Suomussalmi, Finland (NC)


 * +Suomussalmen kaupunki
 * State Province Sub-region || Finland Cajania Kiantaland
 * Area || 211.53 km²
 * Population as of Density || 248,762 2005 1176.0/km²
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 * Population as of Density || 248,762 2005 1176.0/km²
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Suomussalmi is a city and municipality in Cajania, Finland, Ugrian Union. It is the 3rd most populous municipality in the province and 26th most populous in the state. Unlike most old cities of Finland, it has a well-preserved medieval/renaissance old town with walls intact.

Geography
Suomussalmi municipality is divided in two parts by Lake Kiantajärvi: both the modern city downtown and the old town are situated in the southern part. The old town is situated on the shore of the eponymous strait (Finnish: salmi), and the modern city southeast of it.

Road
MR 5 runs through the extreme northwestern part of the municipality. It connects Suomussalmi toward Helsinki and Kuusamo.

PR 48 starts from the western shore of the strait, passing the lake in a tunnel to Ämmänsaari and continuing toward Puolanka and Oulu.

PR 68 starts from the downtown, connecting it to the northern part of the municipality, and going further toward Taivalkoski.

RR 925 connects the downtown to the southeastern corner of the municipality, and to Rasinvaara.

RR 927 connects the district of Vuoriniemi to the downtown, and Eskolanlahti at Vuokinkylä municipality. There it terminates at PR 73, which goes toward Lentiira and Kuhmo.

Railways
Like Paris and London, but unlike most other Finnish cities, Suomussalmi has more than one "central" railway station.

The old station, Suomussalmi-Eteläinen, is at the southern gate of the old town. It was the terminus of Suomussalmi railway branch from its opening in 1922 to 1976.

In 1976, the railway was extended to Oinaspuro district northeast of the downtown. Due to the location of the old station, the tracks couldn't be extended from there (they would have been constructed through the protected old town)

The extension was started at a more southern point on the existing railway, and a new station, Suomussalmi-Itäinen, was constructed, to where the downtown is situated nowadays.

The extension to Oinaspuro is used only by commuter traffic, and so is the new station. Intercity traffic still uses the old station.