Torneå

Torneå stands at the mouth of the Torne River near the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. The river mouth was a trading place before the town was founded, connecting the northern interior with coastal commerce. In 1621 King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden granted town rights and established Tornio on the island of Suensaari.

The town became a centre of trade with Lapland. Its first church was consecrated in 1647 and destroyed by lightning in 1682; a replacement begun in 1684 was consecrated in 1686. In 1809 Finland passed from Sweden to Russia, dividing the Torne Valley between two states and changing the town's trading connections.