Kajaani (; sv, Kajana) is the most populous town and the capital of the Kainuu Region of Finland. It is located southeast of

Lake Oulu A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

(Oulujärvi), which drains into the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...

through the Oulu River (Oulujoki). As of , it had a population of . The town was founded in the 17th century, fueled by the growth of the tar industry, but it was preceded by a long history of settlements. During the Great Northern War it succumbed to Russian forces, who ruined Kajaani Castle in 1716. Today, the local economy is mainly driven by the sawmill, lumber, and paper industries, although

UPM Kymmene UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996. UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Ra ...

's paper mill, the main employer from 1907 until 2008, has since closed. Kajaani's church was built in 1896 in the Neo-Gothic style by the architect

Jac Ahrenberg Johan Jacob Ahrenberg, usually referred to as Jac (30 March 1847, in Vyborg – 10 October 1914, in Helsinki) was a Finnish architect, writer and artist. He designed a number of public buildings in Finland and is also remembered for his literary wo ...

to replace an earlier church. Kajaani's town theatre was established in 1969. Kajaani is home to two football clubs,

AC Kajaani AC Kajaani was a football club from Kajaani, Finland. The club was formed in 2006 after the merger of FC Tarmo and Kajaanin Palloilijat (KaPa). Their home ground was Kajaanin Liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team last played in the Ykkön ...

and

Kajaanin Haka Kajaanin Haka (abbreviated KajHa) is a football club from Kajaani in Finland. The club was formed in 1953 and their home ground is at the Kajaanin liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Third Division). ...

, and the ice hockey team

Hokki Kajaanin Hokki is a Finnish ice hockey team based at Kajaani. The team was founded in 1968. The club Hokki was promoted from Suomi-sarja to Mestis in the end of season 2001–02 after beating Diskos of Jyväskylä in qualifications. Hokki's ho ...

. The

Kajaani University of Applied Sciences Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK, in Finnish: Kajaanin ammattikorkeakoulu) is a university of applied sciences located in the town of Kajaani. There are approximately 2200 students and 230 members of staff at KAMK. Kajaani University ...

was established in 1992.

History

Kajaani was one of the cities founded in 1651 by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Governor General of Finland, Per Brahe. At that time, the Kainuu region—as wood country—was an important producer of tar derived from pine, and the tar trade was its major industry. In 1653-4 the district court sessions of Kajaani and Sotkamo were responsible for authorizing a road to be built between Säräisniemi and Raahe, improving communications in the region. During the Greater Wrath in the 18th century, Kajaani Castle was forced to surrender to Russian forces. The Russians blew the castle up in March 1716, and it has been in ruins ever since. On 17 October 1808, General

Johan August Sandels Count Johan August Sandels (31 August 1764 – 22 January 1831) was a Swedish soldier and politician, being appointed Governor-general of Norway (''Riksståthållare'' in Swedish, ''Rigsstatholder'' in Dano-Norwegian) 1818 and Field Marshal ...

won a key victory to the south of Kajaani near Iisalmi during the

Battle of Koljonvirta The Battle of Koljonvirta ( fi, Koljonvirran taistelu) ( sv, Slaget vid Virta bro) i.e. the Battle of the Virta Bridge was fought between Swedish and Russian troops on October 27, 1808. The Swedish force consisted of troops from Savolax and Öst ...

of the Finnish War, when his army of just 1,800 defeated over 6,000 Russians. There is a monument on the east side of the river marking where the spot where Lieutenant

Jakob Henrik Zidén Jakob Henrik Zidén (31 October 1785 – 27 October 1808) was a Finnish officer, acclaimed for his bravery in the defence of Kuopio in 1808–09. He died near Iisalmi in the Battle of Koljonvirta between the Swedes and Russians in 1808 which wa ...

and Major-General

Mikhail Petrovich Dolgorukov Prince Mikhail Petrovich Dolgorukov (Russian: Князь Михаил Петрович Долгоруков; 1780—1808) was a Russian prince and general who died at the Battle of Virta Bridge against the Swedes on 27 October 1808. Biography Th ...

