Salla

History

Salla is in the Eastern Lapland and as a border area was affected by the Second World War. Red Army troops invaded Finland at Salla during the Winter War but were stopped by the Finnish Army. Parts of the municipality were ceded to the Soviet Union after the war. The ceded part is sometimes called "Old Salla" or Vanha Salla. During the Continuation War the old town of Salla was on the Soviet side of the border. The German XXXVI Corps attacked the Soviet positions in an operation code-named Polarfuchs. With the help of the Finnish 6th Division it managed to occupy all of the ceded territories. At the end of the war the German troops were pushed out of Lapland by Finnish troops in the Lapland War.

The following villages were ceded to the Soviet Union: Alakurtti, Korja (Korya), Kuolajärvi (Kuoloyarvi), Lampela, Sallansuu, Yläkurtti (Yulyakurtti), Sovajärvi (Sovayarvi), Tuutijärvi (Tuutiyarvi) and Vuorijärvi (Vuoriyarvi).

In January 2021, the mayor of Salla, Erkki Parkkinen, launched a bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics to raise awareness of climate change and highlight the threat the climate crisis poses to Salla and its ecosystem, which is dependent on low temperatures for most of the year.

Transportation

Salla is the terminus of a freight-only railway line from Kemijärvi. In 2006, the Finnish Rail Administration announced proposals to close the line. The railway formerly extended beyond Salla into Russia, but has never carried international traffic.

Geography

Neighbour municipalities are Kemijärvi, Kuusamo, Pelkosenniemi, Posio and Savukoski.

Climate

Salla has a subarctic climate (Dfc). Summer days are mild with about 1/3 of all days experiencing precipitation with nights tending to be cool. Winters are very long, cold, snowy, and extremely cloudy, lasting from the beginning of October through April, with mid-winter thaws being rare, and cold snaps relatively common. Spring and Autumn tend to be cool, not very variable, and short, lasting only a couple weeks to a few weeks in length.

The low temperature record of Salla is -50,4 °C (-58,7 °F), which was recorded in Naruskajärvi in 1985. It was also the record of Finland until 1999. On 28 January 1999, the unofficial record of Finland, -54,3 °C (-65,7 °F), was recorded in Naruska. |Jan record high C = 6.3 |Feb record high C = 6.2 |Mar record high C = 9.7 |Apr record high C = 17.5 |May record high C = 28.0 |Jun record high C = 30.3 |Jul record high C = 31.5 |Aug record high C = 31.0 |Sep record high C = 22.9 |Oct record high C = 14.5 |Nov record high C = 8.4 |Dec record high C = 5.0 |Jan avg record high C = 1.0 |Feb avg record high C = 1.3 |Mar avg record high C = 4.8 |Apr avg record high C = 11.5 |May avg record high C = 20.6 |Jun avg record high C = 24.9 |Jul avg record high C = 26.3 |Aug avg record high C = 24.2 |Sep avg record high C = 18.0 |Oct avg record high C = 9.5 |Nov avg record high C = 4.0 |Dec avg record high C = 2.0 |year avg record high C = 27.3 |Jan avg record low C = -32.9 |Feb avg record low C = -32.4 |Mar avg record low C = -28.4 |Apr avg record low C = -19.8 |May avg record low C = -7.1 |Jun avg record low C = -0.9 |Jul avg record low C = 1.8 |Aug avg record low C = -1.3 |Sep avg record low C = -5.5 |Oct avg record low C = -15.7 |Nov avg record low C = -23.0 |Dec avg record low C = -28.9 |year avg record low C = -35.6 |Jan record low C = -45.3 |Feb record low C = -46.3 |Mar record low C = -38.2 |Apr record low C = -30.8 |May record low C = -19.2 |Jun record low C = -6.7 |Jul record low C = -1.5 |Aug record low C = -6.5 |Sep record low C = -15.2 |Oct record low C = -29.7 |Nov record low C = -36.6 |Dec record low C = -40.2 | access-date = 26 April 2016}} Extreme values from 1999-present, at Salla kirkonkylä weather station{{cite web | access-date = 26 April 2016}}}}}}

| Jan record high C = 6.2 | Feb record high C = 5.5 | Mar record high C = 9.0 | Apr record high C = 16.8 | May record high C = 28.2 | Jun record high C = 31.3 | Jul record high C = 30.9 | Aug record high C = 30.4 | Sep record high C = 23.0 | Oct record high C = 14.3 | Nov record high C = 7.9 | Dec record high C = 6.2 | Jan record low C = -50.4 | Feb record low C = -44.2 | Mar record low C = -42.0 | Apr record low C = -34.5 | May record low C = -16.8 | Jun record low C = -4.7 | Jul record low C = -3.6 | Aug record low C = -10.8 | Sep record low C = -17.5 | Oct record low C = -28.5 | Nov record low C = -38.7 | Dec record low C = -43.5 | year record low C = -50.4 | | Jan avg record high C = 0.9 | Feb avg record high C = 1.2 | Mar avg record high C = 4.8 | Apr avg record high C = 10.8 | Dec avg record high C = 1.6 | May avg record high C = 20.5 | Jun avg record high C = 25.0 | Jul avg record high C = 26.1 | Aug avg record high C = 24.0 | Sep avg record high C = 17.6 | Oct avg record high C = 9.3 | Nov avg record high C = 3.5 | year avg record high C = 27.1 | Jul avg record low C = 0.2 | Jun avg record low C = -1.7 | Aug avg record low C = -2.4 | Sep avg record low C = -6.4 | May avg record low C = -8.4 | Oct avg record low C = -17.0 | Apr avg record low C = -22.7 | Nov avg record low C = -24.5 | Mar avg record low C = -30.5 | Dec avg record low C = -31.2 | Feb avg record low C = -35.2 | Jan avg record low C = -35.9 | year avg record low C = -38.2

|Jan record high C = 4.0 |Feb record high C = 4.2 |Mar record high C = 7.4 |Apr record high C = 15.5 |May record high C = 26.0 |Jun record high C = 29.0 |Jul record high C = 30.4 |Aug record high C = 30.3 |Sep record high C = 21.7 |Oct record high C = 12.5 |Nov record high C = 7.7 |Dec record high C = 4.5 |year record high C = 30.4 |Jan record low C = -38.3 |Feb record low C = -31.1 |Mar record low C = -26.5 |Apr record low C = -19.0 |May record low C = -13.4 |Jun record low C = -3.9 |Jul record low C = -0.1 |Aug record low C = -2.9 |Sep record low C = -7.3 |Oct record low C = -18.5 |Nov record low C = -27.6 |Dec record low C = -31.1 |year record low C = -38.3

Note

Historical places

In popular culture

Salla was referenced in the song 66°50’N, 28°40’E by Finnish death-doom band Swallow the Sun on their 2015 triple album Songs From the North I, II and III.

References

References

1. "Arctic Town Launches Genius Bid for 2032 Summer Olympics to Raise Awareness of Climate Change".
2. "Finnish Railway News – Year 2006".
3. "Suomen virallisesta pakkasennätyksestä 17 vuotta - sallalaiset tuohtuivat "väärästä" ennätyksestä".
4. "FMI normals 1991-2020". fmi.fi.
5. https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=101965
6. https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=101966
7. https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=101965
8. "Sotamuistomerkit ja kohteet {{!}} Nähtävyydet & Käyntikohteet {{!}} Salla".