Nunnanlahti

Nunnanlahti
Village
Kivikeskus and a former quarry
Kivikeskus and a former quarry
Nunnanlahti is located in North Karelia
Nunnanlahti
Nunnanlahti
Location in Finland
Nunnanlahti is located in Finland
Nunnanlahti
Nunnanlahti
Nunnanlahti (Finland)
Coordinates: 63°10′37″N 29°26′06″E / 63.177°N 29.435°E / 63.177; 29.435
Country Finland
RegionNorth Karelia
Sub-regionPielinen Karelia
MunicipalityJuuka
Population
 (2017)
 • Total
~480
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Nunnanlahti is a village in Juuka, Finland, located along the Finnish national road 6 and on the shore of lake Pielinen. The distance to the municipal center is about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi). As of 2017, the village had a population of about 480.[1]

Nunnanlahti has been inhabited since the 17th century. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the village grew around soapstone quarries, which are still important for the local economy.

Etymology

The village of Nunnanlahti is named after the eponymous bay of Pielinen. The name was first mentioned in 1690 as Lunnanlax; until the late 18th century, the name appears in forms beginning with Lunna-, a variant that is still sometimes used today (Lunnanlahti), a result of dissimilation also found in e.g. lumero, a variant of numero 'number'.[2]

The name is considered to be derived from a Sámi male given name Nunná. The word nunna also means 'nun', but this word was not traditionally used in the area; the word used was instead sirnihta (from Russian черница), still found in some nearby place names.[2]

Geography

The center of Nunnanlahti is located southeast of the municipal center, on the southern shore of the Nunnanlahti bay of Pielinen and along the Finnish national road 6.[3] The distance to the center of Juuka is about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi).[4]

History

Sagrada Família replica in January 2015

Nunnanlahti was settled in the 17th century. It was a typical agricultural village until the discovery of soapstone deposits in the late 19th century.[5] Before Juuka became a separate parish in 1873, Nunnanlahti was part of Pielisjärvi.[6] Starting in the 1880s, Nunnanlahti grew around the stone industry; housing for workers and office buildings were mainly built in the beginning of the 20th century, and many of these buildings are still standing today. A steam power plant, used to power a sawmill, was finished in 1910.[7]

In January 2014, students of the Dutch Eindhoven University of Technology built a pykrete (ice composite) dome in Nunnanlahti to test the material's applications, measuring 30 meters (98 ft) in diameter and 10 meters (33 ft) in height.[8] Between December 2014 and January 2015, a 30-meter (98 ft) tall replica of Sagrada Família was built in its place, being opened to the public on 24 January 2015.[9] By March 2015, when it had already largely melted, about 10,000 people had visited the structure.[10]

Economy and services

Nunnanlahti is still an industrial village in the 2020s. Soapstone products, such as fireplaces and ovens, are produced in the village by Nunnauuni and Tulikivi Oyj.[5] In 2020, 84% of the 163 total people with jobs in the village were employed in the secondary sector.[11] Kivikeskus, a 2,600-square-meter (28,000 sq ft) building designed to house various businesses and exhibits related to the local soapstone industry, was opened in 2003.[12] The foundation which owned the building went bankrupt in 2017 and it was acquired by the municipality of Juuka, who sold it to Tulikivi in June 2026.[13]

Nunnanlahti had its own school until 2022, after which the closest school to the village has been in central Juuka.[11] The main building of the Nunnanlahti school was built in 1909.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Laurimo, Jukka (8 September 2017). "Vuolukiviteollisuus tuonut paljon vaurautta Nunnanlahteen". Karjalainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 Paikkala, Sirkka; et al. (2007). Suomalainen paikannimikirja (PDF) (digital version) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland (Kotus). p. 294. ISBN 978-952-5446-96-8. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Location of Nunnanlahti" (Map). Karttapaikka. National Land Survey of Finland (Maanmittauslaitos). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Nunnanlahden kyläsuunnitelma" (PDF). kylat.fi (in Finnish). Pohjois-Karjalan Kylät ry. 2002. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Nunnanlahti". kylat.fi (in Finnish). Pohjois-Karjalan Kylät ry. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Kun Juuan kylästä tulee kirkonkylä". Vaarojen Sanomat (in Finnish). 27 June 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 Lohilahti, Hanne; Laitinen, Timo (2012). "Pohjois-Karjalan maakunnallisesti arvokkaiden maisema-alueiden päivitysinventoinnit kesällä 2010 ja keväällä 2012" (PDF). pohjois-karjala.fi (in Finnish). Joensuu: Pohjois-Karjalan maakuntaliitto. p. 49. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Rummukainen, Anu (10 January 2014). "Seuraa maailman suurimman jääkupolin rakentamista". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Rummukainen, Anu (30 December 2014). "Maailman korkeimman jääkatedraalin rakentamisyritys alkoi Juuassa - luvassa lähes ihanteelliset kelit". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Laitinen, Tarja (5 March 2015). "Sagrada Familia -kirkkoa jäljittelevä jääkatedraali sulaa hiljalleen pois". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 Rautiainen, Simo; Jolkkonen, Arja; Kurvinen, Arja; Lemponen, Virpi; Tiilikainen, Antti (2023). "Juuan kuntaprofiili" (PDF). uef.fi (in Finnish). University of Eastern Finland. pp. 21, 35. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Karvinen, Petri (8 January 2026). "Juuan Kivikeskuksesta tuli huutokaupassa tarjouskilpailu - korkein hinta jäi silti vaatimattomaksi". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Perkkiö, Tanja (18 June 2026). "Juuka sai vihdoin myytyä Kivikeskuksen, ostaja löytyi naapurista". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 July 2026.