Tornio (Swedish: Torneå) is a Finnish city in the province of Lapland on
the Swedish border. Tornio is the center of the Tornio River Valley and the
most important border crossing point between Finland and Sweden.
Tornio
has a population of 21,614 (30 June 2020) and an area of 1,348.83 km² (1 January
2020), of which 1,188.78 km² of land, 40.46 km² of inland waters and the remaining
119.59 km² of sea.
Tornio was the northernmost city in Finland until
the form of Rovaniemi changed from a township to a city in 1960. Founded in
1621, Tornio is the oldest city in Lapland. The neighboring municipalities of
Tornio are Kemi, Keminmaa, Tervola and Ylitornio. The city of Tornio has a lot
of co-operation with its Swedish border neighbor, Haparanda.
The Stone Age of the Tornio Valley
The Tornionjoki estuary
has been inhabited since the last ice age. By 1995, 16 ancient settlements had
been found in the area. They are similar to Vuollerim from about 6000 to 5000
BC. found. However, most of the current urban area has only risen from the sea
during the last millennium due to post-glacial land uplift. Around 1000, the
mouth of the Tornionjoki River was located near Kukkolankoski, 14 kilometers
north of the current city center.
Establishment of the city
Prior
to its establishment, Tornio was known as a meeting place for trade routes,
from where Nordic products, salmon and Lapland furs, entered the world market.
Tornio is named after the Tornio River, which flows along the western border
of Finland. The origin of the name Tornionjoki has been disputed, but according
to the current understanding, it contains the old word 'Tornio' for Hämäläinen's
war spear. The explanation based on the Swedish word ‘Tower’ (tower) is no longer
considered credible. Lake Torniojärvi (Duortnosjávri in northern Sámi) is probably
named after the river, as the oldest known documents mention Iretresk as the
name of the lake.
Tornio received its city rights by order of King Gustav
II Adolf of Sweden on May 12, 1621 and was officially established in Suensaari
(wolf island). The name may have come from a landowner in the area, or from
the word Swensarö, a Swedish island.
Tornio was the northernmost city
in the world at the time.
The city was founded in recognition of Tornio’s
position as a center of commerce during the 16th century. Tornio grew into the
largest trading city in the north and for a few years was the wealthiest city
in the Kingdom of Sweden. Despite its lively trade with Lapland and overseas
territories, the city’s population remained at the level of more than 500 people
for hundreds of years.
In the 18th century, Tornio was visited by a few
Central European explorers who came to explore the Arctic. The most significant
expedition took place between 1736 and 1737, when Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis
and his research team from the French Academy arrived to take measurements along
the Tornio River. Among other things, triangular measurements made from the
top of Aavasaksa succeeded in proving that the Earth is a spherical ball, a
geoid.
Tornio during Russian rule
Lapland's trade, on which Tornio
depended, began to decline during the 19th century. Due to the uplift, the river
had become too narrow for water traffic and the port of Tornio had to be moved
downstream. However, the most significant blow to the wealthy city took place
in the Finnish War of 1808, at the end of which Finland was annexed to the Russian
Empire. The border was drawn along the deepest waterway of the Muonionjoki River,
continuing to the Tornionjoki estuary. The policy divided Lapland into two parts,
which was fatal for trade. Unlike the rest of the border line, the Russian emperor
demanded Suensaari on the west side of the deepest waterway of the Tornio River
and with it the center of Tornio to be connected to Russia. The Swedes established
the village of Haparanda (now the city) on the west side of the border to offset
the loss of Tornio.
During Russian rule, Tornio was a small garrison
town. Trade only picked up during the Crimean War and the First World War. At
that time, Tornio became an important border crossing point. During World War
I, Tornio and Haparanda had the only connection between Russia and their western
allies.
Tornio during the period of Finnish independence
After Finland
became independent in 1917, the first battles of the Civil War were fought in
the area of Tornio railway station in February. As a result of the fighting,
Russian soldiers in Tornio were imprisoned.
Tornio lost his garrison.
However, the city’s population began to grow steadily.
In the Lapland
War, towards the end of the Second World War, Finland considered it a condition
of the peace agreement to remove German soldiers from the country. The most
significant battle of the Lapland War took place near the city center of Tornio,
when Finnish soldiers who arrived from Oulu by sea landed in a city occupied
by the Germans. A quick successful recapture apparently saved the city from
burning.
Thus, for example, the Tornio Church from 1686, one of the most significant
old buildings in Tornio, has survived.
Tornio reached its present territory
in 1973, when the neighboring municipalities of Alatornio and Karunki were annexed
to the city of Tornio.
Since the Second World War, the city has been
employed especially by a brewery owned by Hartwall, known for its Lapin Kulta
beer. In the 1960s, Outokumpu Oyj built a ferrochrome plant for the production
of stainless steel raw materials in the Röyä district, and in 1976 the company's
stainless steel plant was started there. In the past post-war decades, large
textile industries have also been major employers in Tornio, such as the Kerilon
nylon yarn factory and the Norlyn sock factory. The textile industry has now
withered away. Tourism in the Tornio River Valley has increased in recent years.
Tornio transitioned to the mayoral system in 1929. Prior to that, the city
was governed by mayors who were elected on the basis of a degree in law and
familiarity.