Rovaniemi [key], city (1996 pop. 57,389), capital of Lapland prov., N Finland, at the confluence of the Ounas and Kemi rivers. Commercial and agricultural fairs and winter sports events are held in the city. Located just south of the Arctic Circle, it is the starting point of the Great Arctic Highway. Rovaniemi was chartered in 1929. Retreating German troops destroyed it (1944) in World War II. The rebuilt town features a design by Alvar Aalto in which the main streets resemble a reindeer's antlers.
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