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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.