Javarus

Javarus is located in the northern part of the town of Kemijärvi, on the border of Sodankylä and Pelkosenniemi. The distance from Kemijärvi to Javarus is 30 km. The village of Javarus is located between Lake Suopankijärvi and Lake Javarusjärvi, which are connected to Lake Kemijärvi by the Javarus River. The village is situated in a beautiful location and there are extensive wilderness areas adjacent to the area, offering good berry picking and hunting grounds. There are several lakes in the vicinity of the village, with built plots on their shores, as well as plots of developed land.

The first inhabitants of Javarus arrived around the 1600s. After the war there were nearly 300 inhabitants. In 1928, the Javarus school was completed, with a student population ranging from 6 to 70. The school was closed in 1970 when the pupils were transferred to the Leväranta school. The road to Javarus was built in the 1930s, for years the road was not ploughed in winter and could only be travelled by horse-drawn carriage. Electricity was brought to the village in the spring of 1974. Dozens of people moved out of the village between the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some of the young people moved to Sweden and others to southern Finland. The cattle were abandoned, most of the fields were packed up and only a few farms remained. Trade in the village survived longer, until 1976, thanks to forestry work, although the population had declined. The post office was closed in 1988.

Javarus is currently home to 46 permanent residents, with a significant increase during the summer. There are dozens of summer cottages in the area. The Javarus village committee was established in 1983 and the village association was founded in 2001. The village association has bought a school from the town of Kemijärvi and, together with the hunting club Javarus Erän, is starting to renovate the old school, which is now the village hall.

The Javarus Village Association cooperates with the Javarus Battalion and on https://www.javaruksenera.fi/esittely/ you can find out more about the activities.