many place names, such as Russian
War and Olhava, refer to the Karelian influence. Ii suffered from
his disputed position for a long time. The robbery and revenge trips
followed one another, and the houses in Ii and Kantalahti in
particular were ashes in turn. The Iili attacks were led by Pekka
Vesainen from Kiiminki. The long-running state of war did not end
until 1593, and two years later, in the Peace of Täyssina, the
Russian Karelians renounced their claims to the coast of the Gulf of
Bothnia.
The parish was formed as a chapel in the parish of
Pietarsaari after 1340. The documents mention the Iin chapel for the
first time in 1374. The Iin parish became independent by 1445 at the
latest, making it one of the oldest parishes in Northern
Ostrobothnia. The Ii area covered a large area, with the border in
the south being Liminka, in the north the Kemi, and in the east the
border of the kingdom. As the settlement increased, the congregation
gradually began to divide. First Haukipudas and Pudasjärvi were
founded, then Kiiminki and Ylikiiminki in the 17th century. In the
17th century, Kuivaniemi became the chapel of the Ii parish and only
in 1894 its own parish, in fact this was not realized until 1920.
The Taivalkoski parish was formed from the eastern part of Lake
Pudasjärvi. Yli-Ii resigned in 1924.
The history of Iin
churches has been hard. The first church on Illinsaari burned down
in 1582 during a Russian extermination expedition. The communion
lime was found in 1894 in the northeastern part of the island. The
second church was completed on Kirkkosaari in 1588, but the Russians
burned it the following year. The next church, also completed on
Kirkkosaari in 1621, burned with lightning strikes in 1693. The
church built by Israel Simonpoika Annala in 1693–1694 was also
destroyed by fire in 1942. The new church was completed in 1950. The
first church in Kuivaniemi was , when the third parish church was
completed in 1874.
An important place of trade and port
developed at the mouth of the Iijoki River in the Middle Ages, one
of the most significant in the Gulf of Bothnia. At the end of the
Middle Ages, Iin Hamina grew into a market and trading place that
was widely known in the Baltic Sea region. Iin Hamina reminded of a
small town as early as the 16th century with its numerous fences,
shops and artisan dwellings. There were 35 houses in the village of
Ii at that time, while the total number of houses in the parish of
Suur-Ii was 133. Kalaisa Iijoki made it possible to spread the
settlement inland. In 1749 the population of the parish was already
2,378.
The most important livelihoods in the early days of
settlement were fishing, hunting and animal husbandry. In
Kuivaniemi, fishing became an important industry, for which the Gulf
of Bothnia, Kuivajoki and Oijärvi provided good conditions.
Gradually, agriculture became the main occupation of the keeper. The
people of Kuivaniemi also engaged in a lot of coastal sailing, and
especially in the 20th century, the people of Kuivaniemi were
important timber drivers.
Ii has been a pioneer in the
industry of Northern Finland. The Nyby glass factory started
operating in Olhava as early as 1738. Nylander, the founder of the
factory, developed a small community that operated independently of
the factory area. For a long time, the Olhava glass factory was the
most significant industrial plant in Northern Finland. It ceased
operations only in the 1880s. The first steam sawmill in Finland,
the Kestilä sawmill, was built in Iin Kestilä in 1859 in accordance
with a Senate decree, and was in operation until 1908. The high
barrel of the sawmill is still protected from this sawmill in the
village of Kestilä. The first library was established in 1860 in Iin
Parsonage. The current library is located in Nättepori, or Hamina,
opposite the church. The first Finnish horse was registered in 1907.