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35-580: The association was established by Karelian local governments , parishes and provincial organizations on 20 April 1940, immediately after the Winter War . The chief aim was to attend to the interests of Karelians who had lost their homes. By the 1960s, the organization started to focus on preservation of the Karelian culture , by that point most of the economic and social problems faced by resettled Karelians were addressed. The Karelian Association has close ties to

70-548: A crusade against Karelians at the request of Valdemar , the king of Sweden. The Third Swedish crusade , led by the marshal Torgils Knutsson took place between 1293 and 1295. As a result of the crusade the western parts of Karelia fell under Swedish rule and the building of the Castle of Viborg on the site of a destroyed Karelian fort started. According to the Eric's Chronicle invading Swedes conquered 14 hundreds from Karelians during

105-461: A contrast to the rugged rocky islands of Saimaa and flat pinewoods, the region features lush deciduous woodlands reaching out from the Ladogian Karelia around Parikkala , Imatra and Lappeenranta . Parikkala and Rautjärvi are clearly different from other areas in the region, with the Ladogian Karelia even affecting their climate. The lush deciduous zone with great biodiversity shelters

140-556: A key role in the history of tourism. The rapids of Imatrankoski and their surroundings became the first actual tourist attraction in Finland . Russian upper classes and civil servants, in particular, came to marvel at the wild foams of the rapids. In the summer of 1772, Russian Empress Catherine the Great visited Imatra for one day. Her journey from St. Petersburg to Imatra took five days. The rulers and dignitaries of many other countries have left

175-467: A memento of their visit in the rocks surrounding the rapids. Actual tourism in the modern sense developed in the 19th century. It was speeded up by the completion of Saimaa Canal and St. Petersburg railway in the latter half of the century. What also drew tourists all the way from St. Petersburg was the good fishing to be had in River Vuoksi , Imatra Rapids and Lake Saimaa. The Rauha – Tiuruniemi area by

210-612: A unique tourist attraction for Finns and foreigners alike. The high quality guest marinas draw yachters to Lake Saimaa all the way from international waters. The region also features an interesting cross-section of churches that represent various centuries, architectural styles and denominations. The internationally best-known of these is the Church of the Three Crosses in Imatra designed by Alvar Aalto . The South Karelian nature has played

245-401: Is a region of Finland . It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso , South Savo and North Karelia , as well as Russia ( Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast ). For history, geography and culture see: Finnish Karelia The coat of arms of South Karelia is composed of the arms of Karelia . The ground in the region consists of loose soil types accumulated on top of bedrock during

280-543: Is a good selection of agritourism attractions and tourism services available around the region . The most interesting attractions include Lake Saimaa, Saimaa Canal , Lappeenranta Fortification and Imatrankoski rapids, the Russian border and the short distance to Vyborg and St. Petersburg . Lappeenranta Fortification and its museums portray the history of the border zone and border arrangements over several centuries. Cruises on Lake Saimaa and along Saimaa Canal up to Vyborg are

315-647: The Americas . The spa in Lappeenranta , which is still in business today, was founded in 1871. Tourism in South Karelia went into a decline for some time after the First World War ended the flows of travellers from St. Petersburg. Interest in domestic travel, which had arisen towards the end of the 19th century, increased as conditions became more settled in the newly independent Finland . Tourism had its heyday before

350-560: The Finnish government and the European Union . The organization had an official magazine Karjala Lehti, which stopped being published in September 2022, but there are plans to restart printing in 2023. In 2023, Karjalan Liitto was contacted by a Karelian nationalist organisation , which wanted to cooperate with the movement in order to return Karelia back to Finland . The movement refused

385-621: The Grand Duchy of Finland as a gesture of good will (see Viipuri Province ). A large part of Finnish Karelia was ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union in 1940 after the Soviet aggression known as the Winter War , when the new border was established close to that of 1721. During the Continuation War of 1941–44, most of the ceded area was recaptured by Finland, but in 1944 was taken over again by

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420-609: The Great Purges , also in vast areas east of Finland (in Eastern Karelia, not marked on the map above), where folklore , language and architecture during the 19th century was in the center of the Finns' interest (see Karelianism ), representing a "purer" Finnish culture than that of Southern and Western Finland, which had been for thousands of years in more contact with (or "contaminated by") Germanic and Scandinavian culture, of which

455-471: The Kalevala and Finnish Art Nouveau are expressions. See also List of Karelians Other than Finns, the historical province of Karelia also had Russian speakers living on the territory. The Russian name for the province is Карелия. The arms is crowned by a ducal coronet, though by Finnish tradition this more resembles a Swedish count's coronet. The symbolism of the coat of arms is supposed to represent how

