Puolanka


Puolanka is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of
and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
The fir-tree topped line in the coat of arms of Puolanka refers to local forestry and the cattle bells to livestock management and past grazing in forest lands. The coat of arms was designed by Aake Kaarnama, and the Puolanka municipal council approved it at its meeting on 8 June 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 29 August of the same year.
Puolanka has been called the "most pessimistic municipality in Finland". In 2019, the municipality gained worldwide publicity when the BBC published a video about Puolanka, describing it as the "most pessimistic town in the world". Pessimism has a long tradition in the Kainuu region, and the residents of Puolanka decided to make it their trademark, which is why the residents organize various events related to the topic every year.
The name Puolanka is of Sámi origin, meaning "burning land", with -nka being a Finnish feature.

History

The first permanent settlers in Puolanka came in the 1550s.
The municipality of Puolanka was established in the year of 1867. In that same year the Puolanka parish became independent from the Hyrynsalmi church to which it had previously belonged to administratively. The municipal council of Puolanka was formed in the year of 1916.
At its peak Puolanka had a population of about 7,520 in 1960. Towards the end of the 1960s, however, Puolanka's population began to decline, alike other municipalities within Kainuu.

Geography

Ranked one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Finland, the Hepoköngäs, is located from the center of Puolanka.

Villages

Villages within Puolanka are as follows:
  • Aittokylä
  • Auho
  • Joukokylä
  • Kivarinjärvi
  • Kotila
  • Kongasmäki
  • Leipivaara
  • Lylykylä
  • Naulaperä
  • Puokio
  • Puolanka
  • Rasinkylä
  • Suolijärvi
  • Vihajärvi
  • Väyrylä
  • Yli-Oterma
  • Törmänmäki

    Politics

Results of the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election in Puolanka:
As of 2021 Finnish municipal elections, Puolanka municipal council is made up of: Centre Party, Left Alliance, and Finns Party.

Notable individuals