Kempele
Encyclopedia
Kempele is a municipality in the province
of Oulu, in Finland
. The municipality is located in Northern Finland just south of city of Oulu
. The population of Kempele is and the municipality covers an area of km2 (excluding sea areas) of which km2 is inland water . The population density is PD/sqkm . The municipality of Kempele was founded in 1867.
Neighbourhood municipalities are Liminka
, Oulu
, Oulunsalo
and Tyrnävä
.
and consisted only of three houses in 1568 when the area was called as Kempele first time in official context. Full church privileges were granted to Kempele in 1774, which also meant separation from Liminka
. Municipality administration was established in 1867.
Even though the old church is not anymore in active use after the new one was built next to it in 1990s, some activities are still kept in there.
Kempele may be best known, however, for being the headquarters of the world-famous heart rate monitor
corporation, Polar Electro
, which first innovated this product in 1978.
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Oulu, in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The municipality is located in Northern Finland just south of city of Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
. The population of Kempele is and the municipality covers an area of km2 (excluding sea areas) of which km2 is inland water . The population density is PD/sqkm . The municipality of Kempele was founded in 1867.
Neighbourhood municipalities are Liminka
Liminka
Liminka is a municipality in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, in the province of Oulu, in Finland. Founded in 1477, Liminka is located about south of Oulu.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
, Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
, Oulunsalo
Oulunsalo
Oulunsalo is a municipality in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. The municipality is located in Northern Finland just south-west of the city of Oulu. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
and Tyrnävä
Tyrnävä
Tyrnävä is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
.
History
First permanent inhabitants settled in Kempele area approximately 500 years ago – at that time coast line was closer than what it is today. Kempele was part of Greater LiminkaLiminka
Liminka is a municipality in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, in the province of Oulu, in Finland. Founded in 1477, Liminka is located about south of Oulu.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
and consisted only of three houses in 1568 when the area was called as Kempele first time in official context. Full church privileges were granted to Kempele in 1774, which also meant separation from Liminka
Liminka
Liminka is a municipality in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, in the province of Oulu, in Finland. Founded in 1477, Liminka is located about south of Oulu.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
. Municipality administration was established in 1867.
Sights
The old wooden church of Kempele, which was built in late 17th century, is one of the oldest wooden churches in Finland. Originally Kempele was granted rights to build up a praying room in 1688, but local parishioners decided to construct a church with steeple. As it was typical at that time to bury local notable persons under the church building, also in Kempele there are approximately 150 graves – last of them from 1796.Even though the old church is not anymore in active use after the new one was built next to it in 1990s, some activities are still kept in there.
Kempele may be best known, however, for being the headquarters of the world-famous heart rate monitor
Heart rate monitor
A heart rate monitor is a personal monitoring device which allows a subject to measure his or her heart rate in real time or record his or her heart rate for later study...
corporation, Polar Electro
Polar Electro
Polar Electro, or in brief Polar, is a manufacturer of advanced training computers and heart rate monitoring equipment. The company is based in Kempele, Finland. Founded in 1977, Polar introduced the world's first wireless heart rate monitor...
, which first innovated this product in 1978.