Posio

 

Posio is a municipality in the southern part of the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of 3,167 and covers an area of ​​3,544.90 km², of which 505.11 km² are water bodies. The population density is 1.04 inhabitants / km².

The word Posio, which is the name of the municipality, means an opening in the back of a Sámi castle, which also has a mythical meaning. Posio is also used as a house, village and lake name and surname.

The share of water bodies (14.2%) is the largest among the municipalities in the province of Lapland. The water bodies have attracted a lot of leisure time to the municipality.

Posio's neighboring municipalities are Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi, Ranua, Salla, Kuusamo, Taivalkoski and Pudasjärvi. The distance to the center of Posio is 220 kilometers from Oulu, 132 kilometers from Rovaniemi and 59 kilometers from Kuusamo, where the nearest airport is located. The main road 81 and highway 5 (E63) pass through Posio.

Posio's most important industry is services. Agriculture has remained significant. Forest and fish resources are large. In 2015, 64.3% of the employed labor force living in the municipality worked in services, 22.4% in primary production and 11.4% in processing.

On the map of Finnish dialects, Posio is the only municipality in the province of Lapland to belong to the Kainuu dialects of Savo dialects for reasons of settlement history.

 

Destinations and events

Posio's most notable attractions are the museum, sculpture and shop complex of Pentik-Mäe, the local museum in Lohiranna village, the Riisitunturi National Park, the rugged Korouoma nature reserve and the clear-water lakes Kitkajärvi and Livojärvi. The peak of Riisitunturi (465.3 m above sea level) is the highest point in Posio. Syötte National Park is also partly located in Posio municipality.

The Posio landscape is dominated by water bodies, forests and dangers. Posio has more than 1,000 lakes. Along with Kitka and Livo, the biggest lakes are Suolijärvet. The area is mountainous, mostly 200–300 meters above sea level. Posio has the top waters of Kemijoki, Kitkajoki (Koutajoki), Iijoki and Simojoki. The posio's official namesake animal is the muikku, and the namesake plant is the marsh porcupine.

Posio is home to the headquarters and ceramics factory of Pentik Oy, known for its ceramics, which manufactures and sells utility, gift and small decoration products. The family business was founded by Anu Pentik and Topi Pentikäinen in 1971.

There is a skiing center in Posio's Kirintövaara and the nature hotel Kirikeskus at the foot of the danger.

Events organized regularly at Posio include the Posio Fair and amateur theater days Teatterihelinät (every other year) in February, the national Pentik skiing in April, the national youth athletics competitions in June, the Muikkumarkkinat in July and the Akanvalkeat cultural event in September.

Through television, Posio has become familiar to Finns in the 2000s from the Suuri Seikkailu program series, which was filmed on Posio in 2001 and 2002.

 

Persons

The most notable champion of Posio's independence was central Posio farmer Juho Aapo Miekkasaari (1862–1942). He is buried in Posiojärvi's Sarvisaari cemetery. The Miekkasaari monument (1991) by Teuvo Tuomivaara, a sculptor from Posio, is located in front of Posio's municipal office. Tuomivaara is a professional artist from Posio, as are his spouses Paula Suominen and Olli Moisio.

The mayors of Posio have been Kauko Ollikainen, Mikko Honkonen, Pentti Mäkinen, Mauri Posio, Mika Riipi, Tomi Timonen, Heli Knutars and Pekka Jääskö (2021-).

Sulo Isokoski, Erkki Koivurova, Pekka Tapaninen, Timo Suutari, Risto Tuominen and Leena Pudas have served as vicars of Posio parish (2012–).

Nationally known persons born in Posio include biophysicist Sinikka Eskelinen (scientist of the year 1995), visual artist Minna Immonen, opera singer Soile Isokoski, songwriter Veikko Juntunen, concert pianist and cantor Pami Karvonen, MP (1999–2003) Marja-Leena Kemppainen, last governor of Lapland (2008–2009), Member of Parliament (1991–1995, 2001–2003) and Mayor of Kemijärvi (1986–2008) Timo E. Korva, medalist at the Moscow Olympics (1980) Kaarlo Maaninka, radio pastor Jukka Norvanto, winner of the Golden Harmonica (1987) Seppo Raistakka , writer Reino Rinne (place of birth in the part of present-day Posio, which in 1913 belonged to Kuusamo) and magician and chain king Timo Tuomivaara.

