Keminmaa: Churches, Local History Museum and Nature Trails

Keminmaa offers unusual insights into cultural history and nature trails with very different character. Medieval churches, a local history museum by the Kemijoki River and protected landscapes give your trip several possible points of focus. When choosing your holiday rental in Keminmaa, consider whether you mainly want to explore historic sites, spend time outdoors or combine both.

Church and local history

Keminmaa’s Old Church is a medieval grey-stone church, built mainly between 1551 and 1553. It is known as a roadside church. Another distinctive historical feature can be found in the ceiling paintings of Keminmaa’s Pyhä Mikael Church: dating from 1650, they depict the Passion of Christ. In Keminmaa, you can therefore encounter different examples of ecclesiastical art and history.

The Old Church is also associated with an unusual tradition: inside, the mummified body of the vicar Nikolaus Rungius lies in a glass-topped coffin. The New Church offers a different historical point of reference. It was completed in 1827 and designed by C. L. Engel. If you are interested in architectural history, you can consider these churches as different aspects of the area’s history, without reducing them to a single period.

Keminmaa’s local history museum is housed in a grain store built in 1849 on the banks of the Kemijoki River, beside the Old Church. Exhibits include objects relating to the history of the municipality and traditional fishing gear. The building, riverbank and collection thus point to different aspects of the local past. The first church of the municipality of Kemi was built at Valmarinniemi—another historical point of reference within the municipality.

Nature trails and activities

Kallinkangas is a valuable conservation and recreation area near the centre of Keminmaa. A circular trail about 1.9 kilometres long leads through the area; 13 information boards about nature stand along the route. Some sections of the trail follow a fitness track or cart track, so it does not run entirely through natural terrain. This is useful to bear in mind if you are specifically looking for an excursion route through untouched terrain.

At Kalli Ski Centre, there are several other ways to enjoy the outdoors: a nine-hole disc golf course, a nature trail for walking and fitness stairs. Mountain bikers can rent electric fat bikes there and ride through the Meri-Lappi landscape. The activities differ considerably in form—from a round of disc golf or a walk to a ride on an electric fat bike. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider different kinds of activities without making every excursion follow the same route.

The Martimoaapa mire conservation area is also located within the municipality of Keminmaa. An 815-metre accessible trail ends at a viewing platform. An approximately 13-kilometre hiking trail also runs through the conservation area. The two routes differ clearly in their stated lengths and described destinations: the shorter trail leads to a viewing platform, while the longer one passes through the mire conservation area. This information can help you choose excursions according to your preferred distance and landscape.

More destinations

More destinations: Mäntyjärvi, Muonio, Salla, Tervola, Ivalo, Kemijärvi, Inari, Savukoski.

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