490-578: The Karelian isthmus , which are now in Russia . Historical Karelia also extends to the regions of Kymenlaakso (east of the River Kymi ), Northern Savonia ( Kaavi , Rautavaara and Säyneinen ) and Southern Savonia ( Mäntyharju ). Karelia may also refer to the region as a whole, including the portion of Karelia within Russia . The term "Finnish Karelia" refers specifically to the historical Finnish province, while East Karelia or "Russian Karelia" refers to

525-679: The Viborg and Nyslott County . After the Treaty of Nystad in 1721 eastern parts of the Viborg and Nyslott County and the Kexholm County were ceded to Russia. The rest of these counties were incorporated into the Kymmenegård and Nyslott County . The southeastern part of this county was also ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Åbo of 1743. After the conquest in 1809 of the rest of Finland, Russia's 18th century gains, called " Old Finland ", were in 1812 joined to

560-758: The last ice age , as the ice sheet retreated to the northwest. The soil shaped by the Ice Age is still clearly visible in the South Karelian environment and scenery. The greatest natural wonder in South Karelia consists of the parallel dividers called Salpausselkä , which transect the region, and their large edge formations. At its steepest, the divider plunges into Lake Saimaa in Kyläniemi village of Taipalsaari . The variable terrain and great local height differences make South Karelia exceptional in Southern Finland . As

595-555: The 1930s depression. The area, including Lake Saimaa and the legendary beaches of Terijoki , was a popular area for holiday villas. Tourism was once more affected by the closing of the borders after the Second World War . The unspoilt nature and Lake Saimaa attracted tourists especially from Central Europe and the Nordic countries . The Germans discovered the rented holiday houses on the shores of Saimaa. Lappeenranta has been voted

630-488: The Lake Saimaa has long traditions in spa and hotel activities. As early as 1894 the area's first hotel spa - Rauha pensionat för turister - was established. In 1912 a Russia-born physicist Dimitri Gabrilovitsch bought the place to transform it into a sanatorium. The clinic's services at the time were different kinds of baths as well as galvanic and bright light treatments. The clinic had visitors from Russia , Europe and even

665-935: The Soviet Union. After the war, the remains of the Province of Viipuri were made into the Province of Kymi . In 1997 the province was incorporated within the Southern Finland Province . Western Karelia, as a historical Province of Sweden , was religiously and politically distinct from the eastern parts that were under the Russian Orthodox Church . Some notable regions within the Region of Finnish Karelia are: Viipuri Province (1812–1944) Kymenlaakso (1917–) South Karelia (1917–) North Karelia (1917–) The inhabitants of Karelian provinces historically belonging to Finland are known as Karelians . Confusingly,

700-403: The best university town in Finland . The campus is welcoming, there are plenty of flats available and international student exchanges are competently organised. Most importantly, however, the education offered is versatile and of a high standard. The study programmes are being developed with an open mind. Some years ago, Lappeenranta University of Technology decided to include business studies in

735-405: The border as well as its cultural heritage and history as a border region . Thanks to the natural attractions, waterways and islands, tourism has natural prerequisites for developing in South Karelia. The provincial centres are continuously improving their services. Lappeenranta has in recent years focused particularly on tourism services for families, and Imatra on fishing and spa tourism. There

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770-424: The border between Sweden and Novgorod. Sweden got territory around Viborg , the western Karelian Isthmus and South Karelia ; and Novgorod got the eastern Karelian Isthmus , Ingria , Ladoga Karelia , North Karelia and East Karelia . In 1617, Sweden seized Kexholm County (eastern Karelian Isthmus, Ladoga Karelia, and North Karelia) from Russia. In 1634 Savonia and old Swedish Karelia were incorporated in

805-458: The council as it also implements and coordinates various projects. The council is also represented in several international organisations, such as AEBR . The region of South Karelia consists of nine municipalities , two of which have city status (marked in bold). Imatra sub-region Lappeenranta sub-region South Karelia is a popular tourist area in Finland with its special features – its nature, its location between Lake Saimaa and

840-511: The crusade. Hostilities between Novgorod and the kingdom of Sweden continued in 1300 when a Swedish force attacked the mouth of the River Neva and built a fort near the current location of Saint Petersburg . The fort was destroyed the following year by the Novgorodians. Indecisive fighting in 1321 and 1322 led to negotiations and peace by the Treaty of Nöteborg which for the first time decided