 

History

In the 16th and 17th centuries, most of present-day Posio belonged to the area of Kitka lappinkylä. Talliskotalampi in Kuusamon's Kivilahti has been interpreted as the site of the winter village of Kitka Lapland. Finnish resettlement in the area began at the end of the 17th century. The old Lapland village division fell into disuse in 1760.

Posio parish started its activities at the turn of 1925 and 1926. At that time, the municipality was also considered to have been born. The new parish and municipality were formed mainly from the areas that were part of Kuusamo. Smaller parts were connected to the southern part of Posio from Taivalkoski, to the western part from Pudasjärvi and to the northwest corner from Rovaniemi. The Senate decided on the foundation of the Posio parish already in 1908, but the implementation of the decision was delayed due to, among other things, the lack of a church.

At the southern end of Posiojärvi, a log-framed, mansard-roofed pulpit was completed in 1927, which in 1952–53 was renovated into a board-lined, gabled Posio church. The exterior color is white. Inside, there is a lacquered pine clapboard lining and a white painted ceiling. The church has an altarpiece painted by artist Uuno Särkelä from Kemijärvi, which depicts the second coming of Christ in the lake landscape of Northeastern Finland. The church is located on the east shore of Åhvensalmi between Kitkajärvi and Posiojärvi. The clock tower is separate.

Posio's municipal coat of arms was chosen from five options drawn by Gustaf von Numers in 1958. A close vote was won by a proposal referring to the Sámi era, whose coat of arms explanation is "three silver huts grouped 2+1 on a black field, the doorways are red". This is the only hut-themed municipal coat of arms in Finland.

The local history work Posio historia, which covers the period from prehistory to 2000, was published in 2006. The authors of the work are FL Hannu Kotivuori, FL Anu Vahtola, FM Seppo Ervasti, FT Antero Tervonen, FT Tapio Karjalainen and FT Jouko Vahtola.

Posio's hometown song "Posion's call" chosen in 2000 is composed and written by Heikki Yli-Tepsa.

Urban areas
At the end of 2017, Posio had 3,310 inhabitants, of which 1,294 lived in agglomerations, 1,969 in sparsely populated areas, and the places of residence of 47 were unknown. Posio's agglomeration rate is 39.7%. There is only one settlement in the municipality, Ahola.

 

Villages

Settlement groups in Posio that are considered village-like and vary in their density of construction are Ahola (central area), Kirkonkylä, Anetjärvi, Mäntyjärvi, Pernu, Suorsa, Peräposio, Keskiposio, Lehtiniemi, Ristilä, Jumisko, Aittaniemi, Nolimo, Maaninkavaara, Mourujärvi, Häme (Karjalainenniemi), Tolva, Suonnankylä , Hyväniemi, Lohiranta, Kuloharju, Kynsilä and Sirniö.

At the turn of the year 2005–2006, 40.3 percent of the municipality's population lived in the central area. The municipal center is classified as a top-level municipal center in terms of its service equipment.

In the subdivision of the municipality, which is used for example in population statistics, Posio is divided into 19 parts: the central area, the agglomeration surroundings, Anetjärvi, Mäntyjärvi, Pernu-Suorsa, Peräposio, Lehtiniemi, Ristilä, Jumisko-Aittaniemi, Nolimo, Maaninkavaara, Mourujärvi, Häme, Tolva, Ylikitka - Hyväniemi, Lohiranta, Kuloharju, Kynsilä and Sirniö.

Posio's 13 official land registry villages are called Aittapära village, Akanlahde village, Hyväniemi village, Häme village, Jumisko village, Lehtiniemi village, Mouru village, Pernu village, Peräposio village, Posio village, Raistaka village, Tolva village and Ylikitka village. The village division dates from the 1930s.

 

Congregations

According to the 2018 regional distribution, Posio has the following parishes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland:
Posio parish
The Posio Pentecostal Church operates as an independent Pentecostal church in Posio.

Among the congregations of the Finnish Orthodox Church, the Lapland Orthodox congregation operates in the Posio area.