Pajala

Lars Levi Laestadius, a botanist, Lutheran minister, and founder of the revivalist movement Laestadianism, lived and worked in Pajala municipality in the mid-19th century. He lived in Kengis, but in 1869 his house and grave and the whole church of Kengis were moved to Pajala.[http://www.svenskakyrkanipajala.se/Pbeskrivning.htm Svenska kyrkans information om Pajala Kyrka] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005213431/http://www.svenskakyrkanipajala.se/Pbeskrivning.htm |date=2011-10-05 }}

The town was mistakenly bombed by Soviet airplanes during the Finnish/Soviet Winter War, in spring 1940. Seven Soviet planes dropped 134 bombs, a mix of explosive and firebombs, which destroyed six buildings, badly damaging telephone wires, and making the streets impossible to drive on due to 43 big craters. No human deaths were recorded, although two persons were slightly injured.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930074033/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763569,00.html Time - "Darkening Up Here'] Soviet officers later inspected the destruction and the Soviet Union paid damages to Sweden in 1940.

The events in Mikael Niemi's book "Populärmusik från Vittula" (Popular Music from Vittula) occur mainly in Pajala. Vittula, or more properly Vittulajänkkä, is a colloquial name (vulgar in its Finnish-Sami etymology, roughly translating to "The pussy swamp") for a certain garden suburb in Pajala. The book was also adapted into a film in 2004.

In another portrait of Pajala by Niemi, the crime novel "Mannen som dog som en lax" ("The Man who Died like a Salmon"), the author discusses the state of the minority language Meänkieli in Pajala today.

Pajala has a harsh subarctic climate{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=45020&cityname=Pajala%2C+Sweden&units=|title=Pajala, Sweden Climate Summary|publisher=Weatherbase|accessdate=11 April 2015}} that is somewhat moderated by the influence of the North Atlantic. Its inland position and lower elevation cause warmer summers, and winters are a bit less cold than most areas on similar latitudes.

{{Weather box

|location = Pajala (2002–2020 averages; extremes since 1940)

|collapsed =

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 7.6

|Feb record high C = 8.7

|Mar record high C = 10.8

|Apr record high C = 18.8

|May record high C = 28.0

|Jun record high C = 32.0

|Jul record high C = 31.7

|Aug record high C = 29.1

|Sep record high C = 23.8

|Oct record high C = 15.3

|Nov record high C = 10.0

|Dec record high C = 8.4

|year record high C = 32.0

|Jan avg record high C = 1.6

|Feb avg record high C = 3.5

|Mar avg record high C = 7.0

|Apr avg record high C = 13.2

|May avg record high C = 22.8

|Jun avg record high C = 25.3

|Jul avg record high C = 26.5

|Aug avg record high C = 25.1

|Sep avg record high C = 19.0

|Oct avg record high C = 11.1

|Nov avg record high C = 4.5

|Dec avg record high C = 3.0

|year avg record high C = 27.9

|Jan high C = -8.5

|Feb high C = -6.8

|Mar high C = -0.9

|Apr high C = 5.2

|May high C = 12.1

|Jun high C = 17.2

|Jul high C = 20.6

|Aug high C = 18.0

|Sep high C = 12.0

|Oct high C = 3.5

|Nov high C = -2.5

|Dec high C = -5.1

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = -13.4

|Feb mean C = -11.9

|Mar mean C = -6.7

|Apr mean C = 0.1

|May mean C = 6.4

|Jun mean C = 11.8

|Jul mean C = 14.8

|Aug mean C = 12.4

|Sep mean C = 7.3

|Oct mean C = 0.0

|Nov mean C = -6.4

|Dec mean C = -9.6

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = -18.2

|Feb low C = -17.0

|Mar low C = -12.5

|Apr low C = -5.1

|May low C = 0.7

|Jun low C = 6.3

|Jul low C = 9.0

|Aug low C = 6.8

|Sep low C = 2.5

|Oct low C = -3.5

|Nov low C = -10.2

|Dec low C = -14.0

|year low C =

|Jan avg record low C = -33.3

|Feb avg record low C = -32.6

|Mar avg record low C = -28.2

|Apr avg record low C = -17.7

|May avg record low C = -6.5

|Jun avg record low C = -0.5

|Jul avg record low C = 1.6

|Aug avg record low C = -1.9

|Sep avg record low C = -5.7

|Oct avg record low C = -17.0

|Nov avg record low C = -24.5

|Dec avg record low C = -29.2

|year avg record low C = -35.5

|Jan record low C = -45.2

|Feb record low C = -43.2

|Mar record low C = -40.0

|Apr record low C = -29.1

|May record low C = -14.3

|Jun record low C = -4.0

|Jul record low C = -1.7

|Aug record low C = -5.8

|Sep record low C = -13.9

|Oct record low C = -26.0

|Nov record low C = -36.5

|Dec record low C = -38.7

|year record low C = -45.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 37.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 27.7

|Mar precipitation mm = 21.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 24.7

|May precipitation mm = 44.7

|Jun precipitation mm = 59.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 75.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 57.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 55.4

|Oct precipitation mm = 40.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 43.9

|Dec precipitation mm = 40.7

|year precipitation mm =

|source 1 = SMHI

{{cite web

|url = http://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/temperatur/2.1240

|title = Statistik från väder och vatten - Månads och årsstatistik

|language = sv

|accessdate = 11 March 2021

|publisher = Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute

}}{{cite web |url=https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer |title=Ladda ner meteorologiska observationer |publisher=SMHI |access-date=2024-12-04 |language=Swedish}}

}}

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{{Localities in Pajala Municipality}}

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Category:Populated places in Pajala Municipality

Category:Norrbotten

Category:Municipal seats of Norrbotten County

Category:Swedish municipal seats

Category:Populated places in Arctic Sweden

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