Lappeenranta, Finland

Lappeenranta (Villmanstrand in Swedish) is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about 30 km from the Russian border. It belongs to the province of Southern Finland and the region of South Karelia. With 59,000 inhabitants (December 31, 2004) Lappeenranta is the eleventh-largest city of Finland. The town was chartered in 1649 by Queen Christina of Sweden, legitimizing the trade at the then popular marketplace of Lapvesi.

The city's main employers are: The City of Lappeenranta, UPM-Kymmene, South Karelia Central Hospital, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Paroc, Nordkalk, VR-Group, Cloetta Fazer, The Armed Forces, Larox and Pola.

The proximity of the Russian border is increasingly visible in the number of Russian tourists visiting the city. In fact, Saint Petersburg is closer (211 km) to Lappeenranta than Helsinki (221 km).

Laila Hirvisaari (formely Laila Hietamies) has written a novel series about Lappeenranta and its people.

Tourism

Lappeenranta is known as a summer city, mostly due to its closeness to the lake Saimaa. In addition, its inland location means that summers tend to be warmer and winters colder than in the shore parts of the country.

Good places and events to visit are

• The old fort, with a number of museums and cafés.
• The harbour area, with beautiful lake scenery and cruises to Vyborg and the nearby Saimaa Canal.
• The water tower, which gives a good view all over the city.
• 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.