Trivia: The History Of Kemi

Did you know that...



-       Kemi was founded in 1869 by by royal decree, because of its proximity to a deep water harbour.

-       During the  Lapland war in 1944 the German troops tried to explode the Cityhall of Kemi but failed. They managed to explode three stories from the building but it never fell because of sturdy structure. The building was later reconstructed and it still stands as a landmark in the heart of Kemi.

-       1944 132 Civilians were taken as hostage during the War of Lapland. The hostages were taken by the German troops but were later released unharmed. 

-       9.18.1949 local industrial workers were protesting against major lay offs in the city center. In the end two people were killed in the encounter with the police. This was later known as the Bloody Thursday. This event still remains one of the most violent episodes in our history.

-       After it’s foundation Kemi grew to be one of the largest cities in Northern Finland. After 1960’s the industrial facilities started to use automated machines. This made a huge gap to industrial employment. In addition many parts of Nothern Finlands bureu department moved to Rovaniemi. After this many people were forced to look jobs elsewhere and Kemi’s population growth waned.

-       This day Kemi has a population of 22,386 (2012).

Midsummer delicacies.

Tomorrow is the day what most of the Finns have been waiting for weeks. We are finally celebrating Midsummer, one of the most anticipated holiday in Finland.

Every Finn dreams of a cabin by the lake where they can relax but most important thing is to have a Midsummer sauna. Weather and location are secondary things. Midsummer brings families and friends together which makes Midsummer a group event. When Finns have a great group of close people around them and a cold pint in hand, they are the most grateful people on this planet.

Among with the great company the most important part of celebrating Midsummer in Finland is great food and drinks. We barbecue sausage, mushrooms filled with cheese and all kinds of meat. We also prefer beer instead of wine when it comes to drinking.

After few days celebrating Finns have had their fare share of BBQ delicacies. Because of this we'd like to share Mama Kontio's salmon soup recipe for that third day, when you don't feel the need to fill your stomach with red meat anymore.

This fish soup is made with love and without haste. The soup's secret ingredient is self-made fish stock and it should not be made without it.

Fish stock

1,5 l cold water
3 dl dry white wine
0,5-1 kg fish parings; perch, whitefish or salmon heads and bones, but not abdominal fat
3 ripe tomatoes
1 onion
1 carrot
2 bay leaves
parsley
dill
15 whole black peppers
15 whole white peppers
tabasco, 5-6 drops

Rinse the fish parings, if you use the salmon heads and bones, remove the gills. Add the fish and fish-bones, chopped tomatoes, carrots and onions in cold water. When the broth begins to boil, skim off the foam forming on the surface. Reduce heat and add the peppers, bay leaves, parsley, dill, white wine and tabasco. Boil in low heat. Strain the broth. Use as soup base.

Mama Kontio's Salmon Soup

1,5 l  selfmade fish stock
n. 700 g salmon
100 g  cold smoked salmon (if you don't like it just leave it out)
6 big potatoes
2 tl  sea salt
chopped dill
1,5 dl whipping cream
white pepper

Remove bones and skin from salmon. Dice into fair-sized pieces. 
Boil the fish stock. Add a thumb-size chopped potatoes and freshly ground white pepper. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Add cubed skinless salmon, cold smoked salmon and cream. Simmer until fish is tender. (5-10 min). Add, minced dill and salt. Just before serving, add salt if necessary.

Enjoy with your family and friends.

Summer City

City of Kemi is a gorgeous place to visit during the summer. Usually people only stay here for a day on their way to Lapland but we have lots of things to do even when our snow castle is only a puddle of water.

How about a picnic?

Kemi is a rather small city in European scale but we've got lovely atmosphere and short distances. You can basically take a walk around the center and see everything in one day if you are in a hurry. But we would rather recommend you to take a relaxed stroll by the ocean site and enjoy the fresh air and lovely view. You might also want to stop by in one of our restaurants Rantamakasiini. It is located by the pier and has a lovely ocean view.

Finnish people usually enjoy their sunny days sitting on a patio while sipping a pint of beer. (@ Restaurant Rantamakasiini)

Besides enjoying the sunny patio there are dozens of things to do and places to see. Cubist city hall creates a contrast for our nice older buildings that remind us  of the past century. Kemi's church was build in the beginning of 20th century. It is one of the fine examples of gothic revival style. If our architecture sparks your interest and you wish to know more about Kemi's history be free to visit History museum of Kemi in the city center.

We welcome you to stay with us and enjoy the summer of Finland! We have great summer prices few more months. You can read more about them here.

Ghost stories

Every old hotel has it's own ghost story that is told to new employees. Especially during first night shift. Our stories are unique in a special way. All of them has at least one person who has witnessed these absurd scenarios.

(These stories are not to be shared with children under 13 years old. You also might wanna stop reading if you get scared easily.)

First story was told by our old cleaning lady.

She was cleaning a bathroom one morning and she knew there was another cleaning lady coming to help her soon. While wiping the mirror clean she noticed her co-worker standing behind her so she started talking to her. She then noticed that the dark character didn't respond. She turned around and the person was gone. She left the room and went to a hallway. She then saw her co-worker walking up the stairs. She asked her if she had been in the same room with her? She told her she hasn't been in the third floor all morning.

Another story takes place in our 2nd floor dining room where we still serve breakfast every morning.

This happened few years ago. Every morning the staff could hear the sound of  a pan-flute in the kitchen. The sound could be heard for more than two years. So it was not a one time thing. The flute has stopped playing it's melody now but we still wonder were the sound came from.

Something new and something old

As you might have noticed we are making some new material for our followers. This blog is a part of our new viral marketing plan. We just want to let you know what we are doing and what's happening in our end. We'll be writing in English but when we talk about local issues we might as well write in our native language. You are more than free to leave comments and suggestions considering our new blog! :)

Today our theme is to remind everybody about the golden ages and the history of our Hotel. For the past sixty years Merihovi has been one of the most popular hotels in Kemi. Along the road we've had some pretty famous costumers including past President of Finland Urho Kekkonen and a Russian cosmonaut Juri Gagarin.

If only these walls could talk and share stories with us. Now we just have old pictures to look at. And wild rumors of the things Juri Gagarin ordered in his room... Maybe we'll write about them next time ;)