Tervetuloa löytöretkelle Varkauteen – Saimaan
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Tarjoamme monipuoliset puitteet niin konsertteihin, yritystilaisuuksiin kuin yksityistapahtumiinkin – kaikki saman katon alla.
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Konsertti- ja kongressitalo Mikaeli Sointukatu 1, 50100 Mikkeli
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Embark on a Flavorsome Journey Saimaa
Harvest Festival
September 12‒14, 2025
Lake Saimaa is renowned for its breathtaking nature and rich culture, but did you know it’s also a true paradise for food lovers?
This coming autumn offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the delicious food and traditions of the Saimaa region. From September 12–14, 2025, the Saimaa Harvest Festival invites you to immerse yourself in the tastes, stories, and beauty of this enchanting lake-filled landscape, taking place in the towns of Savonlinna and Kitee and their neighbouring villages.
Learn more: www.visitsavonlinna.fi/en/saimaaharvestfestival
What awaits you?
Cultural and culinary treasure
Visit various local venues, each showcasing the beauty and traditions of the region. Enjoy authentic flavors, traditional performances, and captivating stories that bring the region’s rich heritage to life.
Delicious local creations
Savor fresh produce, artisanal delicacies, and themed menus crafted to highlight the very best of the harvest season.
Activities for all ages
From hands-on workshops to outdoor adventures and family-friendly events, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Breathtaking lake landscape
Discover the serene waters of Lake Saimaa, a haven of serenity and natural beauty
The Saimaa Harvest Festival is more than an event – it’s an invitation to slow down, connect with nature, and celebrate the season in a way you’ll never forget.
Enjoyable Sulkava and Puumala
www.visitsulkava.fi
www.visitpuumala.fi
Saimaa Times Magazine for Visitors Issue 2025 www.saimaatimes.fi
ISSN 2814-4651 (print)
ISSN 2814-4813 (online)
Graphic design & layout
Petteri Mero
Mainostoimisto Knok Oy
Printed by Newprint Oy
CONTENTS
From the editor: Beautiful landscapes, clear water and excellent food 6
Eat Finland 8
Saimaa area in a nutshelll 10
A surrealist on the ski jumping hill 12
Map of Saimaa region 14
Hotels providing Saimaa Times 16
The policeman who could write 18
Like an adult amusement park 20 Konsti’s summer is made of industrial heritage and art 23
Captain Finland and the sauna etiquette 26
Would you like to return to your eternal youth? – Column by Hannele Lampela 28
Editor in chief
Roope Lipasti
Sales manager
Raimo Kurki
raimo.kurki@aikalehdet.fi
Tel. +358 45 656 7216
Sales manager
Kari Kettunen
kari.kettunen@aikalehdet.fi
Tel. +358 40 481 9445
Published by Mobile-Kustannus Oy
Betaniankatu 3 LH FI-20810 Turku, Finland
Member of Finnish Magazine Media Association (Aikakausmedia)
Publisher Teemu Jaakonkoski
Cover photos Cruise on Lake Saimaa. Photo: Visit Saimaa Ukonlinna beach. Photo: Arto Apila / imatra.kuvat.fi
Tertti manor waitress. Photo: Visit Saimaa Saimaa ringed seal. Photo: Visit Saimaa Hannele Lampela. Photo: Niki Strbian
YOUR LAKE ADVENTURE STARTS HERE
Welcome to Lake Saimaa, Lappeenranta and Imatra region.
Take a deep breath, listen to the soothing sounds of nature, and admire the stunning landscapes around you. This region offers a unique blend of pure nature, vibrant towns, and fascinating attractions, making it a perfect destination in every season.
No matter which time of the year, the Lake Saimaa region invites you to explore it in countless ways, walk along scenic trails, cycle through breathtaking landscapes, paddle across shimmering waters, or glide over a frozen lake on skis or skates. Take a trip to one of the thousands of islands and experience the tranquility of untouched nature. As a true Finnish experience, try the sauna - the region offers everything from traditional smoke saunas to floating saunas, cozy cottage saunas, and even a sauna inside an old train cabin.
The local flavors are just as unforgettable as the landscapes. Indulge in Lappeenranta’s famous meat pies, Atomi and Vety, savor Lemin Särä, a dish prepared using a thousand-year-old recipe. Enjoy freshly caught vendace and traditional salmon soup. Don’t forget to try local pastries and freshly roasted coffee, a true Finnish treat.