fell. In early 1833, medical doctor Elias Lönnrot, best known for compiling the '' Kalevala'', the national epic of Finland, was appointed district physician in Kajaani and was assigned to assist in dealing with the typhoid and

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

epidemic which was raging during the 1830s. The disease was difficult to treat and he soon fell ill himself with typhus at the end of February 1833 but recovered. Kajaani was severely affected by the famine in 1867-1868 which devastated much of Finland, but the town gradually recovered and by the end of the century had grown to more than 1200 inhabitants. Kajaani Town Hall was built in 1831, the former City Library in 1852, Kainuu's first elementary school in 1883, and Kajaani Church in 1896 as it grew into a notable settlement. The paper industry took off in Kajaani in the early 20th century in particular. Kajaani Paper Mill was built in 1907 and was run by the firm Kajaani Oy, which had a capital of FMK 5,000,000 (£137,615) in 1948. Kajaani Oy was eventually acquired by Valmet in 1983, and the subsidiary Kajaani Electronics was formed. Ämmäkoski power plant was built on the river in 1917 by the Kajaani Lumber Company, and underwent alterations under architect

Eino Pitkänen Eino is a Finnish and Estonian masculine given name. The name is thought to be the Finnic form of the given name Henri. Both Finnish and Estonian languages belong to the Finno-Ugric language group through their being Uralic languages.Langu ...

in the 1940s. The city's grew in the 1960s to 14,600 inhabitants. Industrial development in the 1970s, and the merger of the separate rural municipality of Kajaani, Kajaanin maalaiskunta, and the city in 1977 saw the population jump to 34,574 by 1980.

Vuolijoki Vuolijoki is a former municipality in Finland. The municipality was consolidated with the city of Kajaani in the beginning of year 2007. Vuolijoki was located in the province of Oulu on the shores of Lake Oulujärvi, and was part of the Kainu ...

was consolidated with Kajaani at the beginning of 2007. In 2012, an oil spill occurred in Kajaani. 110,000 liters of oily water leaked into a river that eventually flowed into the Oulujärvi lake.

Geography

Kajaani is situated in the heart of central Finland. By road is it north-northwest of Helsinki, north of

Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...

, and southeast of

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

. Villages in the vicinity include

Jormua Jormua is a very old village ashore the lake of Oulujärvi in the town of Kajaani, Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders w ...

, Koutaniemi, Kuluntalahti, Lahnasjärvi, Lehtovaara, Linnantaus, Mainua, Murtomäki and Paltaniemi. Districts of Kajaani include: Heinisuo, Hetteenmäki, Hoikankangas, Huuhkajanvaara, Katiska, Kettu, Komiaho, Kuurna, Kylmä, Kättö, Kätönlahti, Laajankangas, Lehtikangas, Lohtaja, Nakertaja, Onnela, Palokangas, Petäisenniska, Puistola, Purola, Soidinsuo, Suvantola, Teppana, Tihisenniemi, Tikkapuro, Variskangas and Yläkaupunki. Kajaani lies on the Kajaani River, between the lakes of Oulujärvi, which drains to the

along the Oulu River, and Nuasjärvi. Between Kajaani and Oulujärvi are the smaller lakes of Sokajärvi and Paltajärvi, which are frozen during winter. Paltajärvi stands between the Kajaani River and Oulujärvi. The Kajaani and Vuolijoki rivers are noted for their fishing. The island of Käkisaari lies on lake Oulujärvi to the northwest of the town and features residential houses and about 150 summer cottages and holiday apartments, and the island of Toukka lies in the eastern part of the lake. Also within the municipality is the

Laakajärvi Laakajärvi is medium-sized lake in the Vuoksi main catchment area. It is located in Sonkajärvi, Sotkamo and Kajaani municipalities, in the regions of Northern Savonia and Kainuu in Finland.Great black-backed gull and ospreys. The surrounding area is dominated by mainly conifer forest, with broad-leafed birch and alder woods on some of the steeper banks and streams. An early 20th century analysis of vegetation cover in Kajaani county recorded 385 different species of vascular plants. Talaskangas Nature Reserve, with nearly pristine natural forest and about 50 different wildlife species, is in the Vieremä and Sonkajärvi local area. Logging was planned in the 1980s, but environmental activists prevented exploitation through lobbying. The reserve was formally established in 1994.

