Kuhmo (known as Kuhmoniemi until 1937) is a town and a municipality in Finland and is located at the south-eastern corner of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of ()

The Winter War was an important event in the history of Kuhmo. During the war Kuhmo was bombarded 48 times and ground battles took place as near as ten kilometers from the center of the town. The Soviet army´s objective in Kuhmo was to proceed through Kuhmo and Kajaani to Oulu and divide Finland into two. The offensive was stopped on the Kuhmo – Saunajärvi road at Jyrkänkoski and on the Kuhmo – Kiekinkoski road at Tyrävaara, Both battlescenes are approximately 10 km from the city center. At narrow Kuhmo (Saunajärvi road) the Soviet 54th Division was forced to spread its troops which made Finnish guerilla tactics efficient. After being stopped, Soviet forces were divided and encircled into small pockets. A campaign to destroy the pockets and prevent the Soviet 44th Division from rescuing encircled forces continued until the Moscow peace treaty. After the war Kuhmo kept its eastern borderline unchanged, thus having an unchanged borderline for 400 years straight since the Treaty of Teusina of 1595.

Geography

left|thumb|A [[brown bear and wolf in Kuhmo]]

By area the municipality is the second largest in the region (and the twelfth largest in the country), covering twice the land area of Luxembourg. The population is heavily concentrated in Kuhmo-town. Most of the area is very wild, featuring more than 600 lakes and for the rest extensively forested, providing a home to abundant wild life that includes brown bears, wolves and Finnish forest reindeer.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has set Kuhmo as a part of Eastern Finland´s stable bear population area. According to the plan, the population density of bears in this area will be maintained higher than in the rest of the country. The wolf population is also dense by comparison to the rest of the country. In consequence, the number of reindeer has decreased lately.

The topography is made up of low hills, of which the most significant are near the Russian frontier on the eastern side. To the south, Kuhmo is bordered by North Karelia.

Several nature reserves have been founded in Kuhmo for the protection of the frontier wilderness. Forest administration maintains several hiking routes on the reserves and almost all are accessible to the public.

Districts and villages

thumb|[[Finland–Russia border|Russian border's checkpoint in Vartius, Kuhmo]]

Districts:

  • Akonlahti
  • Hankaranta
  • Jaurakko
  • Kalevala
  • Kanninlampi
  • Kantola
  • Keitaala
  • Kontio
  • Korkeamäki
  • Kuhmoniemi
  • Levälahti
  • Pajakka
  • Piilola
  • Saarikoski
  • Sormula
  • Suvanto

Villages:

  • Haukela
  • Hietaperä
  • Härmänkylä
  • Hukkajärvi
  • Iivantiira
  • Jonkeri
  • Juonto
  • Juttua
  • Jyrkkä
  • Jämäs
  • Kalliojoki
  • Katerma
  • Kattilakoski
  • Kiekinkoski
  • Kivikiekki
  • Korpisalmi
  • Kuumu
  • Kuusamonkylä
  • Lammasperä
  • Lauvuskylä
  • Lentiira
  • Lentua
  • Niemiskylä
  • Niva
  • Saunajärvi
  • Timoniemi
  • Rasti
  • Seilonen
  • Sylväjä
  • Vartius
  • Vepsä
  • Vieksi
  • Viiksimo
  • Vuosanka
  • Ypykkävaara

Rimpi

Rimpi is a small village in northeastern Kuhmo and one of three settlements in Kainuu with a traditionally Karelian-speaking Orthodox Christian population, along with Kuivajärvi and Hietajärvi in Suomussalmi. Rimpi was home to Eljas (Uljaska) Ahtonen, who was the model for Väinämöinen in Akseli Gallen-Kallela's . Gallen-Kallela visited the village in 1890.

Culture

Kuhmo is well known for its Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival which is held annually. The festival was founded in 1970 by cellist Seppo Kimanen and a small group of friends. A book on this subject was published in 2006.

Kuhmo has also served as a filming location for the 2025 French film Dracula, directed by Luc Besson.

Sights

thumb|The Kuhmo Arts Centre

thumb|The [[Winter War Museum (Talvisotamuseo)]]

  • Kuhmo Arts Centre
  • Kalevala Village
  • Juminkeko – The Information Center for the Kalevala and Karelian Culture.
  • Petola Visitor Centre

Politics

Results of the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election in Kuhmo:

  • Centre Party 42.4%
  • Finns Party 28.8%
  • Social Democratic Party 11.2%
  • Left Alliance 6.1%
  • Christian Democrats 4.7%
  • National Coalition Party 3.7%
  • Green League 1.7%

As of 2021 Finnish municipal elections, Kuhmo town council is made up of: Centre Party (13 seats), Finns Party (6), National Coalition Party (3), Social Democratic Party (2), Left Alliance (1), Christian Democrats (1), and Green League (1).

Notable people

  • Johan Gabriel Ståhlberg (1832–1873), Finnish priest and father of President K. J. Ståhlberg
  • Heikki Westerinen Finnish grandmaster, lived there.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kuhmo is twinned with:

  • Kostamus, Russia
  • Oroszlány, Hungary
  • Robertsfors, Sweden
  • Šaľa, Slovakia

See also

  • Kostomuksha
  • Lieksa
  • Reboly

References

  • Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival
  • Many links and much information about Kuhmo's services