Area by the rapids

Kukkola was originally located on both the Swedish and Finnish sides and was the largest village in the Torne Valley in the early 1800s. In 1809, when Finland was annexed to Russia, the national border was drawn along the Torne River, dividing the village into two eastern and western parts. When the fish decreased, the village stopped organising the work and moved to auction. Kukkolankoski has long served as a venue for traditional whitefish festivals, whose roots go back to at least the early 1500s, when Olaus Magnus mentioned them in his descriptions. Read more

Kukkolankoski, also known as Jylhä, has been a lucrative fishing spot for a long time. The Torne River, which flows in the middle of the village of Kukkola, divides the inhabitants into two villages, the western and the eastern. On both sides of the river, there is still a strong fishing culture in which traditions play a central role. Fish is mostly catched with a dipnet, but traditions also live on in burbot and lamprey fishing. Fishing has been largely organised by the Community. In Kukkola, Finland, you can still see features related to old hunting cultures, which have already disappeared in many places. Read more

First there was the river, the rapids and the fish – then came the people. Fishing and hunting culture have played a key role in the creation of permanent settlements in the Torne Valley. For a long time, whitefish and salmon were a very important part of the subsistence economy and are still important to many villagers, even though no one today would go hungry even if there is no catch. Traditions related to the old fishing tradition can still be seen in Swedish Matkakoski, such as fishing rights, taking turns in whitefish dipnetting, whitefish distribution and whitefish grilling. Read more

At Matkakoski, the same old fishing customs are still observed, such as the rotation of fishing turns and whitefish distribution. The annual dipnetting season at Matkakoski has always been strongly influenced by weather and water levels, by fishing rules and restrictions imposed from above, and finally by the local fishers themselves. Read more