In summer, long, light-filled days are perfect for outdoor adventures. Cycle the famous Saimaa Archipelago Route, paddle
through island-dotted waters, try fishing, wakeboarding or even skydiving. The lively summer atmosphere extends to local events, scenic terraces, and cultural landmarks like the Imatrankoski Rapids, Lappeenranta Fortress, and the impressive Sandcastle.
As autumn and spring bring changing colors and crisp air, hiking and cycling trails offer the perfect way to explore hidden gems like Saimaa UNESCO Global Geopark, where history and nature intertwine, creating a landscape full of stories waiting to be discovered.
Winter transforms the region into a frozen wonderland. Walk, ski, or ice skate across the vast lake, experience the thrill of husky sledding and try dry suit floating in the icy waters. Snowboarding, downhill skiing, and ice fishing are also must-try winter activities. After a day full of adventure, unwind in a cozy spa and let the warmth wash over you.
The Lappeenranta and Imatra region captivates year-round, offering unforgettable experiences in every season.
Beautiful landscapes, clear water and excellent food
If you say ”SaiMaa” to a Finn, two things will probably come to mind: a summer cottage or the Saimaa ringed seal.
No wonder, because there are more than 24,000 summer cottages in the lake area. Not so many seals though. There are only about 500 left and they are extremely endangered. Still, there are more of them than before, which is good news. So, with a little luck, a tourist may even see one of those lovely creatures.
The Saimaa ringed seal is of course not the only wonder of Lake Saimaa – it is, after all, Finland’s largest and most beautiful lake. It has about 14,850 kilometers of coastline when all of its 13,700 islands are taken into account, so visitors to the area will find no shortage of things to do and see.
Lake Saimaa is also the fourth largest lake in Europe. It flows into Lake Ladoga, which in turn flows into the Neva River, continuing to St. Petersburg and finally to the Baltic Sea. The cities of Lappeenranta, Joensuu, Mikkeli, Imatra, Savonlinna, and Varkaus are all located on the shores of Lake Saimaa, so you can justifiably say that Lake Saimaa defines Eastern Finland.
Every single one of these cities is well worth visiting, and they all have their own unique characteristics. From these cities it is also easy to make daytrips to the most beautiful landscapes and places in Finland. For example, national landscape of Koli, the amazing scenic road of Punkaharju or lovely boat trips, just to name a few.
Actually, the Lake Saimaa region is so extensive that in the northern part, you are in Savo, and in the southern part, in Karelia. Savo and Karelia are two different provinces that, according to traditional clichés, have quite different populations – completely different tribes, to use the old groupings.
If you ask a Finn what a typical Karelian is like, they will probably tell you that Karelians are cheerful people who like to laugh, like a Finnish version of a stereotypical Latin American. In Karelia, it’s okay to laugh, cry, and show emotions. Karelians are also very talkative, and if this doesn’t seem noteworthy to a visitor to Finland, it’s worth remembering that the further west you go in Finland, the more reserved and tight-lipped the people are. In Karelia, they apparently aren’t familiar with the famous quote that describes the Finns “being silent in two languages.”
In any case, in places like Imatra, Lappeenranta, and Joensuu, you can experience the cheerful and hospitable Karelian spirit. Not to mention the best Karelian pasties, by far. Karelian pasties are one of Finland’s national dishes: small, open-face pies with a thin rye crust that are usually filled with rice porridge (barley porridge or mashed potatoes are other acceptable fillings). Karelian pasties are topped with a mixture of butter and chopped boiled eggs, and they are definitely a delicacy worth trying!
The SaVonians who liVe on the shores of Lake Saimaa are again a group of their own. According to the clichés, they are easy-going and good-natured, and their sense of humor is in a class of its own. People from Savo are also said to be sly, but not in a negative sense. Rather, it refers to the fact that you can never be quite sure what a Savonian is thinking or whether they are teasing you. There’s a saying that when a Savonian talks, responsibility falls on the listener. A Savonian has definite ideas about everything, but on the other hand, he might have a different opinion after all.
Since everyone in Savo lives no more than a few meters from the shore, it should come as no surprise that the area’s food culture incorporates fish in many forms. Fried vendace, a plateful of small lake fish, is one famous and typical Savo food. In Savo, they also swear by rye: it is used not only to make bread, but also for lingonberry rye porridge.
All and all, the food culture of Eastern Finland is rooted in the pure forests and lakes of the region. The long, white nights of the north create the perfect conditions for wild vegetables, berries and mushrooms. And of course the fish from the clear lakes are something quite unique. Have a nice trip!
