The story
Rautjärvi was first mentioned in 1560 as Rauda Järffui as one of the villages of Jääski. It became a part of the Ruokolahti parish after its establishment in 1572. The municipality of Rautjärvi was founded in the year of 1861. A few years prior in 1859, the Rautjärvi parish had founded an independent church.
After the Winter War ended with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty on March 12, 1940, almost half of Rautjärvi (198.9 km2) was handed over to the Soviet Union in accordance with the treaty.
The municipality of Simpele was consolidated with Rautjärvi in 1973, becoming its new administrative center.
Rautjärvi Church, a wooden church completed in 1881, was destroyed in a fire on Christmas 2022. The fire broke out in the middle of the worship, but all 30 people in the building got out safely.
From Wikipedia’s article on Rautjärvi, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4