Keitele

Keitele is a municipality in North Savonia, Finland.

Keitele Church

Understand

Keitele is on the shores of Nilakka, which is part of the Rautalampi route. The region is characterized by handsome ridges. The sawmill industry is an important employer in the municipality.

Get in

By train

Nearest railway stations are Pyhäsalmi (66 km (41 mi)), Kiuruvesi (74 km (46 mi)), Siilinjärvi (79 km (49 mi)) and Lapinlahti (79 km (49 mi)). Timetables are available from VR website.

By bus

Long-distance coaches between Jyväskylä and Oulu stop at Viitasaari (41 km (25 mi)). For timetables of ordinary coaches, see Matkahuolto.

Regional buses connect Keitele with Kuopio and Iisalmi. Fare from Kuopio is €18. Fares from Iisalmi are €9 for online ticket, €16 for regular ticket. See Joukkis' website.

Get around

By dial-a-ride

The dial-a-ride service purchased by the municipality serves the connections of the residents of the sparsely populated area to the church village. Passengers will be charged the ticket price according to the bus fare. Routes and timetable can be found here.

See

• 1 Ahola House Museum (Aholan talomuseo), Aholantie 25, ☏ +358 40 705 9771. Ahola House Museum is a peasant house built in the early 19th century in its original location in Keitonen Vuonamo. In the museum you can get acquainted with the Savonian living environment, the peasant culture and the original artefacts of the house. Open in summertime. (updated Jun 2022)

Do

Boating and canoeing

The Rautalammi Route (Pielavesi–Nilakka–Iisvesi–Niinivesi–Konnevesi–Keitele–Leppävesi) is proposed as a "national water route" because of its landscapes, partly desolate, partly with parish villages and cultural landscapes. The Keitele Canal provides access to Päijänne. Some routes in the lake and river system are suitable for boats as well as canoes, some have whitewater legs. The bridges on the routes have 5.5-m height.

The town Keitele, despite its name, lies on the lake Nilakka (170 km²), a typical Finnish larger lake, with long capes, deep bays, islands and some open areas. There are several fairways and boating routes over the lake. Upstream the town Pielavesi on the lake Pielavesi is 30 km away, the northernmost point of Pielavesi at a distance of 47 km by fairways. Downstream the town Tervo on Rasvanki of Iisvesi is 34 km away, behind the short Kolun kanava ("Kolu Canal"; alternatively the Äyskoski rapids).

From Tervo, the Rautalammi route continues on Niinivesi, along Kerkonjoki with Kerkonkosken kanava ("canal of the Kerkko rapids"), over Kiersimä and through Kiesimän kanava ("Kiesimä Canal") to Pohjois-Konnevesi (northern Konnevesi). From here, Lavianselkä of Keitele is reachable by the short Neiturin kanava ("Neituri Canal"), 60 km downstream from Tervo.

Kerkonkoski is in Rautalampi, as is Vaajasalmi and Konnekoski, on Niinivesi and Konnevesi respectively. While the town Rautalampi is surrounded by lakes, no boating routes reach it. It should be reachable by canoe via both Vaajasalmi and Konnekoski. Also the town Vesanto is reachable by boating routes, from Kiesimä.

Downstream from the town of Konnevesi (in the western end of Konnevesi proper), to Liesvesi and Kynsivesi, there are no locks; the fairways to Päijänne go via Keitele and Äänekoski. However, there is a canoeing route down the rivers. Boating routes continue in Laukaa, connecting to the navigable waterway.

Buy

• 1 Keitele Mission Flea Market (Keiteleen Lähetyskirpputori), Mutkatie 1, ☏ +358 40 358 8994. (updated Jun 2022)

Eat

• 1 Rantakulma Café Restaurant (Rantakulman Kahvila-Ravintola), Asematie 4, ☏ +358 40 152 5060. (updated Dec 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Lossisaari Tourist Centre (Matkailukeskus Lossisaari), Sininentie 205 (along Highway 77), ☏ +358 40 093 0738, info@lossisaari.fi . (updated Dec 2022)