Climate

Kajaani lies within the

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 ...

zone ( Köppen: ''Dfc''), but the proximity of the Baltic Sea and warm airflows from the Atlantic Ocean (as well as warm current) result in a much milder climate than many locations at this latitude. Summers are cool, with the hottest month usually in July, with the average high temperature reaching , although during severe heatwaves highs of have been reached in July and August and a local record of 34.5 °C (94.1 °F), was registered in July during the heatwave of 2010. The summers also have the most rainfall, reaching a peak in July with . Rainfall is fairly constant throughout the year, with no dry season. Winters can be harsh, and temperatures can drop below . The peak of the cold season on average lasts from December 11 to March 8, with an average daily high temperature below , with the greatest snowfall in January.

Demographics

As of , the municipality has a population of (around 34,000 in the town itself) and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish (only of people from Kajaani speak

as their first language).

Government

The Kajaani City Council consists of 51 members and following the 2012 municipal election the seats are divided for the Centre Party (13), the Finns Party (9), the National Coalition Party (8), the Left Alliance (8), the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(7), independent (3), the Green League (2) and the Christian Democrats (1). The chairperson of the City Council is Jaana Sankilampi from the Finns Party. The City Government, which includes all parties with the exception of the Christian Democrats and independents, is headed by Marjatta Immonen. The Mayor, whose duty is that of a civil servant independent of the city council, is Jari Tolonen.

Economy

A view to the corner of Kauppakatu and Kirkkokatu in Kajaani

The budgeted income of Kajaani was FIM 930 million in 1996. In its earlier history, Kajaani was a thriving center of the tar industry. A channel built in 1846 especially for the transportation of tar out of the town still exists today. Today the local economy is driven by mainly the sawmill, lumber and paper industries.

Kajaani paper mill Kajaani (; sv, Kajana) is the most populous town and the capital of the Kainuu Region of Finland. It is located southeast of Lake Oulu (Oulujärvi), which drains into the Gulf of Bothnia through the Oulu River (Oulujoki). As of , it had a pop ...

, established in 1907 by Kajaani Oy (ex Kajaanin Puutavara Osakeyhtio), was the largest private employer in Kajaani. The factories are on the river bank, at Tihisenniemi. They built a new paper machine in the town in 1980 which was projected to have an annual output of 170,000 tons. Kajaani Oy was eventually acquired by Valmet in 1983, and the subsidiary Kajaani Electronics was formed. Kajaani Electronics was cited as "one of the leading makers of special sensors and analyzers for the pulp and paper industry" in 1990. When the paper mill was acquired by

in 1989 it became the third-largest paper company in Finland. It closed in 2008 due to lack of profitability and high energy costs, but has since continued its operations, and was sold to Pölkky Oy in 2012. Ämmäkoski power plant

In the early 1970s an electronics manufacturing plant was built in Kajaani, and the firm Kajaani Automation was established in 1980. As of 1999 the peat industry in Kajaani earned FIM 0.5 million annually. Some 222 hectares is allocated to peat production, with private firm Vapo Oy contracted to exploit it and deliver peat to the power plant. According to 1999 figures, Kajaani earns FIM 3 million a year by selling forestry products, and also receives a sizable income from tourist-related activities from its forests. Fishing also contributes to the income of people in the town. Kajaani has three main hotels, the 191-room Scandic Kajanus Kajaani, Hotel Kajaani and Original Sokos Hotel Valjus, although the Karolineburg Manor House now also functions as a hotel with 20 rooms. The ''Sirius'' restaurant, cited as the best restaurant in the town, serves Finnish cuisine, and is housed in a former government building which hosted conferences between Leonid Brezhnev and Urho Kekkonen. Also of note is the Chinese restaurant ''Golden Dragon'', the ''Torero'' which serves Spanish cuisine, ''Hospoda Kourna'' and ''Pikantti''. The Central Hospital of Kainuu, which serves the wider region, is situated in Kajaani. Opened in 1968, it has a number of specialist medical departments andworks in cooperation with the

