South Karelia arkistot - Via Karelia

Cavalry Museum

In the Cavalry Museum you can experience the fire of the fierce Hackapelites and succumb to the charm of the red-panted dragoons The exhibition opening in the summer of 2019, on the other hand, has been entirely modernised to meet the needs of today’s visitors. It displays the history of the Finnish cavalry in a…

Parikkala – Mikkolanniemi 35km

The route starts from the Parikkala railway station and ends at Mikkolanniemi Activity Centre, on the east side of Akonpohja in Saari and Lake Pieni Rautjärvi, by the road 4014. The marked route is actually a cycling route, because it runs on roads.

Bird Watching Tower in Pohjanranta

An open tower with a single platform is by a shallow bay, surrounded by lakeside meadows and fields. In springtime, the place is teeming with mallards and pochards. Driving instructions: When coming from the south on main road 6, there’s a sign to Uukuniemi (4021) after the Saari population centre. Drive for slightly under 1km…

Bird Watching Tower in Rautalahti

The three-metre-tall, open tower with one platform is by a bay, bounded by horsetail, bushes and trees. In early May, large quantities of swans will gather to Rautalahti. If you’re lucky, you may even spot the tundra swan. In early summer, the bay is an excellent place for listening to nocturnal singers. Driving directions: The…

Bird Watching Tower in Haapajärvi

Haapajärvi is classified internationally as a valuable bird lake, surrounded by forests and fields. The spring migration brings many waterfowl, waders, gulls, and terns. In July and August, the area is teeming with moulting waterfowl and their young. The tower is an open, one-platform tower, about 5 metres high. Driving instructions: From Lappeenranta centre, take…

Bird Watching Towers in Konnunsuo

In Konnunsuo, on a wide open field, there are two bird watching towers, 500 metres apart. One of the main migration routes for birds migrating via South-East Finland stops at Konnunsuo fields. In spring, you can see whoopers and tundra swans, various species of mallards, waders, geese, and cranes. From August to October, sparrow hawks,…

Café Majurska

Café Majurska, in the historical Lappeenranta Fortress, is one of the most famous cafés in town. The Café is known for its historical style and peaceful atmosphere.

Wanha Makasiini Bistro

Lohela

Restaurant Buttenhoff

Restaurant Wolkoff

Joensuu

The red and black featured in the coat of arms are typical of Karelia. The wave motif refers to the Pielisjoki river, and the embattled line to the town’s position near the eastern frontier. Joensuu is the centre of the region of North Karelia, located on the norther shore of lake Pyhäselkä, at the mouth…

Paloaukea Museum

Paloaukea Museum opened in June 2007 at the former arms depot of the Ylämylly garrison, in Liperi, maintained by a local association – Paloaukean Ajoneuvo- ja Asemuseo ry. The museum exhibits artefacts of the Second World War, for example a piece of field artillery. Paloaukea is the starting point in Väinö Linna’s novel, The Unknown…

Möhkö Ironworks Museum, exhibition on military history

Whereas the main theme of the Ironworks Museum is to demonstrate processing of limonite into iron, its exhibition “Möhkö in War” showcases the stages of the Winter War and the Continuation War as experienced in the Möhkö area. The exhibition shows us the people amidst the war, the fate of the evacuees, the shortage of…

Combatant’s House in Hattuvaara

The House offers restaurant services and an exhibition on military history. Artefacts are exhibited indoors, and outside there are artillery guns, a dugout and an opportunity to watch a short film. A shelter for the artillery guns was built in the vicinity of the house in the summer of 2012. Nearby, there’s a path for…