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Lappeenranta
 
 
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Lappeenranta is a city and municipality
Municipalities of Finland

||-||}The municipalities represent the local level of administration in Finland and act as the fundamental administrative units of the country....
 that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa
Saimaa

Saimaa , or Saimen in Finland-Swedish, is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately 4,400 km? Square kilometre, it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe....
 in South-Eastern Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
, about from the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n border. It belongs to the province of Southern Finland and the region of South Karelia
South Karelia

South Karelia is a Regions of Finland of Finland. It borders to the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia, North Karelia and to Russia. The term "South Karelia" might also be used to refer to the southern parts of the entire Karelia — the Region of South Karelia is termed "South" because it is the southernmost part of Karelia on...
. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland. The neighboring municipality of Joutseno
Joutseno

Joutseno is a former town and List of former municipalities of Finland of Finland. It is located in the provinces of Finland of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia regions of Finland....
 was consolidated with Lappeenranta on 2009-01-01.

town was chartered in 1649 by Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden

Christina , later known as Christina Alexandra and sometimes Countess Dohna, was Monarch of Sweden of Sweden from 1632 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his wife Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg....
, legitimizing the trade at the then popular marketplace of Lapvesi.

In 1741 the battle of Villmanstrand
Battle of Villmanstrand

The battle of Villmanstrand was fought during the Russo-Swedish War on August 23 1741, when Russian forces, under the command of General Peter von Lacy, assaulted Villmanstrand ....
 was fought between the Swedish and Russian armies in the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743.






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Encyclopedia


Lappeenranta is a city and municipality
Municipalities of Finland

||-||}The municipalities represent the local level of administration in Finland and act as the fundamental administrative units of the country....
 that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa
Saimaa

Saimaa , or Saimen in Finland-Swedish, is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately 4,400 km? Square kilometre, it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe....
 in South-Eastern Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
, about from the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n border. It belongs to the province of Southern Finland and the region of South Karelia
South Karelia

South Karelia is a Regions of Finland of Finland. It borders to the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia, North Karelia and to Russia. The term "South Karelia" might also be used to refer to the southern parts of the entire Karelia — the Region of South Karelia is termed "South" because it is the southernmost part of Karelia on...
. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland. The neighboring municipality of Joutseno
Joutseno

Joutseno is a former town and List of former municipalities of Finland of Finland. It is located in the provinces of Finland of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia regions of Finland....
 was consolidated with Lappeenranta on 2009-01-01.

History

The town was chartered in 1649 by Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden

Christina , later known as Christina Alexandra and sometimes Countess Dohna, was Monarch of Sweden of Sweden from 1632 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his wife Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg....
, legitimizing the trade at the then popular marketplace of Lapvesi.

In 1741 the battle of Villmanstrand
Battle of Villmanstrand

The battle of Villmanstrand was fought during the Russo-Swedish War on August 23 1741, when Russian forces, under the command of General Peter von Lacy, assaulted Villmanstrand ....
 was fought between the Swedish and Russian armies in the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743. The battle ended in a Russian victory.

Services


Education

Lappeenranta has numerous schools at almost all levels of education, including the Lappeenranta University of Technology
Lappeenranta University of Technology

The Lappeenranta University of Technology was established in 1969. The university campus is situated on the shore of lake Saimaa, about 7 kilometres away from the city center....
, South Karelia University of Applied Sciences, the Army Academy (branch of the Finnish Defence Forces), South Karelia Vocational College and South Karelia Adult Education Centre.

Traffic

Lappeenranta is connected to its neighbor cities and municipalities by road, with railways heading to south and north.

During the summer season, when Lake Saimaa and Saimaa Canal
Saimaa Canal

The Saimaa Canal is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on September 7, 1856 ....
 are accessible by ships, there is a ship connection from Lappeenranta to Vyborg
Vyborg

Vyborg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 km to the northwest of Saint Petersburg, 38 km south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland....
, Russia.

There is also a mid-size airport
Lappeenranta Airport

Lappeenranta Airport is an airport in Lappeenranta, Finland . In 2005, approximately 50,000 passengers used the airport. Lappeenranta airport is one of the oldest airports in Finland....
 at Lappeenranta, which on a busy day serves circa 30 aircraft per day, and in minimum, only a few.

Economy

The city's main employers are the City of Lappeenranta, UPM-Kymmene, South Karelia Central Hospital, Lappeenranta University of Technology
Lappeenranta University of Technology

The Lappeenranta University of Technology was established in 1969. The university campus is situated on the shore of lake Saimaa, about 7 kilometres away from the city center....
, Paroc, Nordkalk
Nordkalk

Nordkalk is the leading manufacturer of limestone-based products in Northern Europe. Nordkalk operates at more than 30 different locations in 8 countries....
, VR-Group, Fazer
Fazer

Fazer is one of the largest corporations in the Finland food industry.The company was originally founded by Karl Fazer in 1891, as a "French-Russian conditory" in central Helsinki....
, The Armed Forces and Larox
Larox

LAROX, founded in 1977 and headquartered at Lappeenranta, Finland, is a Finnish engineering company that develops, designs and manufactures Separation process for use in mining and metallurgy, Chemical engineering and related industries....
.

