Nurmes

Nurmes [ˈnurmɛs] is a town in eastern Finland with 9501 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2020). It is located in the North Karelia landscape at the northern end of Lake Pielinen. Nurmes is bordered by Lieksa to the east, Juuka to the south, Rautavaara to the west, and Sotkamo and Kuhmo to the north. The nearest major cities (all about 120 km away) are Kajaani to the north, Joensuu to the south and Kuopio to the southwest.

Nurmes town centre is situated on a narrow ridge between Lakes Pielinen and Nurmesjärvi. The old town, called Puu-Nurmes ("Wooden Nurmes"), with its birch avenues and picturesque wooden houses from the 19th and early 20th centuries, is a culturally and historically valuable ensemble. The neo-Gothic brick church of Nurmes was completed in 1896. Immediately adjacent to the centre is the Porokylä district. In addition, the extensive urban area of Nurmes includes the villages of Höljäkkä, Jokikylä, Jänislehto, Kuikkavaara, Kuohatti, Kynsisaari, Lipinlahti, Mujejärvi, Palojärvi, Petäiskylä, Porosaari, Salmenkylä, Salmi, Saramo, Savikylä, Särkivaara and Ylikylä.

A well-known sight of Nurmes is the Bomba House on the country road about 2 km south of the centre. It is a reconstructed Karelian village. The log houses were built between 1976 and 1981, modelled on a farm in Suojärvi in what is now Russian Karelia. The main building houses a restaurant, while the other houses provide accommodation for tourists.

The first documented mention of Nurmes dates back to 1556. Originally, the population was Orthodox, but after the area came under Swedish rule in 1617, many Orthodox inhabitants emigrated to Russia. In 1651 an Evangelical Lutheran chapel was founded in Nurmes. In 1810 Nurmes became a separate parish, from which Valtimo seceded in 1910. In 1873, the Russian Tsar Alexander II founded the town of Nurmes. In 1973 the town was united with the rural municipality of Nurmes. Nurmes had the most inhabitants in 1960 with 14,990, since then the population has been steadily decreasing. On 1 January 2020, Valtimo was reincorporated into the town of Nurmes.

Nurmes is twinned with Laholm (Sweden), Møn (Denmark), Ørsta, Volda (both Norway) and Segescha (Russia).

Sons and daughters

• Pekka Juhani Hannikainen (1854-1924), composer
• Ilkka Laitinen (1962-2019), border guard officer
• Urho Peltonen (1893-1950), javelin thrower