Full Life in the Realm of Forests and Culture

There’s plenty to see and experience in Kuhmo. Nature is close by, and the area offers a variety of opportunities for hobbies, especially for fishermen. Tourism is important for the city, with the goal of making the Kalevala region the center of tourism in Kuhmo.

The number of events in Kuhmo is pleasingly abundant this year. For the first time in Finland, Kuhmo was selected as the Finnish-Ugric Cultural Capital for the year 2023. There are events related to this theme throughout the year. The folk music festival Sommelo has been the main event of the anniversary year, and Sommelo also kicked off the major summer events in Kuhmo. Kuhmo is also known as a literary city, as it was selected to be a part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in 2019. The Kalevala is both an integral part of Kuhmo’s past and a living tradition in modern times. The Juminkeko Foundation preserves and maintains Kalevala culture in Kuhmo.

Kuhmo Chamber Music has been playing for the 53rd time. The theme of the summer has been Roots and Wings. The Finnish-Ugric Cultural Capital is also featured in the summer program of Kuhmo Chamber Music. The guests of Kuhmo Chamber Music really make their presence felt in the streets of Kuhmo in July. The event brings a significant amount of purchasing power to Kuhmo.

Many other smaller events are also organized abundantly in Kuhmo during the summer. No event can be held without volunteers and helpers, so a big thank you to all the volunteers and organizers of the events.

Just in the urban area of Kuhmo and its vicinity, there is plenty to see and experience. The Nature Center Petola is open in July, and Harakkasaari, a nature reserve area located next to the Kalevala region, is nearby. Kuhmo Hall, the library, Tuupala Museum, the Winter War Museum, and Juminkeko are worth a visit.

There are excellent opportunities for hiking and mountain biking. A hiking trail connecting the sports center and the Kalevala region is under construction, and in the future, it will be possible to walk from the Kalevala region to the sports center in sneakers without getting wet, among other routes. The city of Kuhmo aims to make the Kalevala region the center of tourism in Kuhmo, as the former camping area has returned to the city’s ownership.

It’s definitely worth stopping by the shops, eateries, and cafes in the city center. Rönttönen and tar ice cream are specialties of Kuhmo. In the summery Kuhmo, there are good restaurant and cafe services that you should take advantage of. Summer cafes are also open in the sparsely populated areas, which Kuhmo calls ‘perukka’. So, don’t be surprised if a person from Kuhmo uses the word ‘perukka’ – it’s a local dialect word.

Tourists, guests of Kuhmo, and summer cottage residents are important to Kuhmo. New visitors and guests of Kuhmo are served by the recently launched visitkuhmo.fi website. There is plenty of room for new cottages in Kuhmo, so if you are considering a holiday home in Kuhmo, it’s worth contacting the city of Kuhmo. There is plenty of cottage plot availability in Kuhmo.

About 10 years ago, the city of Kuhmo established the Kuhmo Cottage Committee, whose goal is to promote the well-being of cottage residents in Kuhmo. The committee is one of the city’s influencing bodies, with the right to make direct initiatives to the city council, and its chairman is involved in the attraction and future committee. Participation has been wanted to be developed in Kuhmo, and hopefully, involving cottage residents has been successful as well. In the Full Life in Kuhmo – Sustainable Development in Everyday Life project, interactive and inviting work that strengthens sustainability has been developed together. The project has made the city’s sustainability work and its economic benefits visible.

I want to welcome everyone to Kuhmo and its events. There is truly plenty to experience and see in Kuhmo.

Juhana Juntunen, Mayor City of Kuhmo