Ylitornio

Ylitornio is a municipality and a town of the same name by the Tornio river in western Finnish Lapland. About one third of the municipality is north of the Arctic Circle. The main attractions are salmon fishing, nature, and the famous Aavasaksa hill.

Understand

Tourist information

History

There has been permanent settlements in this area for at least a thousand years. The mighty river Tornio (Finnish: Tornionjoki, Swedish: Torne älv) or Väylä, "The Lane", as locals call it, has brought people together for centuries. The river has acted as a source of food – the wild salmon population is plentiful even today – and as a fairway from village to village. The first road was built no earlier than in the 1830s! Before the Hamina treaty (1809) separated Finland from Sweden, modern day Ylitornio, Pello and Övertorneå formed a single parish. Many families have relatives across the border and Finnish has traditionally been the language also in those villages that now belong to Sweden.

During the Lapland War the villages on the Tornio river bank from Pekanpää to Vuopionranta survived the scorced earth policy of the German troops. Now they form one of the nationally significant built cultural environments.

The 242 meters high and very prominent 🌍 Aavasaksa hill has got an interesting position in the history of science. French mathematician and astronomer Pierre de Maupertuis made an expedition to Lapland 1736–1737 to determine the exact shape of the Earth. He used Aavasaksa as one of the measure points. Italian naturalist and explorer Giuseppe Acerbi traveled to Lapland 1798–1799 and climbed to the top of Aavasaksa as well. Finally, German-Russian astronomer Friedrich von Struve initiated measurements for the Struve Geodetic Arc in 1831. Aavasaksa was one of the measurement points during this massive project. Today, the remaining Stuve Arc points, including Aavasaksa, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aavasaksa is one of the oldest real tourist destinations in Finland. Even the Emperor Alexander II of Russia intended to visit Aavasaksa in 1876, but those were agitated times and finally the trip had to be cancelled. Today the carefully decorated hunting cabin, Keisarinmaja, acts as a café. The view from Aavasaksa over the surrounding river valley is one of the official national landscapes of Finland.

People

Ylitornio has about 4,000 permanent residents. Most people reside by the river Tornio. Another major settlement is a group of villages by the large lakes in northeast. This area is commonly referred as Järvikylät, "the Lake Villages". The population trend has been declining for decades but so far the municipality has successfully retained town level services.

Ylitornio is unilingually Finnish and English is widely understood. As elsewhere in the Tornio river valley the local Finnish dialect is highly distinctive. These terrains are in the heart of the river valley and have a notably strong local identity culture.

Get in

By car

Highway E8 (here national road 21) runs through the administrative centre and through the Aavasaksa village. Distance to the city of Tornio in the south is 57 km (1 hour drive). Regional road 930 connects Aavasaksa village to Muurola in Rovaniemi (83 km, 1 hr). Regional road 932 connects Aavasaksa to the Sinettä village in Rovaniemi (106 km, 1½ hr). Road 932 passes by the large lakes in the northeast.

The 🌍 Aavasaksa border crossing is located between Matarenki, the main village of Övertorneå in Swedish Norrbotten, and Aavasaksa village some 5 km north from the Ylitornio administrative center. Since 2016 the Finnish Customs have operated on site only by patrol. Possible customs declarations should be done online.

By bus

There are several daily coach connections to Ylitornio from Tornio in the south, a few from Rovaniemi in the east (via road 932), and one from Oulu via Kemi. The trip takes 1 hr from Tornio, 1½ hr from Kemi and 2 hr from Rovaniemi. A single ticket costs €14, €20 or €24, respectively. See Matkahuolto for details.

By train

The overnight train from Helsinki to Kolari via Tampere and Oulu stops at 🌍 Ylitornio railway platform. The trains arrive in Ylitornio four times a week at 09:00 (as of 2022). There is no station building but a simple platform. A single ticket for two in a sleeper cabin from Helsinki costs about €160, one for three €180. Off season you may have to get off in Kemi and continue by coach.

Get around

There is no local public transportation in Ylitornio. The long distance coaches stop in villages on their route but the services are scarce.

See

By far the main sight here is the Aavasaksa hill. It became a target of "mass tourism" already in the 19th century.

