General Information about Posio 

Located in southern Lapland, Posio, with a population of more than 3,000, offers a real sense of community and embraces sustainable development. Posio was the first place in Finland to receive a Sustainable Travel Finland label from Visit Finland, and the Municipality of Posio has also joined the HINKU Towards Carbon-Neutral Municipalities network. 

Posio has plenty of hiking trails, cross-country ski tracks and waterways. From the highest point of Riisitunturi National Park, you can enjoy views over Kitkajärvi lake, Europe’s largest spring. On sweltering summer days, the people of Posio relax on the kilometres of sandy beaches of surrounding Livojärvi lake. In the Korouoma gorge valley, you can feel the power of the ice age all around you, and in winter you can admire the largest icefalls in Finland. 

The Pentik ceramics factory, Pentik Hill Culture Centre and local ceramists have created a unique community of artists.  

A new gym, an ice rink and an active Adult Education Centre provide good opportunities for recreational activities. 

You can also get to bigger towns quickly if you need to: from Posio, it is just under an hour’s drive to Kuusamo, an hour and a half to Rovaniemi and less than three hours to Oulu. 

The most notable champion of Posio’s independence was Juho Aapo Miekkasaari (1862–1942), a farmer from central Posio. He is buried in Sarvisaari cemetery by Posionjärvi lake. The Miekkasaari monument (1991), created by Posio sculptor Teuvo Tuomivaara, is located in front of the Posio Municipal Office. 

The Parish of Posio was established at the turn of 1925 and 1926, and that is considered the moment the Municipality also was born. The new parish and municipality were formed mainly from areas that had belonged to Kuusamo. Smaller parts were annexed to the southern part of Posio from Taivalkoski, the western part from Pudasjärvi and the north-western corner from the Parish of Rovaniemi. 

In 1927, a stand-alone, log-framed, mansard-roofed chapel was built at the southern end of Posiojärvi lake, which was renovated in 1952–53 to become the clapboard, gable-roofed Posio Church. The exterior is painted white, while the interior is lined with spaced varnished pine boarding and a ceiling painted white. The Church features an altarpiece painted by Kemijärvi artist Uuno Särkelä, depicting the second coming of Christ in a northeastern lake landscape. The Church is located on the eastern shore of the Ahvensalmi strait, between Kitkajärvi and Posiojärvi lakes. 

The Posio book, printed in 1976 and written by Reino Rinne (in Finnish), tells the story of the birth of the Parish of Posio in words and pictures. You can buy the book from the online shop of the Municipality of Posio.  

Posio is located in the southern part of the Region of Lapland and covers an area of 3,544.67 km², of which 505.11 km² is waterways. The population density is 1.03 inhabitants/km². 

At the end of 2017, Posio had 3,310 inhabitants, of whom 1,294 lived in the urban area, 1,969 in rural areas and 47 whose whereabouts were unknown. The municipality has only one urban settlement: Ahola. 

The villages of Posio are: Kirkonkylä, Anetjärvi, Mäntyjärvi, Pernu, Suorsa, Peräposio, Keskiposio, Lehtiniemi, Ristilä, Jumisko, Aittaniemi, Nolimo, Maaninkavaara, Mourujärvi, Häme (Karjalaisenniemi), Tolva, Suonnankylä, Hyväniemi, Lohiranta, Kuloharju, Kynsilä and Sirniö. 

Pentik Oy, a manufacturer and retailer of home, gift and small decorative products, has a ceramics factory and its headquarters in Posio. The family business was founded by Anu Pentik and Topi Pentikäinen in 1971. 

Nationally renowned people born in Posio include biophysicist Sinikka Eskelinen (Academic of the Year 1995), artist Minna Immonen, sculptor Teuvo Tuomivaara, artist Paula Suominen, opera singer Soile Isokoski, songwriter Veikko Juntunen, Moscow Olympic medallist Kaarlo Maaninka (1980), writer Reino Rinne (born in the area of Posio that was part of Kuusamo in 1913) and magician and escape artist Timo Tuomivaara. 

Posio’s biggest event is the Muikkumarkkinat fish market, which takes place in July. Check out the events calendar. 

Posio’s best known natural sites are Riisitunturi National Park, the rugged Korouoma Nature Reserve, and Kitkajärvi and Livojärvi lakes with their pristine waters. The summit of Riisitunturi fell (465.3 m) is the highest point in Posio. Syöte National Park is also partly located in the Municipality of Posio. Explore the natural sites of Posio.