Kolari is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

at the Swedish border, which follows the Torne River, the longest free-flowing river in Europe. It is located in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of 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 (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 geog ...

is . Neighbouring municipalities are

Muonio Muonio (previously called ''Muonionniska''; ) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. The town is located in fell-region of far northern Finland above the Arctic Circle on the country's western border with Sweden, the Muonio ( ...

Pello Pello (formerly Turtola) is a municipality of Finland. It is located approximately north of the Arctic Circle in the western part of the province of Lapland, and is part of the Lapland region. The municipality is on the national border with ...

Kittilä Kittilä (, , ) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland and a popular holiday resort. It is located in northern Finland north of the Arctic Circle within the Lapland (Finland), Lapland Regions of Finland, region. The municipality ...

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...

and

Pajala Municipality Pajala Municipality (; Meänkieli and Finnish: ''Pajalan kunta'') is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, bordering Finland. Its seat is located in the locality of Pajala. In 1884 Tärendö was detached from Pajala Municipalit ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Kolari railway station is the northernmost station in Finland. Ylläs, one of the most popular ski resorts in Finland, is located in Kolari. The area also features the country's largest bog with a thousand-year-old forest.

History

The first permanent settler in the area was a Savonian named Pekka Kolari, arriving in the area in the early 1580s. He originated from

Konnevesi Konnevesi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the former province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which , or almost 25%, is water. Neighb ...

, which was a part of the

Rautalampi Rautalampi () is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Savonia regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ...

parish at the time. The island named ''Kolarinsaari'' near the village of Istunmäki was likely his original home, as the Savonian surname ''Kolari'' originates from the same island. The area of Kolari was a part of the

Pajala Pajala () is a locality and the seat of Pajala Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden, with 1,958 inhabitants in 2010. It is located in Swedish Lapland. Pajala is in part of the Meänmaa (Torne valley) region and was in past times unilingua ...

parish, which is in modern Sweden. Kolari started growing in the 17th century due to the nearby

Kengis Kengis (; ) is a small rural community in Pajala Municipality in northernmost Sweden, located very near the Finnish border. History In 1644, two Swedish noblemen, later called ''Renstierna'' ("Reindeer star"), set up a forge in the Swedish vill ...

(Köngäs) ironworks established in 1644. Kolari was home to many skilled blacksmiths. Charcoal, tar and chalk were produced and delivered to

Tornio Tornio (; ; ; ) is a city and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border Twin cities, twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is wat ...

. After Russia gained Finland in 1809, it was transferred to the Turtola parish, modern

. As the winter market could no longer be held in Kengis due to the new border, they were held on the island of Kolarinsaari in the Tornio river. Kolari became a chapel community in 1856 and a separate parish in 1894.

References

External links

Municipality of Kolari
– Official website (in Finnish)
Archived English version of the official website's homepageYlläs webpage
* Populated places established in 1867 Ski areas and resorts in Finland 1867 establishments in the Russian Empire Municipalities of Lapland (Finland) {{Lapland-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links