Kajaani — Kajaani Map Poster & Print

ແຜນທີ່

Kajaani Map Poster & Print

Kajaani is the main town of the Kainuu region in eastern Finland, set on the Kajaaninjoki River a short distance from the vast lake Oulujärvi. The river runs through the centre in a series of rapids and channels, and much of the town's layout follows its course. On the map, water and forest surround a compact centre of regular blocks, bridges and riverside parks.

On a small island in the river stand the ruins of Kajaani Castle, a stone fortress built in the early seventeenth century and later destroyed during the Great Northern War. The physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot, who compiled the Kalevala, lived and worked in Kajaani as district doctor. For much of the twentieth century the town was also shaped by a large paper mill beside the river.

A Kajaani map poster shows how thoroughly the town is shaped by water and woodland. The river divides the centre into distinct parts, lakes and wetlands spread across the surrounding land, and roads lead away through long stretches of forest. Rendered in black and white, the clear grid of the centre and the irregular shorelines around it make a balanced, quietly northern composition.