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Kilpisjärvi

Kilpisjärvi village is situated in the thumb of Finland’s northwestern arm, right by the Norwegian and Swedish borders. About 100 inhabitants live in the village. Historically Kilpisjärvi is a very young village, dating back only to the beginning..
 
Kilpisjärvi village is situated in the thumb of Finland’s northwestern arm, right by the Norwegian and Swedish borders. About 100 inhabitants live in the village. Historically Kilpisjärvi is a very young village, dating back only to the beginning of the 20th century. The first residents came to Kilpisjärvi in 1915. However, the Lapland War destroyed all these early homes. It was World War II that was the real deciding factor in building up the village again.

In early times, the big fells of Käsivarsi, panhandle or the northwestern arm of the ‘young dancing lady of Finland’, had been both lived in and used by Sami people. Kilpisjärvi is the central place for travelling from Finland to the Arctic Ocean and Jyykeänperä trading post, nowadays known as Skiboten. Already hundreds of years ago, Kilpisjärvi was a notable passing point. The first house in the village was Siilastupa, built by the Finnish Tourist Board in 1935-36. In 1945 a border guardian station, customs building and TVL (Finnish Water and Road Association) base were constructed. In 1946 a research station by the University of Helsinki was built followed by the Kilpisjärvi Tourist Hotel in 1947. All the buildings in the village are post-war, spread out randomly, and made from varying nonuniform building materials such as brick, timber and wood. Many famous people have lived in Kilpisjärvi, such as Justus Montell, a regional forester responsible for protecting Malla Nature Reserve, and Yrjö Kokko and Väinö Oinonen, both of whom were famous authors.

Means of livelihood in former years were hunting (willow grouse, fox, stoat) and fishing. People used to transport their goods by horse from the big September and February markets held in Skiboten. Nowadays, Kilpisjärvi’s biggest sources of employment include customs, the border guardian station and tourism. There is one reindeer farm in the village with programme services for tourista. Most reindeer herders above the pine forest limit do not keep reindeer in feeding corrals during the winter. In the Finnish arm most reindeer herders are Sami people living in modern houses south of Kilpisjärvi, but north of Karesuvanto, along the highway. The arm of Finland forms its own reindeer herding county. To the west of Kilpisjärvi lies Malla Nature Reserve (Finlands oldest) and to the east the sacred fell of Saana and further Käsivarsi Wilderness Area includind all over thousanders within the country.

Sightseeing in Kilpisjärvi region

Saana Fell:
Sacred fell of the Lapps. 1029 m high.

Halti fell:
Finland’s highest fell at 1328 m high.

Malla Strict Nature Reserve:
Finland’s oldest nature reserve, founded in 1916, with area of 30 km squared.

Muotkatakka:
Highest point of any road in Finland.

Three Borders Border Junction:
Junction of the countries of Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Pihtsus Waterfall:
Along the Kalotti Hiking Trail, in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area, about 45 km from Kilpisjärvi.

Kitsijoki Waterfall:
In Malla Nature Reserve.

Tsahkalijoki Waterfall:
Located 2 km east of Kilpisjärvi Tourist Hotel.

Kilpisjärvi army trail memorial plaque:
Trail made in 1916.

End of Lapland War Memorial plaque:
To commerate the last gun shot of the 1945 Lapland War.

Siilastupa Guidance Centre:
Tourist information, about the Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian Big Fell Area.

Raittijärvi:
Only remaining, year round Sami village. Cannot be reached by road.

Exhibition of Old Lappish Artefacts:
In Kilpisjärvi Tourist Hotel is a collection of old Lappish items and artefacts.

www.kilpisjarvi.org