Kuhmo

Kuhmo
Town
Kuhmon kaupunki
The Town hall
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 64°07.5′N 029°31′E / 64.1250°N 29.517°E / 64.1250; 29.517Coordinates: 64°07.5′N 029°31′E / 64.1250°N 29.517°E / 64.1250; 29.517
Country	Finland
Region	Kainuu
Sub-region	Kehys-Kainuu sub-region
Charter	1865
City rights	1986
Government
• Town Manager	Eila Valtanen
Area(2011-01-01)[1]
• Total	5,456.82 km2 (2,106.89 sq mi)
• Land	4,806.85 km2 (1,855.94 sq mi)
• Water	649.97 km2 (250.95 sq mi)
Area rank	12th largest in Finland
Population (2013-08-31)[2]
• Total	9,271
• Rank	107th largest in Finland
• Density	1.93/km2 (5.0/sq mi)
Population by native language[3]
• Finnish	7,001,983,000,000,000,00098.3% (official)
• Swedish	6,999,100,000,000,000,0000.1%
• Others	7,000,160,000,000,000,0001.6%
Population by age[4]
• 0 to 14	7,001,131,000,000,000,00013.1%
• 15 to 64	7,001,635,000,000,000,00063.5%
• 65 or older	7,001,235,000,000,000,00023.5%
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate[5]	20.25%
Website	www.kuhmo.fi

Kuhmo is a town and a municipality in Finland and is located at the south-eastern corner of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of 9,271 (31 August 2013)^[2] and covers an area of 5,456.82 square kilometres (2,106.89 sq mi) of which 649.97 km² (250.95 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 1.93 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.0 /sq mi). It has a borderline of 120 kilometres (75 mi) with Russia.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

In the beginning of 17th century people of Kuhmo were included in the parishes of Kajaani and Oulujärvi. Kuhmo became a municipality in 1865 and was known by the name Kuhmoniemi until 1937 when the name was shortened to Kuhmo. Kuhmo gained city rights in 1986.

During 19th century tar burning and burn-beating were economically essential to Kuhmo. In the year 1900 tar production in Kuhmo was highest in Finland, at 1.6 million litres.

The Winter War is an important event in the history of Kuhmo. During the war Kuhmo was bombarded 48 times and ground battles took place as near as ten kilometers from the center of the town. After the war Kuhmo kept its eastern borderline unchanged in accordance with the Moscow Peace Treaty, thus having an unchanged borderline for 400 years straight since the Treaty of Tyavzino of 1595.

Culture

Kuhmo is well known for its Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival which is held annually. The festival was founded in 1970 by cellist Seppo Kimanen and a small group of friends. A book on this subject was published in 2006.^[6]

Geography

By area the municipality is the second largest in the region (and the twelfth largest in the country), covering twice the land area of Luxembourg. The population is heavily concentrated in Kuhmo-town. Most of the area is very wild, featuring more than 600 lakes and for the rest extensively forested, providing a home to abundant wild life that includes bears, wolves and, less commonly, reindeer. The topography is made up of low hills, of which the most significant are near the Russian frontier on the eastern side. To the south Kuhmo is bordered by North Karelia.

Sights

• Kuhmo Arts Centre
• Kalevala Village
• Juminkeko – The Information Center for the Kalevala and Karelian Culture.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kuhmo is twinned with:

• Kostamus, Russia
• Oroszlány, Hungary
• Robertsfors, Sweden
• Šaľa, Slovakia

The Districts and Villages of the Town of Kuhmo

References

External links

Media related to Kuhmo at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website of Kuhmo
• Official Internet forum of Kuhmo
• Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival
• Lots of other links and information about Kuhmo's services.

v t e Municipalities of Kainuu Municipalities Hyrynsalmi Kajaani Kuhmo Paltamo Puolanka Ristijärvi Sotkamo Suomussalmi Vaala Former municipalities Kajaanin maalaiskunta Vuolijoki Kainuu Finland