Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta is a city that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, near the Russian border.
Lappeenranta is 221 km from Helsinki, and 50 km from Vyborg.
Population: 59.000 inhabitants.
Area: 848.62 km2, 761.31-land, 87.31-water.
Lappeenranta was founded in 1649 and, in the same year, received its town charter.
But ancient settlements existed in Lappeenranta much earlier. Inhabitants sold tar.
There was a church in 1640, which was destroyed and now there is only a sign in memoriam.
The area was 1.1 km² and there were only a few hundred of inhabitants. All buildings were wooden and later they were totally destroyed. Lappeenranta fell under Russian rule in 1743-1811. Lappeenranta was returned to The Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812. And in 1917 Finland became an independent country.
After World War II the economic development of the city started. Nowadays Lappeenranta is the cultural and the commercial centre of the South Karelia. The proximity of the Russian border makes Lappeenranta very important item for the commerce and the industry. Many inhabitants of Lappeenranta adopted from Russia. And that’s why the history and the culture of city is various. The past of city perfectly reveals in the most beautiful part of city - in the Fortress, where are city museums and galleries.
The city harbour is a great place for summer vacation. There are ships, which go through lakes Saimaa to Vyborg.
There is a port near the Fortress, and from there ships with lots of tourists go to Vyborg.
Very lively movement is also in the border. Every day, Russian tourists visit the city, rest and do shopping.
The oldest airport of Finland, which was built in 1918, is not far from the Lappeenranta centre.
There are a lot of musical festivals in summer time in the city, where you can listen to music ranging from classical to pop.
Creative galleries and museums e.g. South Karelia Museum, South Karelia Art Museum and Cavalry Museum are great opportunities to get to know more about Lappeenranta’s past.