A large portion of Lappeenranta workers live in the neighboring municipalities, mainly Taipalsaari
Taipalsaari

Taipalsaari is a municipalities of Finland of Finland.It is located in the provinces of Finland of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia regions of Finland....
, Lemi
Lemi

Lemi is a municipalities of Finland of Finland.It is located in the provinces of Finland of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia regions of Finland....
 and Savitaipale
Savitaipale

Savitaipale is a municipalities of Finland of Finland.It is located in the provinces of Finland of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia regions of Finland....
. Lappeenranta is connected to these municipalities by roads.

Culture and people

Laila Hirvisaari
Laila Hirvisaari

Laila Ellen Kaarina Hirvisaari is a Finland author and writer.When Laila Hirvisaari was 3 years old, her father Aarne died in the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, so she has no memories of him....
 (formerly Laila Hietamies) has written a novel series about Lappeenranta and its people.

Kotiteollisuus
Kotiteollisuus

Kotiteollisuus is a Finland hard rock/Heavy metal music band that was formed in 1991 in Lappeenranta. The band released its first demo tape in 1993 under the name "Hullu ukko ja kotiteollisuus" ....
 is very popular Finnish hard rock band coming from Lappeenranta.

Mokoma
Mokoma

Mokoma is a Finland thrash metal band formed in Lappeenranta 1996. Their music also has death metal and grindcore influences with lot of traditional Finnish melancholy....
 is Finnish thrash metal band from Lappeenranta. It's also very popular in Finnish metal scene.

Hanna Pakarinen
Hanna Pakarinen

Hanna Helena Pakarinen is a Finnish pop and pop rock singer who rose to fame as the winner of the Idols of the Finnish singing competition Idols in 2004....
 the first Idols winner in Finland came from Lappeenranta.

Vesa Vierikko
Vesa Vierikko

Vesa Tapio Vierikko is a Finland actor.Vierikko began acting in 1978 on television working consistently throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He starred in the 2003 in film film Sibelius working with Finnish director Timo Koivusalo and actors such as Martti Suosalo, Heikki Nousiainen and Seela Sella and Miina Turunen....
 Finnish actor born in the town.

Christian Ruuttu
Christian Ruuttu

Christian Ruuttu was born on 20 February, 1964, in Lappeenranta, Finland and is a former professional ice hockey player....
 Ice hockey player in the NHL in the mid-90s born in Lappeenranta.

Arvi Lind
Arvi Lind

Arvi Lind is a retired Finland television news presenter. He worked as the news anchor on Yleisradio YLE TV1 from 1965 to 2003. Along with Kari Toivonen, he was one of the longest-serving employees of Yleisradio news....
 Legendary Finnish news anchor.

Movies There are two private movie theaters in Lappeenranta: Kino-Aula & Nuijamies which show movies with subtitles in both Finnish
Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by Finnish people outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden....
 & Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
).

Tourism

Lappeenranta is known as a summer city, mostly due to its closeness to the lake Saimaa
Saimaa

Saimaa , or Saimen in Finland-Swedish, is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately 4,400 km? Square kilometre, it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe....
. In addition, its inland location means that summers tend to be warmer and winters colder than in the shore parts of the country.

Lappeenranta, however, does have a healthy winter tourism industry. Various cabins around Lake Saimaa, as well as numerous snowmobile, skiing and sledding tracks draw a fair number of winter visitors.

The proximity of the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n border is increasingly visible in the number of Russian tourists visiting the city. In fact, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 of Russia is closer (211 km) to Lappeenranta than Helsinki
Helsinki

Helsinki is the Capital and largest List of cities and towns in Finland of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea....
, the capital of Finland (221 km). The presence of Russians is obvious with many Russian registered cars on the streets and Cyrillic signs in shops.

Good places and events to visit are
  • The old fortress, with a number of museums, cafés and the oldest Orthodox church in Finland.
  • The harbour area, with cruises to Vyborg
    Vyborg

    Vyborg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 km to the northwest of Saint Petersburg, 38 km south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland....
     and the nearby Saimaa Canal
    Saimaa Canal

    The Saimaa Canal is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on September 7, 1856 ....
    .
  • The central market place, where you can enjoy the local specialities - meat pies known as "Atomi" (atom) or "Vety" (hydrogen).
  • The Night of The Fort, a two-day cultural festival in early August.
  • The annual Lappeenranta National Singing Contest.
  • The "Huvisatama" -only in summers of course, offers a wide variety of amusement to everybody.


Sister cities

Klin
Klin

Klin is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Moscow. The Russian Route M10 connecting Moscow to Saint Petersburg and the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway run through the town....
, Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 Kolding
Kolding

Kolding is a Denmark seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in Region Syddanmark . It is the site of the council Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, principally geared towards shipbuilding....
, Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
 Vyborg
Vyborg

Vyborg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 km to the northwest of Saint Petersburg, 38 km south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland....
, Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....


External links

  •  – Official site
  • at Google Maps
    Google Maps

    Google Maps is a free web mapping service application and technology provided by Google that powers many map-based services including the Google Maps website, #Google Ride Finder, Google Transit and embedded maps on third-party websites via the Google Maps Application programming interface....
  • (press "ilmakuva"). Much more detail than in Google's service.


Picture Gallery