Valtimo kirkonkylä

Valtimo kirkonkylä is a settlement and the administrative centre of the former municipality of Valtimo in Nurmes. The village has a relaxed atmosphere where you can enjoy the local way of life and visit a wide range of attractions. If you wish, you can visit the village’s cultural centre, the Municipal House, the magnificent wooden church of Valtimo, up to three different museums (the Wood School, Viljamakasiini and the Municipal House Museum) and the picturesque Lokkiharju area.

Valtimo Church Village is the oldest of all Valtimo villages and has a long history. For example, the village was known as Haapajärvi until 1905, and the story of the church village goes back even further, to 1618. In documents from that year, the first mention of a settlement in what is now Valtimo is found in the records of Oksantei Puroinen, a man of Karelian origin, living in Haapajärvi. From a one-house settlement, the village later expanded to become the largest settlement in the area. If history books are to be believed, there may even have been a wooden castle in the area to defend the inhabitants during the Rupture War in the 17th century. One of the village’s canvasses has been given the name Kastellinkangas, which refers to the fortress.

On your trip to the Nurmes area, it is well worth a visit to get a sense of the exciting history of the church village of Valtimo! The village, which is now part of the city of Nurmes, offers you not only a historical setting but also a lot to see and experience through its many places to visit.