Kemi
Kemi [ kɛmi ] is a Finnish port city at the mouth of Kemi in the Gulf of Bothnia. It is 91.96 km ², 1.25 km ² of this area is water. In the Middle Ages Kemi was favored by the waterways an important trading post for furs and fish. 1869 received by Kemi majestic imperial decree ( Tsar Alexander II ) municipal rights and was given a major role in the course of industrialization through its port. 1903 Kemi was connected to the railway network. Of economic importance are mainly wood processing plants.
Population Development
Development of the population (31 December):
Infrastructure and economy
In Kemi, the VR railway line from Oulu branched into an eastern branch above Rovaniemi to Kuusamo and a northern branch after Kolari. From Monday to Thursday there are three daily direct flights to Helsinki, other days more. In addition, there is the airport Kemi - Tornio, which serves the city of Tornio in addition.
On the Gulf of Bothnia located, Kemi also has two port terminals, Ajo and Veitsiluoto. In both ports raw materials and finished products in the paper and forest products are mainly shipped, but also container and bulk cargo, such as ores, can be handled there. At Ajo also features an oil port for the import of petroleum products. About regular scheduled services Kemi is connected with other cargo ports in Europe. In winter ice conditions difficult in the Gulf of Bothnia access to Kemi 's ports, however, several of the Finnish National Board of icebreaker navigation are in use, to keep the shipping lanes open even in winter.
In Kemi two large pulp mills and sawmills are located, the former Kemi Oy (now Metsä -Botnia ) and the former Veitsiluoto Oy (now Stora Enso ). In the vicinity are chrome ore, with which the ferrochrome plant of the company Outokumpu is supplied in Tornio.
Coat of arms
Description: Red and blue divided, above a silver anchor and down a silver fish. About the coat of arms, a golden crown.
Policy
Management Kemi is a stronghold of the Finnish left. The strongest political force, none of the three Finnish political parties, but the Lapland traditionally strong links alliance with a vote share of 32.3 % here scored the nation's best in the municipal elections of 2012 and 15 of 43 seats in the city council, the highest decision-making body in municipal affairs notes. The second strongest force, the Social Democrats with just under a quarter of the vote and 11 seats. The conservative camp is with the Centre Party ( 7 seats) and the National Coalition Party (6 seats ) rather weak, the base Finns were able to reap the greatest gains in the 2008 elections and are now represented by four MPs, the Greens with a.
Attractions
The most important attraction of Kemi is the gemstone gallery. In her 3000 gems, a goldsmith's workshop, and a documentary about the formation and storage of precious stones can be seen. A faithful replica of the crown of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain as well as the Finnish crown form the most famous exhibits. The gallery has seasonal opening times dependent.
The town house of Kemi was completed in 1940 after the plans of architect Bertel Strömer. The upper floors of the 51 -meter-high building to act as a water tower. During the Lapland War in 1944 by the German troops attempted to blow up the town house, but this failed. The building was expanded in 1967 and increased by an additional floor. On the top floor there is a café and a viewing terrace offer views over the region.
In the port of Kemi ( Ajo ), the icebreaker Sampo built in 1961. The now disused and converted into a luxury cruise ship icebreaker has a capacity of up to 150 visitors. The icebreaker can take two to six-hour rides on the frozen Baltic Sea in winter. This includes trips to the ski and snowmobile or dog and reindeer safaris. In summer you can visit the ship and eat in the restaurant. The 75 m long and 17.4 m wide icebreaker Sampo weighs 3,450 tons and has a capacity of 8,800 hp. Its top speed is 16 knots in open water.
Since 1996, the Snow Castle of Kemi (Finnish Lumilinna ) is annually built in Kemi.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Paavo Aaltonen (1919-1962), gymnast
- Antti Atamila, also known as Antti Anatomy, bassist for the glam rock band Negative
- Mika Halvari (* 1970), shot putter
- Sanna Lankosaari (born 1978 ), ice hockey player
- Perttunen Väinö (1906-1984), Ringer
- Hannu Tihinen (born 1976 ), football player
- Per Olof Ultvedt (1927-2006), kinetic artist
- Paavo Väyrynen ( born 1946 ), politician
- Reima Virtanen ( born 1947 ), boxer
- Members of the band Sonata Arctica ( Tony Kakko eg, Jani Liimatainen )