Salla

Salla
Municipality
Sallan kunta
Salla church
Coat of arms
Location of Salla in Finland
Coordinates: 66°50′N 028°40′E / 66.833°N 28.667°ECoordinates: 66°50′N 028°40′E / 66.833°N 28.667°E
Country	Finland
Region	Lapland
Sub-region	Eastern Lapland sub-region
Charter	1857
Government
• Municipal manager	Kari Väyrynen
Area (2011-01-01)[1]
• Total	5,872.21 km^2 (2,267.27 sq mi)
• Land	5,729.48 km^2 (2,212.16 sq mi)
• Water	142.73 km^2 (55.11 sq mi)
Area rank	7th largest in Finland
Population (2015-06-30)[2]
• Total	3,758
• Rank	211th largest in Finland
• Density	0.66/km^2 (1.7/sq mi)
Population by native language[3]
• Finnish	98.9% (official)
• Swedish	0.1%
• Sami	0.1%
• Others	0.9%
Population by age[4]
• 0 to 14	11%
• 15 to 64	61.3%
• 65 or older	27.7%
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate[5]	19.5%
Website	www.salla.fi

Salla (Kuolajärvi until 1936) is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of 3,758 (30 June 2015)^[2] and covers an area of 5,872.21 square kilometres (2,267.27 sq mi) of which 142.73 km² (55.11 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 0.66 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.7/sq mi). Neighbour municipalities are Kemijärvi, Kuusamo, Pelkosenniemi, Posio and Savukoski. The nearby settlement of Sallatunturi is home to the Salla Ski Resort.

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 (see Battle of Salla). 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).

Communications

Salla is the terminus of a freight-only railway line from Kemijärvi. In 2006, the Finnish Rail Administration announced proposals to close the line.^[6] The line formerly extended beyond Salla into Russia.

Historical places

Name	Place	Description	WGS 84
The evangelic-Lutheran church of Salla
The Paikanselkä memorial area	Paikanselkä	The Winter War front line 13 March 1940, when war ended. Located where the commander of the Swedish voluntary troops, lieutenant colonel Magnus Dyrssen fell on 1 March 1940.[7]
The Salpa Line

Gallery

• 

  The Salpa Line anti-tank obstacles in Aholanvaara

• 

  The Salpa Line anti-tank obstacles in Aholanvaara

• 

  Areas ceded to Soviet Union at the end of WWII

References

1. "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (PDF) (in Finnish and Swedish). Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
2. "VÄESTÖTIETOJÄRJESTELMÄ REKISTERITILANNE 30.06.2015" (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Register Center of Finland. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
3. "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
4. "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
5. "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
6. Finnish Railway News – Year 2006
7. http://loma.salla.fi/fi/eramaa/kayntikohteet-_nahtavyydet/sotamuistomerkit_ja_kohteet/

External links

Media related to Salla at Wikimedia Commons

• Municipality of Salla – Official website