Oulu University Hospital Oulu University Hospital (OUH, fi, Oulun yliopistollinen sairaala, OYS) is a university hospital in Oulu, Finland. It is the northernmost of the five university hospitals in Finland. The Oulu University Hospital is affiliated with the University ...

. The town also has an eye clinic.

Kainuu Brigade Kainuu brigade (Finnish Kainuun prikaati) is a Finnish Army unit situated in Kajaani. The brigade is one of the biggest army units, training approximately 4000 conscripts annually. The Kainuu Brigade is one of the three readiness brigades in the ...

, a unit of the Finnish Army established in 1966, is the third biggest employer in the city. The brigade trains around 4,000 conscripts each year and employs 500 military personnel and 100 civilians.

Landmarks

Kajaani Castle, located on an island on the Kajaani river in the centre of the city, was originally built in 1604 and was commissioned by

Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric X ...

. The castle served as an administrative centre, prison, military base and a refuge for the citizens. The Town Hall of Kajaani, on the main square, Raatihuoneentori, was built to the design of Carl Engel in 1831 with a central rooftop clocktower and turret. It underwent restoration in 1990 when it was painted in a "fetching yellow ochre" color.

Kajaani Church Kajaani Church ( fi, Kajaanin kirkko) is a church in Kajaani, Finland. It was built in 1896 in the Neo-Gothic style by architect Jac Ahrenberg Johan Jacob Ahrenberg, usually referred to as Jac (30 March 1847, in Vyborg – 10 October 1914, in Hel ...

was built in 1896 in the Neo-Gothic style by architect

. It replaced an earlier church on the spot which was originally built in 1656 and destroyed by the Russians in 1716 at the time when Kajaani castle was destroyed. The second church was built 1734-35 which served the parish for 160 years until replaced with Ahrenberg's new church. The church, built from wood, has three naves and features a delicate, slender bell tower. It is decorated with English Gothic style carvings. Kajaani Orthodox Church (''Kajaanin ortodoksinen seurakunta''), which has a regional membership of about 1880 members is centred at Christ Church of the Transfiguration in Kajaani. The church was completed in 1959 to designs by Ilmari Ahonen. It contains murals painted by Petros Sasaki and Alkiviadis Kepolas. In the suburb of Paltaniemi is a church, originally built in 1599, and considered to be the regional centre for the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

. There is a mosque in the town, which is the center of the regional Kainuu Islamic community, which in 2013 had 174 members. Eino Leno House, containing a cafe, was built in 1978 to commemorate famous poet Eino Leino, a native of the town. Keisarintalli, a wooden stable, was used as a boarding house for Tsar Alexander I of Russia during his tour of Finland in 1819. Also of note is the Urho Kekkonen Memorial, dedicated to the eighth Finnish president, Urho Kekkonen. The high monument was carved by sculptor Pekka Kauhanen and was unveiled on 3 September 1990, exactly 90 years after Kekkonen's birth.

Culture

The Kajaani Town Theatre, established in 1969, puts on plays and concerts, typically seen by around 200 people. The Art Museum of Kajaani ('), located in a building that was a police station, which is connected to Kajaani's former city hall. was founded in 1993 and centers on Finnish

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

.Kainuu Museum
(') displays information related to the tar industry, the ''Kalevala'' (the national epic of Finland) and author Elias Lönnrot and others on the ground floor, and regularly hosts temporary exhibitions upstairs. The most notable annual cultural events in Kajaani are Kajaanin Runoviikko (The Kajaani Poetry Week), originally known as Sana ja Sävel, and Kainuun JazzKevät (The Kainuu Jazz Spring). Kajaani Orchestra began in the 1950s, and was expanded when the Kuopio garrison band moved to Kajaani in 1963.

