At Lappeenranta Fortress: a journey back to the era of the Russian Empire

A good two hours by train from Helsinki Airport and you are immediately immersed in the atmosphere of the land of lakes, in Lappeenranta, the heart of South Karelia, situated directly on the shores of Lake Saimaa, the fourth-largest natural lake in Europe. On the Linnoitusniemi headland, where the town was founded in 1649, stands the Fortress, a vast complex built as a military garrison in the early 1700s by the Swedish army and later completed under the Russian Empire. Today it serves as a historic district which, in summer, comes alive with outdoor events (theatre performances, folk dance shows and traditional sing-alongs) and walks in Pusupuisto, the ‘Park of Kisses’, offering sweeping views of the lake and the city harbour. The Fortress welcomes visitors with its museums, craft shops and cafés (a stop in the elegant rooms of Casa Majurska – a building once occupied by Russian officials – is highly recommended) and the small Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary (one of the oldest in the whole of Finland and a pilgrimage destination, particularly during Easter). It is certainly an evocative place, where the proximity to Russia (the border, currently closed due to the war with Ukraine, is about 30 km away) can somehow be felt in the air. Just a few minutes’ walk from the fortress is the harbour, a popular meeting place during the summer with its bars and restaurants, and an ideal starting point for cruises on Lake Saimaa. Finally, an unmissable experience can be had at the kiosks in the harbour itself (and in the nearby market square), where you can sample two of Finland’s most famous culinary specialities, ‘Vety’ and ‘Atomi’, savoury pies filled with meat, smoked or boiled ham and a hard-boiled egg.

https://www.visitlappeenranta.fi/fi