Jätkänkynttilä Bridge is not just one of the landmarks, but also aa symbol of the city of Rovaniemi. It connects the banks of the Kemijoki River, which used to be usedwas once used to raft timber.
The huge boom in the middle of the bridge is equipped with a fire, which lights up at nightnight time, and serves as a kind of beacon for travellers. Hence the originthe bridge's name, which in Finnish sounds like "rafter's candle".
In 1983. the Lapland Road Administration announced a competition for the best designof the bridge. The construction of the bridge lasted two years. The opening ceremonytook place on 18 September 1989
.The bridge is 327m long, 47m high and 25.5m wide. There arefour lanes for vehicular traffic. Moreover, there are also presentPavements with cycle lanes on both sides.
The best view of the bridge is from other city bridges. It is especiallybeautiful at night when it is illuminated by numerous lights, including the lights on theboth towers of the bridge.
