Keminmaa Between Churches and Nature

Keminmaa combines church and local history with nature and recreational trails. If you are looking for a hotel in Keminmaa, these themes can help you plan the focus of your stay. The historic churches and local history museum offer a different emphasis from the nature information and activities along the various trails.

Churches and History

The Old Church of Keminmaa is a medieval grey-stone church built mainly between 1551 and 1553. Its ceiling paintings date from 1650 and depict the Passion of Christ. The church also contains the mummified body of the vicar Nikolaus Rungius in a glass-topped coffin. The construction period and the date of the paintings mark different phases: the decorative paintings were created later than the main church building.

The New Church was completed in 1827 and designed by C. L. Engel. It therefore belongs to a later period of construction than the medieval Old Church. Valmarinniemi also has its own place in church history: the first church in the parish of Kemi was built there.

The Local History Museum on the Kemijoki River

Keminmaa's local history museum is housed in a grain storehouse built in 1849, on the bank of the Kemijoki River next to the Old Church. The exhibits include objects related to the municipality's history and traditional fishing equipment. The building and collection offer two ways to explore the past: the storehouse is a 19th-century structure, while the exhibits cover local and fishing history. Alongside the history of the churches, local collections relating to the municipality and traditional fishing are therefore also central themes.

Kallinkangas: Nature Reserve and Circular Trail

Kallinkangas, a valuable nature reserve and recreational area, lies near the centre of Keminmaa. The circular trail is about 1.9 kilometres long and has 13 information boards about the area's nature. At the same time, part of it follows a fitness trail or a cart track, rather than running entirely through natural terrain. Both details are useful when planning: the approximate length indicates the extent of the circular trail, while the information about the fitness trail and cart track clarifies that it does not run through natural terrain throughout.

Activities at Kalli Ski Centre

Kalli Ski Centre has a nine-hole disc golf course, a nature trail for walking, and fitness stairs. Mountain bikers can rent electric fat bikes there and ride them through the Meri-Lappi landscape. Rental availability may change, so check availability before making your plans. The range of activities gives you several options if you would like to include outdoor pursuits in your travel plans alongside the historic sites.

Trails near Martimoaapa

In the municipality of Keminmaa, near Martimoaapa, there is an 815-metre accessible trail that ends at an observation platform. There is also an approximately 13-kilometre hiking trail that runs through the Martimoaapa Mire Reserve. The two trails differ considerably in length and destination: the shorter accessible trail ends at the platform, while the longer hiking route runs through the mire reserve. This comparison can help you understand the routes described as different options for your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Ranua, Inari, Enontekiö, Patokoski, Kaamanen, Kilpisjärvi, Pohjaslahti, Muonio

For the overview of the wider region: Lapland.