North Calotte #22 – Kittilä (travel in Finland, Sápmi, Lapland, arctic europe)

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In 1895, the Finnish Tourist Association stated that if one did not wish to venture further into Lapland, Kittilä village already provided a fairly good picture of what it looks like.
In the Kittilä municipality, the population has increased over the past 20 years and is now 6,400 for the entire municipality, with 2,800 residing in Kittilä town. According to the municipality's report, the latest year, 2023, was unexpectedly good: the number of residents increased by 112 people, unemployment was low, indebtedness was at a record low, and all forms of tax revenues increased.
In this municipality, tourism and mining are the main focus.
Levi, located just north of Kittilä, is Finland's largest year-round destination with over 600,000 visitors and has 200 businesses catering to guests. Additionally, Europe's largest gold mine is located here. A few months ago, a mining conference was held with 1,200 participants. However, the atmosphere was somewhat disrupted as Extinction Rebellion protesters prevented chartered buses from traveling to Kaunisvaara in Sweden to visit the mine there. Nevertheless, it was just a small bump in the road. In January of this year, three new exploration permits were approved, and together with the neighboring municipality of Sodankylä, they are soon launching a project called Mining Hub.
In Kittilä, the Finnish police have conducted their largest investigation into official misconduct. It is impossible to talk about Kittilä without mentioning it. The turbulence that began in 2013 is now entering its tenth season, and recently, new information was presented that will keep the case alive in the future. It initially involved dealings where contractors and influential politicians were suspected of irregularities, and later, it evolved into allegations of abuse of power with dropped investigations and the elimination of dissenting voices. This has resulted in hundreds of articles over the years and at least one documentary film.
Arto Paasilinna was born in Kittilä, but the family quickly moved on.