Outokumpu is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

. It is located in the

North Karelia North Karelia ( fi, Pohjois-Karjala; sv, Norra Karelen) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and South Karelia, as well as Russia's Republic of Karelia. It is the easternmost region of Fin ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, west of

Joensuu Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. The ...

and east of Kuopio. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

is . The most important road connection in the locality is Highway 9. Neighbouring municipalities are

Heinävesi Heinävesi () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Savonlinna, Varka ...

Kaavi Kaavi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Savonia region. Kaavi is also a part of historical Karelia. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . It is fr ...

Liperi Liperi ( sv, Libelits) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. Liperi is a community of () with the growth rate of 83 newcomers in 11 months in 2007. The population density is . The municipality covers an area of ...

Polvijärvi Polvijärvi (; literally "knee lake") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipaliti ...

and

Tuusniemi Tuusniemi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Savo region, east of Kuopio. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is Neighbour municipalities are Heinäv ...

. The municipality is unilingually

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

. The fir-twigged line in the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Outokumpu refers to the name ''Kuusjärvi'' (literally "spruce lake") at the time the municipality's coat of arms was established, and the

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

symbol refers to Outokumpu Oyj's mines, which later gave their name to the entire township. The coat of arms was designed by Olof Eriksson, and the Kuusjärvi municipal council approved it at its meeting on November 21, 1952. The

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

approved the coat of arms for use on February 18, 1953.

History

The municipality was formerly known as ''Kuusjärvi''. In 1968 it became a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

and was renamed as Outokumpu after the copper mine located in the municipality. Outokumpu gained

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1977. The town began to form around the Outokumpu Copper Mine, which was active between 1913-1989. The old mining area is still clearly visible as it is situated in the town centre and nowadays it has been developed into a tourist attraction.

Economy

The steel manufacturer

Outokumpu Outokumpu Oyj is a group of international companies headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, employing 10,600 employees in more than 30 countries. Outokumpu is the largest producer of stainless steel in Europe and the second largest producer in the A ...

originates from the town of Outokumpu. Outokumpu Copper Mine was a big employer in Outokumpu from the beginning of 20th century until 1989 when the ore was shut down. In Outokumpu there is a rather vibrant industrial park, which was founded in 1979 when it became apparent that the mine was to be shut down during the next decade. Most of the town's biggest employers are situated in Outokumpu Industrial Park as it has the role of organizing and developing the local businesses. Nowadays Outokumpu is home to many technology industry companies such as Outotec Turula workshop, Finelcomp Oy, Okun Hammaspyörä Oy, Okun Koneistuspalvelu Oy and Outokummun Metalli Oy. It is said that in Outokumpu there is one of the highest densities of CNC machines and tools in Finland compared to population. Relevant employers from other branches of the economy include among others: Piippo Oyj, Mondo Minerals, HK Scan Finland. There was some 2502 jobs in Outokumpu in 2014.

Tourism

Main tourist attraction in Outokumpu is the Outokumpu Old Mine. An area where you can find a mining museum, theme park Children's mine for children, some restaurants and a Disc golf track that surrounds the old mining area. Other destinations of interest are the Outokumpu Nature Park, Keretti Golf track (in an old mining area), lake Juojärvi and the municipal Sports and Swimming Centre. During summer season you can go for a canoe trip on the small and beautiful lakes surrounding the Outokumpu Nature Park. You can also go fishing in Children's fishing Oasis and rent a beach sauna from touristic services.

Culture

Food

In the 1980s, meat soup called ''kaivossoppa'' ("mine soup") and rye-

lingonberry ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'', the lingonberry, partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry, is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family Ericaceae, that bears edible fruit. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Norther ...

porridge were named as Outokumpu's traditional parish dishes.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kohtla-Järve Kohtla-Järve is a city and municipality in northeastern Estonia, founded in 1924 and incorporated as a town in 1946. The city is highly industrial, and is both a processor of oil shales and is a large producer of various petrochemical products ...

, Estonia *Schöningen, Germany

References

External links

*
Town of Outokumpu
– Official website {{authority control Cities and towns in Finland Mining towns in Finland