Every design for Pulkkila

Pulkkila lies in the farmland of North Ostrobothnia, south of Oulu, beside the river Siikajoki that flows through the whole municipality. The village was long the centre of its own municipality, and today it is the seat of Siikalatva, the municipality formed when Pulkkila joined Kestilä, Piippola and Rantsila. The name Siikalatva, meaning the upper reaches of the Siikajoki, was in use for the whole area long before the merger.

Geography made Pulkkila a meeting point. The main road north to Oulu crosses another highway right here, and a roadside service station at the junction is where long-distance drivers stop. Away from the traffic the village is small and calm, gathered around its church. Farming has always mattered in the area, and the Ruukki factory in Pulkkila still provides work. On the coat of arms, four swans stand for the four old parishes and a wave pattern for the river.

The Pulkkilan kotiseutumuseo, the battle memorial and the old trenches nearby hold the longer story. If this is the junction you turned off at to get home, keep it with you.