Radio Kajaus Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

, one of Finland's oldest local radios, began operations in Kajaani in 1989, and remains one of the few completely independent radio stations in Finland. Kainuu Radio, which belongs to the Yle, broadcasts Monday to Friday from 6.30 to 17.00.

Education

The town is served by the

, a small university of applied sciences which was established in 1992. It provides courses in Activity Tourism, Information Systems, Nursing and Healthcare, Mechanical and Mining Engineering and Business and Innovations, and offers 8 Bachelor's degree programmes and 5 Master programmes delivered in Finnish. The Research Center for Developmental Teaching and Learning at Kajaani University Consortium is associated with the University of Oulu. There is also a polytechnical institute in Kajaani, which had an enrollment of 653 students in the mid 1990s. The 500 PetaFLOP ''Large Unified Modern Infrastructure'' supercomputer is being constructed to service 10 European countries. The government-run Kainuu Music Institute was founded in 1957, and is part of the Kaukametsä Congress and Culture Centre. It is one of the largest musical institutes in Finland, with an enrollment of about 900 from the wider Kainuu region. Kainuu Music dance department Ballet Kaukametsä teaches dance to dancers of different ages. The public library of Kajaani is situated on Kauppakatu street and has free Internet access, and there is also a mobile library service. The ''Kajaani Journal'' has been publishing since at least 1919.

Sports

Kajaani has two football clubs,

and

. AC Kajaani was formed in 2006 after the merger of FC Tarmo and Kajaanin Palloilijat (KaPa), and plays their home games at the Kajaanin Liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kakkonen (Division 2). Kajaanin Haka was formed in 1953 and plays at the Kajaanin liikuntapuisto stadium. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Division 3). The local ice hockey team,

, plays in the Mestis league. Kajaani ice rink (Kajaanin jäähalli) was inaugurated in 1989 and accommodates for 2372 spectators, 781 in seating and 1591 in standing. There is a race course (Kajaanin ravirata) about to the north of the centre of Kajaani in Kuluntalahden, which hosts competitions only during the summer season. The track was completed in 2008 with a new café-restaurant. Kajaani has hiking paths, skiing tracks, gyms, and sports grounds within the municipality. Pöllyvaara and the Vimpeli Hills are notable local ski areas, frequented by tourists during the winter months. Fishing is popular along the banks of the river. Kajaani also has a golf course, and there are also several dancing pavilions in the town.

Transport

There are two important highways from the direction of Helsinki to Kajaani: Highway 5 ( E63) and

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * National Road SH6 Argentina * Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6 Australia New ...

. In addition, Highway 22 leads to Kajaani from the direction of

. There is a daily bus service operating between Kajaani, Oulu, Kemijärvi and Rukatunturi, and Bus No.4 runs hourly during weekdays from Pohjolankatu in Kajaani to Paltaniemi. During the summer months there is a cruise service operating between Joensuu and Nurmes.

Kajaani railway station The Kajaani railway station was built from 1904 to 1905, when the railway from Iisalmi to Kajaani was completed as an extension to the Savonia railroad. The station building was designed by Gustaf Nyström. This Jugend building has been called ...

opened in 1905 when the railway from Iisalmi to Kajaani was completed as an extension to the

Savonia railroad Savonia or Savonian may refer to: *Savonia (historical province), a historical province of Finland when it was part of the Kingdom of Sweden *Savonian dialects, forms of Finnish language spoken in Savonia and other parts of Eastern Finland *Savonia ...

. The station building was designed by

Gustaf Nyström Gustaf Nyström (21 January 1856 – 30 December 1917) was a Finnish architect. Nyström has been described as one of the most important architects in Finland at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He was active bot ...

