Kajaani

It is located in the province of Oulu and is the capital of the Kainuu region. It is located southeast of Oulujärvi (Lake Oulu), which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki (river Oulu). There are 38,122 inhabitants and city surface area is 2,264 km² of which 428 km² is water. The population density is 20,8 inhabitants per km². The city is unilingually Finnish.

Kajaani is in the center of the region of Kainuu. Folklorist Elias Lönnrot began his travels from here when collecting folklore in Karelia.

1 History
2 Culture
3 Economy
4 Sister cities
5 The Districts and Villages of the City of Kajaani
6 External links
- 6.1 Maps
- 6.2 Culture

[edit] History

Kajaani was founded in 1651 as one of the Finnish cities founded by the Governor General of Finland, Per Brahe. At that time, the Kainuu region — as wood country — was an important tarderived from pine producer, and the tar trade was its major industry. The barrels of tar were shipped to Oulujärvi and then along Oulujoki to Oulu on the Bothnian coast of the Baltic sea. From there, tar was shipped to continental Europe, where it was used as a sealant and an anti-rot agent for ship hulls.

One famous historical monument in Kajaani are the ruins of Kajaani Castle, located on an island in River Kajaani in the centre of the city. The castle was originally built in 1604 and completed in 1666. The castle served as an administrative centre, prison, military base and a refuge for the citizens.

The ruins of Kajaani Castle

During the Greater Wrath in the 18th century the castle was forced to surrender to Russian forces. The Russians blew the castle up in March 1716 and it has been in ruins ever since. Today, the ruins are especially popular among children who like to explore the dark, twisty little passages and have fantasy adventures.

In the beginning of 20th century Kajaani industrialized step by step and the city begun growing especially after a railroad connection southward to Iisalmi and further to Helsinki and St Petersburg was established. The growth of population was strongest just after the Second World War. The population has been decreasing since mid 1990's.

In 1977 the separate rural municipality of Kajaani, Kajaanin maalaiskunta, and Kajaani were merged to form the City of Kajaani. The town, in addition to railroad and road connections, is served by a Finnair-operated air connection to Helsinki, during the summer twice daily and three times a day during the winter schedule period. Kajaani airport, located in the Paltaniemi area, close to central Kajaani, is maintained and operated by Finavia, the Finnish aviation authority, also serving the needs of non-commercial general aviation.

Vuolijoki was consolidated with Kajaani in the beginning of 2007.

[edit] Culture

Since 1993 The Art Museum of Kajaani (Kajaanin taidemuseo) has operated in the city. The collection of the museum centers on Finnish modern art.

The Kajaani Town Theatre Kajaanin kaupunginteatteri was established in 1969 and is one of the most respected theaters in Finland. It was chosen as the Theatre of the Year in 2003 and continues to attract ambitious actors and theatre directors, as well as a wealth of audience from across Finland. As the leading theatre in the Kainuu district, every year the Kajaani Town Theatre goes on the road to tour neighbouring towns and villages, and has been known occasionally to find its way to Southern Finland as well.

The most notable annual cultural events in Kajaani are Kajaanin Runoviikko (The Kajaani Poetry Week), originally known as Sana ja Sävel, and Kainuun JazzKevät (The Kainuu Jazz Spring).

[edit] Economy

Population of Kajaani (Dec 31)
Year	Population
1987	36,056
1990	36,428
1997	36,541
2000	36,088
2002	35,842
2004	35,675

Important industries in the city today are sawmill, lumber and paper industry. Military base Kainuu Brigade is also an important employer. It is the largest garrison in Finland — the Brigade employs approximately 600 people and trains 4000 conscripts a year. There is a polytechnical institute in the city.

The engineering and railway rolling stock manufacturer Transtech Oy has a factory at Otanmäki to the south-west of Kajaani. Many of VR's carriages have been built at Otanmäki.