Valtimo

Valtimo [ˈvɑltimɔ] was a municipality in eastern Finland with 2143 inhabitants as of 31 December 2018. It was the northernmost municipality in North Karelia County, bordering Kainuu and North Savo counties. On 1 January 2020, Valtimo was incorporated into the town of Nurmes.

The centre of Valtimo is located on State Road 6 between lakes Valtimojärvi and Haapajärvi. The landscape of Valtimo is characterized by hills (vaara), ridges (harju) and forests. The hills are up to 335 metres high.

When Finland had to cede East Karelia to the Soviet Union after the Second World War, more than 1,000 Orthodox, Karelian-speaking refugees from the East Karelian border region were settled in Valtimo, all together in the village of Rasimäki. There the Karelian culture has been able to survive until today. Of all Finnish municipalities, Valtimo had the second highest Orthodox population after Ilomantsi. According to a 2005 study, about 100 people in Valtimo still speak Karelian.

In addition to the town centre, Valtimo includes the settlements of Elomäki, Haapakylä, Halmejärven metsänhoitopiiri, Halmejärvi, Hirsiniemi, Karhunpää, Koiravaara, Koppelojärvi, Maanselkä, Pajukoski, Rasimäki, Sivakkajoki, Sivakkavaara and Ylä-Valtimo.