Porokylä

Reindeer Village “Porokylä” is the second town centre of Nurmes, where you will find many shopping and eating places. Reindeer Village got its name when the whole village was burnt down to reindeer. But do you know where the fire started? ️‍

On July 20, 1891, at 3 pm, a fire broke out in the new bell tower of the village church, which soon spread to the whole village. It is rumoured that the fire was started by linseed oil shavings used in the bell tower. There was a strong wind that day, so the densely built village burned to the ground in no time, with up to 38 houses completely destroyed. Miraculously, human lives were spared, but the material damage was extensive. Undaunted by the loss, the merchants moved their shops to the side of the market which had been established a little earlier. This was the impetus for a growth spurt, especially when a new church was planned and built in the centre of the town.

You can see the ruins of the church that caused the fire in Porokylä, next to the parish centre. In the only house that survived the fire, you can now find the café-pastry shop Supikas with its charming bakery products.

Nurmes 4. ev.lut. church monument

In the yard of the Evangelical Lutheran parish office there is the stone foundation of the fourth church, a partially preserved fence and a monument to the church. The belfry, which was built next to the church and was just being completed, burnt down on a sweltering July day in 1891. The fire spread quickly and burned down all the residential and commercial buildings in the parish, including the church and the clock tower, which was in the process of being completed. As a result of the fire, this then Old Village became known as Reindeer Village. The name was officially established in the 1920s and 1930s. The only building to survive the fire is now the Supikas café-confectionery. Ikolantie 3.

Armoured roads

In the Nurmes cemetery there is a stone armoured line, which was planned for the Isthmus between Haapalahti and Vinkerlahti in Porokylä. The barrier stones were quarried from Luukkolanvaara in Porokylä and Ristonkallio in Ylikylä. Löytärinne 1.

Salpalinja

Monument to the Salpalinja base at the junction of Kuhmontie and Jaakkolantie. The restored open machine gun emplacement and part of the battle trench were part of the Salpalinja, which was planned and partly built across Nurmes during the inter-peace period 1940-41.

The Salpalinja was built in Nurmes on the isthmus between Haapalahti and Vinkerlahti and on the western bank of Akkosalmi, in Ylikylä on the river line between Lautiainen and Ylikylänjärvi, in Mujejärvi on Riihivaara between Kujankikärvi and Nykyrinjärvi and on the eastern end of Mäntyjärvi. The fortification artillery battery on the Louhilampi pond in Kynsiniemi was also part of the Salpalinja defence.