. The Kajaani station trackyard underwent significant upgrading and repair work in 2005, when the railway from Iisalmi to Kontiomäki was electrified. Four trains arrive daily from Helsinki via Kouvola and Kuopio, with the journey taking 7–10 hours to Helsinki depending on the train. There are also daily trains from Joensuu, and connecting trains between Nurmes and Kajaani. Flughafen Kajaani 01

Kajaani Airport, approximately northwest of Kajaani in the Paltaniemi area, is the main local airport. It is operated by

Finavia Finavia Oyj, formerly the Finnish Civil Aviation Administration, is the public limited company responsible for maintaining and developing Finland's airport network. Finavia manages and develops 20 airports around the country, 18 of which primar ...

, and also serves needs of non-commercial general aviation. Construction of the airport began in 1939 with the runway being completed in the autumn, but due to World War it was not fully opened until 22 June 1956.

Aegean Airlines Aegean Airlines S.A. ( el, Αερογραμμές Αιγαίου Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία ''Aeroporía Aigaíou Anónimi Etairía'', ) is the flag carrier airline of Greece and the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carri ...

and Flybe Nordic provides flights to Chania and Helsinki. The Finnair connection to Helsinki operates during the summer twice daily and three times a day during the winter schedule period. In 2013 the airport served 74,558 passengers.

Notable people

Antti Halonen Antti Halonen (born February 2, 1982) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for KalPa in the Finnish Liiga. Halonen returned to KalPa after two seasons with Timrå IK of the then Elitserien Elitserien (literally, ...

, ice hockey player * Eino Leino, poet and journalist * Elias Lönnrot, philologist and poetry collector; compiler of ''

The Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and ...

'' *

Henrik Flöjt Henrik Flöjt (May 24, 1952, Kajaani – September 26, 2005) was a Finnish biathlete, world champion and Olympic medalist. He received a silver medal in 4 x 7.5 km relay at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ...

, biathlon athlete *

Jorma Korhonen Jorma Petteri Korhonen (born 23 March 1968) is a Finnish judoka. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu ...

, judoka * Jouko Karjalainen, skier *

Marko Kemppainen Marko Kemppainen (born 13 July 1976 in Kajaani) is an athlete from Finland. He competes in skeet shooting. Kemppainen won a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championship in Cairo. He represented Finland at the 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 ...

, skeet shooter *

Matti Heikkinen Matti Heikkinen (born 19 December 1983 in Kajaani) is a Finnish former cross-country skier and World Champion who competed from 2002 to 2019. Career Heikkinen won his first World Championship at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Hol ...

, skier *

Olli Malmivaara Olli Malmivaara (born March 13, 1982) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils. Biography As a youth, Malmivaara played in the 1995 Quebec International Pee-Wee Ho ...

, ice hockey player *

Pekka Suorsa Pekka Antero Suorsa (born 8 December 1967) is a Finnish former ski jumper. He competed in the large hill event at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Career He won a gold medal in the team large hill at the 1987 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Obers ...

, ski jumper *

Riku Nieminen Riku Nieminen (born 5 May 1986) is a Finnish actor and dancer. He is best known for having appeared in the first five seasons of the sketch comedy television show ''Putous'' and for his character Munamies ("Eggy"). Nieminen also appeared as one of ...

, actor and dancer *

Sakari Kukko Sakari Kukko, (full Name: Jyrki Sakari Kukko, born 8 July 1953, Kajaani, Finland) is a Finnish musician. Career Kukko started his career in the early 1960s as a singer participating in several singing contests and performing in radio stations, ...

, musician *

Tommi Leinonen Tommi Leinonen (born May 14, 1987) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who currently plays for EHC Lustenau of the second-tier Austrian National League. Awards *2005–06: Jr. A SM-liiga Silver Medal *2005–06: SM-liiga Bronze Med ...

, ice hockey player * Urho Kekkonen, 8th President of Finland * Kasperi Heikkinen, Guitar player

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kajaani is twinned with:

References

External links

Town of Kajaani
– Official website * {{authority control Cities and towns in Finland Municipalities of Kainuu Grand Duchy of Finland Populated places established in 1651 1651 establishments in Sweden