Päiväjoki-Raajärvi
Village area today
The village area, mainly located along the Raajärvent road, is currently home to about 50 inhabitants. The area is a well-known hunting and berry picking area, so late summer and autumn are a busy “harvest time”, with people arriving from as far as the centres of Kemijärvi and Rovaniemi. The peaceful area is an excellent place to visit for nature lovers. The Geological Survey conducts annual exploration in the area and the villagers are hoping for a revival of mining.
History of the region
The village of Päiväjoki – Raajärvi was still a vast wilderness area in the 1950s. The village was first settled in 1948, when the Päiväjoki front farms, 14 farms in total, began to be built. In 1961, Otanmäki Oy (now Rautaruukki) began construction of the Raajärvi mine and mining village. In the early 1970s, the Leveäselkä mine was built. At the same time, in 1961, the village of Liekkojärvi, a section of 7 farms, began to be built near the Raajärvi mining area. After the closure of the Rautaruuk mine and later the machine shop in 1985, the old mining village has gone through many phases, now mainly functioning as a tourist centre. At its busiest period, the mining village of Raajärvi was home to around 500 people.
Attractions
The old mining village of Raajärvi and the old mine of Leveäselkä. The Leveäselkä reindeer fence and hut, where the reindeer herding is held from autumn to October. The Kotavaara rock formation and coal cherry trees, two of which have been cleaned up by the ‘Keep Lapland Clean’ working group in summer 2011. Raajärvi – Leveäselkä ridge formation with abundant springs on its edges. About 40 ha of almost natural forest park in Matovaara. In the vicinity, the villages of Luusua-Juujärvi and Misi are visited.
Businesses and services
Erä-Katisko, accommodation and programme services tel. 050-3593839 erakatisko.nettisivu.org/
Log construction, Veikko Niemelä veikko.niemela@saunalahti.fi.
Severikangas livestock farm and husky dog harnesses Siru and Juha Severinkangas.
Viita-Sepät Heikki Silvola. Metalwork, knives and subcontracting. Tel. 0500-690787.
Old mining village and restaurant Mainari. Accommodation and programme services tel. 040-690787.
Päiväjoki – Raajärvi village association Raajärventie 2019, 98100 Kemijärvi, tel.0400-156583, e-mail; veikko.niemela@saunalahti.fi.
Luusuan Erämiehet Ry luusuaneramiehet.nettisivu.org/