875-631: The eighth century. The considerably higher number of archeological discoveries in these regions from AD 800 to AD 1050 indicates that the Karelian population grew and expanded rapidly during this time. At least 50 sites of Iron Age settlements and 40 hillforts are known from Karelia. According to archeological record and historical data most of the hillforts in Karelia were erected between 1100 and 1323. Particular Karelian culture including axes, brooches and ornamental culture flourished approximately between

910-655: The meeting point of the borders between the Häme Finns, Savonians , and Karelians. During the 12th and 13th century, Karelians fought against Swedes and other Finnic tribes situated in western Finland, such as Tavastians and Finns proper . Karelians were listed as Novgorodian allies in the mid-12th century in Russian Chronicles. Historical records describe Karelians pillaging Sigtuna in Sweden in 1187 and making another expedition in 1257 which lead Pope Alexander IV to call out

945-847: The most valuable wetlands of Finland . Bird wetland habitats of national importance are found in Siikalahti and Tarassiinlahti of Parikkala and Kuokkalampi in Ruokolahti . These wetlands harbour endangered habitats – birds, dragonflies, bats and butterflies. The Regional Council of South Karelia is a joint municipal authority of nine member municipalities. The council operates as the authority for regional development and unit for regional planning and looks after regional interests and to promote economic development and cultural well-being in South Karelia. The council has statutory responsibility for regional development and planning. The EU's regional Objective Programmes for South Karelia have partly been prepared in

980-439: The offer, seeing it as a Russian information attack . Some members of Karjalan Liito supported a peaceful return of Karelia, but as of 2023, the movement is against border changes with Russia . Finnish Karelia Karelia ( Finnish : Karjala ) is a historical province of Finland , consisting of the modern-day Finnish regions of South Karelia and North Karelia plus the historical regions of Ladoga Karelia and

1015-546: The portion of Karelia within Russia. Finland ceded a portion of Finnish Karelia to the Soviet Union after the Winter War of 1939–40. More than 400,000 evacuees from the ceded territories re-settled in various parts of Finland. Finnish Karelians include the present-day inhabitants of South Karelia and North Karelia , as well as the still-surviving evacuees from the ceded territories. Finnish Karelia historically came under western influence, religiously and politically, and

1050-504: The region was fought over by Sweden and Russia for centuries. Blazon: "Gules, in center chief a crown or above two duelling arms, the dexter armored holding a sword and the sinister chain-mail armored with a scimitar, all argent except for hafts and gauntlet joint or". 61°52′45″N 30°06′49″E  /  61.8792°N 30.1136°E  / 61.8792; 30.1136 South Karelia South Karelia (or Southern Karelia , Finnish : Etelä-Karjala ; Swedish : Södra Karelen )

1085-487: The same name is used also of a closely related but distinct ethnic group living mostly in East Karelia , earlier also in some of the territories Finland ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944. The traditional culture of "Ladoga-Karelia", or Finnish Karelia according to the pre- Winter War borders, was by and large similar to that of Eastern Karelia, or Russian Karelia. Karelians live, and did even more so before Stalinism and

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1120-546: The western shore of Lake Ladoga and the Karelian Isthmus , with multiple cemeteries and other archeological discoveries dating from AD 600 to AD 800. In South Karelia , the number of archeological discoveries from this time period is lower, though permanent inhabitation was nonetheless present. Lappee , South Karelia has been continuously inhabited for approximately 2,000 years. In North Karelia , only one archeological discovery from this time period has been found, dating to

1155-804: The years 1000–1400. The River Kymi formed a boundary between the eastern and western cultural spheres by the beginning of the Bronze Age at the latest and is also said to be the boundary between the Tavastians and the Karelians during the Middle Ages . The 15th and 16th centuries saw the River Kymi become a more official border between the Tavastians and the Karelians, with Naulasaari (located in Mäntyharju ) serving as

1190-455: The years 400–800. From the Merovingian period onwards finds from Karelia display a distinct features of West Finnish influences which has been interpreted to result at least partly from a colonisation. The mixing of western Finnish settlers with the local population led to the creation of the Karelian ethnic group. Archeological evidence indicates that Karelian inhabitation was highest along

1225-638: Was separate from East Karelia , which was dominated by the Novgorod Republic and its many successor states from the Middle Ages onwards. First indications of human settlement in Karelia are from the Mesolithic period . The oldest find from the area is the over 9000 years old Antrea Net which is a fishing net of willow bast. The number of finds from the area is lower towards the end of the Stone Age . Archeological finds from Karelia are relatively rare between

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