Pello

Pello is a town and municipality in Finnish Lapland, in the Tornionjoki river valley. It stands in the heart of Tornio river valley cultural sphere and connections across the border are tight.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The local dialect is distinctive and gives an important element to the local people's identity. As elsewhere in Finland, English is widely understood.

Understand


The municipality has some 3,500 inhabitants on 1,700 km². Some 2,000 people live in the administrative centre, the town Pello. Until Finland got separated from Sweden in 1809 Pello, Ylitornio and Övertorneå, the last one in modern-day Sweden, were a single Finnish speaking parish. Connections to Sweden across the river are tight, regardless of two centuries with a border in between. Many villages across the river share the same name.

The river Torniojoki or Väylä ("The Passage"), as locals call it, does not separate but bring the people together. For decades there was even a large summer event called Pokkinainti where couples across the border got married. During the 2010s the festival has mostly ceased as the young tend to move into cities and find their love there.

French mathematician and astronomer Pierre de Maupertuis determined the shape of the Earth by making astronomical measurements in the Tornio river valley 1736–1737. The northernmost measurements were done at Kittisvaara hill, right next to the current town Pello. The Pello coat-of-arms carry three stars to memorize Mapertuis' trip. Also von Struve used the hill, in the mid-1800s. Italian explorer Giuseppe Acerbi visited Pello in 1799 and described it as a wealthy village.

The former parish village Turtola is on E8 south of the town. The administrative centre was transferred to Pello after the Lapland War as German troops destroyed most villages in Lapland. Here the destruction was complete; only the remote Konttajärvi village and some individual buildings survived.

Today Pello suffers from high unemployment and negative net migration. The municipality itself is the largest employer. Located by the Swedish border and by an important route between the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Sea, logistics business has grown to a major source of income.

The Arctic Circle runs across the road E8 in the village Juoksenki, in the south-west corner of the municipality.

By car
The municipality is on E8. From Tornio (120 km) to Kilpisjärvi (340 km) it runs by the Swedish border as national road 21. There is a on the bridge between the Finnish and Swedish parts of the town, the Swedish part belonging to Övertorneå. The Finnish Customs operates the border only by patrol. If necessary, make the customs declaration online.

connect Juoksenki village to a village of the same name in Sweden during the winter – a more exotic way to enter the country.

National road 83 comes in from Rovaniemi (100 km).

From the south, you might want to take your car on an overnight train from the south and unload it in Oulu, Kolari or Rovaniemi (depending on your train and your preferences).

By train
The overnight trains from Helsinki to Kolari stop at. They are seasonal, with up to two trains a day in peak season. There is no railway station building but just a shed. When there are no suitable trains to here, you can switch to bus in Kemi (145 km) or Rovaniemi.

By bus
There are coaches from Kemi in the south and from Rovaniemi in the south-east (via Ylitornio). There may be none from Muonio and Kolari in the north. The coaches between Haparanda and Pajala pass the Swedish Pello village. You need to walk or take a taxi across the border.

By plane
By plane you can use the airports of Pajala, Kemi-Tornio or Rovaniemi. Pajala has connections from Stockholm and Luleå, otherwise Rovaniemi is the main option. Rovaniemi airport has no direct bus connection to Pello; you need to catch the "airport express" at the bus station.

See




Do
Fishing, skiing (Skiing track map) and hiking.



Connect
As of Nov 2023, Pello and its approach roads have 4G from Elisa and Telia, but no signal from DNA. 5G has not reached this area.