Salla (''Kuolajärvi'' until 1936) ( smn, Kyelijävri) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, located in
Lapland. The municipality has a population of
()
and covers an area of of
which
is water.
The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
is
.
The nearby settlement of
Sallatunturi Sallatunturi is a settlement in Lapland, Finland, located around 10 km south of Salla
Salla (''Kuolajärvi'' until 1936) ( smn, Kyelijävri) is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of
() and co ...
is home to the Salla Ski Resort.
History
![Finnish areas ceded in 1944](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Finnish_areas_ceded_in_1944.png)
Salla is in the Eastern Lapland and as a border area was affected by the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
troops invaded Finland at Salla during the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
but were stopped by the
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army (Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft ...
(see
Battle of Salla). Parts of the municipality were ceded to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
after the war. The ceded part is sometimes called "Old Salla" or ''Vanha Salla''. During the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
the old town of Salla was on the Soviet side of the border. The
German XXXVI Corps
__NOTOC__The XXXVI Corps was a German military formation in World War II.
It was formed in October 1939 and took part in the invasion of France. In August 1940 the corps was moved to southern Norway and from there to northern Finland.
It took par ...
attacked the Soviet positions in an operation code-named ''
Polarfuchs''. With the help of the
Finnish 6th Division it managed to occupy all of the ceded territories. At the end of the war the German troops were pushed out of Lapland by Finnish troops in the
Lapland War
During World War II, the Lapland War ( fi , Lapin sota; sv, Lapplandskriget; german: Lapplandkrieg) saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. ...
.
The following villages were ceded to the Soviet Union:
Alakurtti, Korja (Korya), Kuolajärvi (
Kuoloyarvi
Kuoloyarvi (russian: Куолоярви, fi, Kuolajärvi) is a rural locality (an inhabited locality) in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located north of the Arctic Circle at an altitude of above sea level. It had no recorded p ...
), Lampela, Sallansuu, Yläkurtti (Yulyakurtti), Sovajärvi (Sovayarvi), Tuutijärvi (Tuutiyarvi) and Vuorijärvi (Vuoriyarvi).
In January 2021, the mayor of Salla, Erkki Parkkinen, launched a bid to host the
2032 Summer Olympic Games
The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032, will be an international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 23 July to 8 August 2032, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
...
to raise awareness of climate change and highlight the threat the climate crisis poses to Salla and its ecosystem, which is dependent on low temperatures for most of the year.
Transportation
Salla is the terminus of a freight-only
railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
from
Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi ( se, Giemajávri, smn, Kiemâjävri, sms, Ǩeeʹmmjäuʹrr) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland.
History
The first permanent settler inhabitant of Kemijärvi was Paavali Ollinpoika H ...
. In 2006, the
Finnish Rail Administration
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency ( fi, Väylävirasto, sv, Trafikledsverket), shortened to FTIA, is a Finnish government agency responsible for the maintenance of Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Rep ...
announced proposals to close the line.
[Finnish Railway News – Year 2006](_blank)
/ref> The railway formerly extended beyond Salla into Russia, but has never carried international traffic.
Geography
Neighbour municipalities are Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi ( se, Giemajávri, smn, Kiemâjävri, sms, Ǩeeʹmmjäuʹrr) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland.
History
The first permanent settler inhabitant of Kemijärvi was Paavali Ollinpoika H ...
, Kuusamo
Kuusamo ( sme, Guossán; smn, Kuáccám) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
T ...
, Pelkosenniemi
Pelkosenniemi ( smn, Pelkosnjargâ) is a municipality of Finland.
Pelkosenniemi is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of
(), which make it the smallest municipality in Lapland in terms of population. It covers ...
, Posio
Posio is a municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. Neighbour municipalities are Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi, Ranua ...
and Savukoski
Savukoski ( sme, Suovvaguoika, smn, Suovâkuoškâ, sms, Suõvvkuõškk) is a municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Lapland, Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The p ...
.
Climate
Salla has a subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
( Dfc). Summer days are mild with about 1/3 of all days experiencing precipitation with nights tending to be cool. Winters are very long, cold, snowy, and extremely cloudy, lasting from the beginning of October through April, with mid-winter thaws being rare, and cold snaps relatively common. Spring and Autumn tend to be cool, not very variable, and short, lasting only a couple weeks to a few weeks in length.
The low temperature record of Salla is -50 °C (-58 °F), which was recorded in Naruska in 1985. It was also the record of Finland until 1999. On 28 January 1999, the unofficial record of Finland, -54,3 °C (-65,7 °F), was recorded in Naruska.
Historical places
In popular culture
Salla was referenced in the song ''66°50’N, 28°40’E'' by Finnish death-doom
Death-doom is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It combines the slow tempos and pessimistic or depressive mood of doom metal with the deep growling vocals and double kick drumming of death metal. The genre emerged in the late-1980s and gained ...
band Swallow the Sun on their 2015 triple album ''Songs From the North I, II and III''.
References
External links
*
Municipality of Salla
– Official website
{{Authority control
Populated places established in 1857
Finland–Russia border crossings
1857 establishments in the Russian Empire