Sotkamo

Sotkamo lies among the lakes and wooded hills of southeastern Kainuu. Settlers arriving from Savolax and Ostrobothnia first belonged to the parish around Oulujärvi, and travelled to Paltaniemi for worship. A local preaching house and priest are recorded by 1630, and Sotkamo became an independent parish in 1647. Its scattered farms were served by numerous preaching places across the lake country.