History
Twin-cities
Founded on the 5th of March 1869 by the orders of the Russian Emperor Alexander II on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, Kemi enjoyed a rapid development -- thanks to the port of the same name, the right of external trade, and the woodwork industry, which had been established in the area even earlier than the city itself.
During the Lapland war, which happened between the 15th of September 1944 and the 27th of April 1945, Kemi and many other settlements suffered dramatic destruction from warfare as well as from the "scorched earth" tactic of the Germans.
In 1953, Kemi become one of the first twin-cities of Volgograd -- at that time called Stalingrad -- and since then, both municipalities have sustained a productive cooperation.
Kemi’s unique touristic curiosity is its Winter Castle, a large snow-and-ice construction which is painstakingly designed and erected by the leading architects on the annual basis. Inside, it is hiding a little hotel, a snow restaurant, a chapel and a great variety of statues and ice slides for children.
Website: https://www.kemi.fi