| Kemi | |
| Official Name: | Finnish: Kemin kaupunki Swedish: Kemi stad |
| Other Name: | Giepma Kiemâ Ǩeeʹmm |
| Nickname: | Monaco of Finland |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Coordinates: | 65.7361°N 24.5636°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Finland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Lapland |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kemi–Tornio |
| Leader Title: | Town manager |
| Leader Name: | Matti Ruotsalainen |
| Established Title: | Charter |
| Established Date: | 1869 |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +02:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +03:00 |
| Elevation M: | 4 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 94100 |
Kemi (in Finnish ˈkemi/; Northern Sami: Giepma in Northern Sami pronounced as /ˈkie̯pma/; Inari Sami: Kiemâ; Skolt Sami: Ǩeeʹmm) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and to Rovaniemi is to the northeast. It was founded in 1869 by a decree of the Emperor Alexander II of Russia because of its proximity to a deepwater port.
The town has a population of and covers an area of NaNKemi}} of which NaNKemi}} are water. The population density is NaNKemi.
During World War II, after Finland signed the Moscow Armistice and found itself involved in the Lapland War against its former German ally, German forces at the beginning of October 1944 captured 132 Finnish civilian hostages in Kemi (as well as 130 in Rovaniemi) and threatened to kill them unless the Finnish army released the German POWs captured in the Battle of Tornio. However, Finland refused to comply and threatened to retaliate by killing the German POWs. The hostages were released unharmed on October 11, 1944, near Rovaniemi.
Kemi is situated on the Bothnian Bay, at the mouth of the river Kemijoki, and it is part of the Lapland region.
The climate type of Kemi is a typical subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). It is characterized by long, cold winters and warm, short summers; but because it is on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, the characteristics of its continental climate are not as pronounced as inland areas.
The main economic activity in Kemi is centered on two large paper and woodpulp mills and on the only chromium mine in Europe (which supplies the Outokumpu ferrochrome plant in Tornio).
The Chinese company Kaidi has announced plans to build the world's first second-generation biomass plant in Kemi, scheduled to begin operations in 2019.[1] [2]
In April 2007, the city of Kemi laid off all of its municipal workers for two weeks due to the failing economy of the city. Spiraling specialist healthcare costs and a fleeing industry tax base are stated as the cause for the firing.[3] These are the most drastic temporary dismissals to take place in Finland since 2000.
Kemi has a claim to fame as the home of the world's largest snow castle[4] (reconstructed every year to a different design). The SnowCastle of Kemi is usually built in the inner harbor of the city.
A model of The Crown of Finland (the original was never made for the King of Finland) is kept in the town's gemstone gallery. It also houses replicas of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain, the scepter of the Czar of Russia, the Orbs of Denmark, and the diamond necklace of Marie Antoinette, among other items.
Additional attractions include:
Kemi is the hometown of the power metal band Sonata Arctica.
Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Kemi:[5]
| Town manager | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| Olli Nylander | 1930-1956 | |
| Risto Hölttä | 1956-1966 | |
| Taisto Jokelainen | 1967-1980 | |
| Juhani Leino | 1980-2000 | |
| Kalervo Ukkola | 2000-2005 | |
| Ossi Repo | 2006-2012 | |
| Tero Nissinen | 2012-2021 | |
| Matti Ruotsalainen | 2021- |
Kemi railway station is an intermediate station on the railway between Lapland and Helsinki. It is operated by VR. The junction of the Kolari and Rovaniemi lines lies to the north of Kemi station.
Finnish national road 4 and European routes E8 and E75 run through the town.
Kemi-Tornio Airport is located 4.5km (02.8miles) north of Kemi city center.
The Port of Kemi is a cargo port handling containerised and bulk cargo as well as oil and petrochemical products.[6]
A polytechnic university of applied sciences is situated in Kemi.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland.
Kemi is twinned with:
Tromsø (Norway), since 1940
Volgograd (Russia), since 1953
Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia)
Székesfehérvár (Hungary)[7]
Luleå (Sweden)