  • 🌍 Ylitornio church, Alkkulanraitti 8. A church built during the Winter War 1939-1940. The builders were mostly women as all the men were fighting at war. The bell tower built 1819 and the altar piece are remnants from the former church that appeared to be too cold in the winter and was deconstructed. 
  • 🌍 Aavasaksan Kruununpuisto park (Aavasaksan kruununpuisto), Aavasaksanvaarantie 281. On top of the Aavasaksa hill there are the hunting cabin Keisarinmaja prepared for the Emperor of Russia, a very decorative old kiosk, a viewing tower, and a viewing platform. There is also a memorial of the Maupertuis' expedition and a statue of female writer Annikki Kariniemi (1913-1984). Aavasaksa is included in the Struve Geodetic Arc UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are plays acted in the theater pavilion during the summer. The magnificent views to the Tornio river valley are included to the list of Finnish national landscapes. Smaller forest paths in the park aren't very suitable for disabled. The Pavilion has service daily in June–August and ast weekends in September. Guidance available by request. 
  • 🌍 School Museum (Koulumuseo), Kopanmäentie 22, ☏ +358 400 408 432. open by request. The whole history of education at Ylitornio until today, including stories of all the 35 former village schools. Not-so-surprisingly the building itself is a former elementary school. 
  • 🌍 Väinö Kataja museum (Iikan tupa ja Katajan pirtti), Heinärannatie, ☏ +358 40 719 1579. summer W 15:00-18:00. Museum dedicated to writer Väinö Kataja (1867-1914), who wrote vivid novels about life in the region. He often enjoyed pastimes in this house chatting with his friend Iikka. Open at the summertime or by request. 
  • 🌍 Kohkola and Niuro homesteads, Niurontie 10. Two traditional homesteads representing over 200-year-old Tornio river valley architecture. Kohkola estate was already deconstructed when the Ylitornio Museum and Homestead Association bought it and rebuilt it to the yard of Niuro. Niuro homestead stands on its original location but it was badly damaged by bombings during World War II. There is a café at summertime. 
  • 🌍 Kristineström old sawmill, Muurolantie 411. The first sawmill in Lapland was established here by the river Tengeliö in 1762 and it operated until 1901. The former manager's manor built in late 18th century is the only building left. The manor served as private school 1896-1903. Today it serves as banquet hall. Sawmill memorial in the yard. 
  • 🌍 Old villages by the Tornio river (by the road E8 south from the center). During the Lapland War, the retrieving German troops applied scorched earth policy and burned most villages in the Finnish Lapland into ashes. For some reason villages on the riverbank from Pekanpää to Armassaari were left untouched and therefore they form a rare glimpse how pre-war agricultural villages in southern Lapland looked like. The site is included to the list of nationally significant built cultural environments. There are views to the river if you turn to Rantatie/Poikkilahdentie road and take a small detour here! 

Do

Many visit Ylitornio for fishing as river Tornio has retained original Baltic Sea salmon population. For fishing you need to by a permit; ask your accommodation if they have ones. In addition to the local attractions there is a golf course and a major skiing resort nearby, on the Swedish side of the border.

  • 🌍 Aavasaksa Ski, . Small downhill skiing resort on the east slope of Aavasaksa hill. One ski lift and three pistes. Equipment rental. Café. Open a bit irregularly January-April. 
  • 🌍 Portimojärvi bird watching tower (about 10 km east from Aavasaksa). Shallow lake Portimojärvi is ranked as one of the best bird watching sites in whole Lapland. Some of the species nesting here are on the very northern edge of their range, and the lake is also important resting place for waterfowl during the migration. The water level of the lake is regulated with a weir and surroundings are agricultural lands. The bird watching tower is on the northern shore right next to the road 932 (Raanujärventie). free. 
  • 🌍 Meltosjärvi bird watching tower. Bird watching tower by very shallow and reedy lake Iso Meltosjärvi. There is another tower about 1.3 km east by similar lake Pitkäperä near the village's church. Iso Meltosjärvi and Pitkäperä are considered exceptionally valuable bird nesting lakes and form a nature conservation area. There are open mires surrounding these lakes. The towers are easily accessible from road 932 (Raanujärventie). The Meltosjärvi village itself stand on an esker formed by ice age. free. 
  • 🌍 Ahvenjärvi bird watching tower. Easily accessible bird watching tower right by the road 930. Lake Ahvenjärvi is surrounded by forest. Nesting species include such wilderness species as black-throated loon and whooper swan. free. 
  • 🌍 Sompanen nature trail, Liinankijärventie. A 5-km-long nature trail to the top of Sompanen hill. Some 8000 years ago Sompanen and nearby Lehtilaki and Raakonvaara hills were lonely islands in the Ancylus Lake. On the trail there are rocky ancient shorelines, imposing old-growth forest, and magnifient views over the surrounding lowlands. At the peak there is a peculiar cap forest. Lean-to shelter, fireplace and dry toilet near the far end. Drinking water available from a natural spring. There are signs to the trail from road 932 (Raanujärventie). From this trail there is entrance to a 23 km long marked hiking trail between lakes Iso Vietonen and Miekojärvi. free. 
  • 🌍 Pekanpää nature trail, Torniontie 1570. Short nature trail in Pekanpää village. The trail starts from a small parking lot by the road E8 next to a sports ground, and takes you to the top of Rousunvaara hill through an old-growth forest nature conservation area. Views to the river valley and a lean-to shelter on top of the hill. Those flat, meadowed islands in the Tornio river form one of the largest flood-meadow environments in Finland and are actually listed as wetlands of international importance (Ramsar-site). You can get a glimpse to the islands also by turning to Poikkilahdentie instead of driving road E8. free. 

Buy

Eat

Drink
  • 🌍 Pub Olohuone and Kellari Night Club, Alkkulanraitti 67, ☏ +358 40 640 2486. Pub: M-Th 09:00-21:00, F 09:00-01:00, Sa 09:00-02:00, Su closed; Nightclub: Sa 23:00-04:00. The only nightclub within dozens of kilometers is located at the hotel Kievari. Also pub with pub food. 

Sleep

Stay safe
  • 🌍 Ylitornio Health Care Station (Ylitornion terveyskeskus), Mellantie 5. For medical emergencies M-F 08:00-10:00 and 14:00-16:00. Otherwise the nearest emergency is in Kemi hospital. 

Connect

As of Nov 2023, Ylitornio and its approach highways have 4G from Elisa and in parts from DNA, but only a patchy signal from Telia. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next
Routes through Ylitornio
Kilpisjärvi ← Pello ←  N  S  → Tornio → Oulu


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