Pelkosenniemi is a municipality in the eastern part of the province of Lapland. The municipality is home to 947 people and covers an area of 1,881.54 km2, of which 45.40 km2 are water bodies. The population density is 0.52 inhabitants / km2. Pelkosenniemi is the smallest municipality in the province of Lapland in terms of population. The municipality got its name from Paavali Pelkonen, its first Finnish settler.
The known history of Pelkosenniemi municipality begins in 1664, when
Paavali Pelkonen moved to Lapland without permission. The settlement was
later called Sodankylä Alapera, but when it became independent from
Sodankylä in 1916, the municipality took the name Pelkosenniemi from
Paavali Pelkone.
Pelkosenniemi parish became independent from
Sodankylä parish in 1916. Pelkosenniemi church was built in 1929.
Pelkosenniemi Sähkoosuuskunta produced electricity at its own power
plant from 1927 until the equipment was damaged during the war. the
trunk line from Kemijärvi was pulled in 1950.
The battle of
Pelkosenniemi took place in the Winter War, which ended with the victory
of the Finns and the retreat of the Red Army.
Since the 1950s,
the fight for the construction of the Vuotos basin brought together the
environmental movement and decision-makers as fronts for the
confrontation between nature and economic values.
Pelkosenniemi is located in Eastern Lapland. Its neighboring
municipalities are Kemijärvi, Rovaniemi, Salla, Savukoski and Sodankylä.
The municipality has a total of 171 lakes, the largest of which are
Pyhäjärvi, Säynäjäjärvi and Tuormusjärvi.
Pyhätunturi National
Park is located on Pelkosenniemi. Other Natura sites are Pyhä-Luosto,
Kemihaara swamps, Ellitsa, Serrijoki–Kätkävuoma, Luiro swamps, Luosto,
Akanvaara–Kalkkivaara groves, Raateaapa and Haikara-aapa–Vitsikkoaapa.
Pelkosenniemi's tourist attractions include the Pyhätunturi skiing
center and the village of Suvanto, as well as the planned Vuotos
reservoir.
Villages
Aapajärvi, Arvospuoli, Kairala,
Kiemunkivaara, Luiro, Moitaselkä, Pelkosenniemi, Pyhäjärvi, Saunavaara,
Suvanto, Saukkoaapa
Urban areas
At the end of 2017,
Pelkosenniemi had 958 inhabitants, of which 358 lived in agglomerations,
563 in sparsely populated areas, and the places of residence of 37 were
unknown. Pelkosenniemi's agglomeration rate is 38.9%. There is only one
settlement in the municipality, the church village of Pelkosenniemi.
Administration
Päivi Vauhkonen has been the municipal manager of
Pelkosenniemi since 2019. There are 13 seats in the municipal council.
In the period 2021–2025, the Pelkosenniemi kylät joint list has four
seats, the Pyhä-Pelkosensalmi joint list has three seats, the center has
two seats, the Greens have two seats, the Basic Finns have one seat and
the Yhteinen Pelkosensalmi joint list has one seat.
Pelkosenniemi's economy is very service-oriented. In 2015, there were
385 jobs in the municipality. 86% of them were in service sectors, 4% in
primary production (agriculture, forestry and fisheries), and 9% in
processing.
In 2016, the companies that paid the most corporate
tax were the construction company Pyhänpahta, the property management
company Huoltokero and Pyhän Karhu, which rents out holiday cottages.
Among the parishes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the
municipality belongs to the Pelkosenniemi parish. The congregation also
operates in the area of Savukoski municipality.
Among the
congregations of the Finnish Orthodox Church, the Lapland Orthodox
congregation operates in the Pelkosenniemi area.
Services
The
Pelkosenniemi school has combined classes 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6. Upper school
students are taught by subject teachers. The school building has been
out of use due to bad indoor air, renovation or a new school building
would be very expensive for the municipality. The high school was
abolished in 2007. Young people who continue to high school mostly move
to Rovaniemi. The establishment of a new high school near the tourism
services has been considered.
Well-known people from
Peklosenniemi
Eija Ailasmaa (b. 1950), CEO of Sanoma Magazines
Matti Kuosku (1941–2012), Swedish skier
Tapio Luusua (b. 1981),
freestyle skier
Andy McCoy, real name Antti Hulkko (b. 1962),
guitarist and main songwriter of the band Hanoi Rocks
Petri Pyhäjärvi
(b. 1982), ice hockey player
Jyrki Yrttiaho (1952–2021), politician