Roope Lipasti is the editor in chief of Saimaa Times.
photo: riikka kantinkoski
WHAT IF IT HAD BEEN YOU
Muisti Centre of War and Peace shares experiences of war to promote peace
Ristimäenkatu 4, 50100 Mikkeli
South Carelian Car Museum
Open: 2.5.–30.9.2025
Tuesday–Friday: 12.00–18.00 Saturday: 10.00–15.00
Sunday: 10.00–16.00 Monday: closed
Harmaakalliontie 5, 55300 Rauha www ekautomuseo www muisti org/en
Earlier this year, the online publication TasteAtlas ranked the world’s worst-tasting foods, and Finland won – whoo-hoo! More specifically, the winner was the traditional Finnish dish veripalttu. The title was undoubtedly deserved. Veripalttu, a kind of blood pudding, contains beef or reindeer blood, rye and wheat flour, and water and tastes just as good as it sounds. If you’re unlucky enough, you might come across this dish in North Ostrobothnia.
In any case, it feels good to win. Though there are plenty of other traditional foods in Finland that also would have stood a good chance in the competition.
For example, the word klimppisoppa, ‘clump soup’, alone is enough to make older folks in Finland still shudder. It’s made by boiling beef bones or beef shoulder, and the clumps – balls of wheat dough – are added at the end. The finished dish looks like vomit. It’s a South Ostrobothnian idea of tasty food.
Meanwhile, Savo’s gift to the world is mykyrokka. It’s a soup that contains potatoes, meat, heart, offal and dumplings called myky. The dumplings are clumps (more clumps!) made from flour and blood, which are cooked in boiling water.
And what about the traditional Turku – or more broadly, Western Finnish – dish, kaljavelli? It’s a soup made from home-brewed small ale, raisins and cubes of leipäjuusto, ‘bread cheese’. The question arises: why?
Fortunately, Finland has better things to offer, as well. The following foods are genuinely delicious and things that a tourist should try at least once.
Poronkäristys
Sautéed reindeer, a dish from Lapland, is made from reindeer round steak. But despite its main ingredient, it can be found all over the country. On the side, you’ll need a mash of delicious ‘Puikula’ potatoes
Written by roope Lipasti transLated by Christina saarinen
Cooking kalakukko in the 50's.
and lingonberry jam. ‘Lapin Puikula’ potatoes are grown specifically in Lapland, and are yellower, sweeter and tastier than potatoes from elsewhere in Finland. The excellent qualities of this old potato variety are a result of Lapland’s bright summer nights and short growing season, which requires that the potatoes be harvested early, before their sugar has had time to turn into starch.
Karjalanpiirakka
Karelian pasties have a rye crust filled with rice porridge. Karelian pasties are a funny-looking food, and as the name suggests, they originate from Eastern Finland. These days, however, they’ve spread throughout the country. They’re also a good food if there happens to be a picky child in the family – a Karelian pasty is generally acceptable to everyone. Karelian pasties are eaten with an egg-butter topping: a boiled egg is mashed and mixed with softened butter. This treat is often available at hotel breakfasts.
Rönttönen
A rönttönen is a northeastern version of Karelian pasties: instead of rice porridge, sweetened mashed potatoes or crushed berries are used as a filling. The word itself is quite onomatopoeic and can mean a small or clumsy object, or in some dialects, be used as a vulgar word for female genitalia – the association likely comes from the pasty’s shape.
Kalakukko
Kalakukko is another traditional food from Savo. A kukko is a baked dish with a rye crust that looks like a loaf of bread and usually contains plenty of fresh vendace and fatty side pork. Kind of a food surprise!
Ruisleipä
Finland is the promised land of rye. Finns love rye bread, in particular, which isn’t available in many other countries. Rye bread keeps for a long time and is very high in fiber, which makes it healthy. When Finns move abroad, they usually ask their friends to bring rye bread when they come to visit.
Mustamakkara
idea when it comes to brand associations. When the dish started to be called black sausage, its popularity quickly increased. Black sausage is usually enjoyed with lingonberry jam. For a complete gourmet experience, you should eat it at the market square in Tampere and wash it down with cold milk.
Paistetut muikut
Vendace is a 5–20-centimeter-long fish in the salmon family that lives in schools in lakes and is the most important commercial fish species for professional fishermen in Finland’s inland waters. While particularly common in the Finnish lake region, fried vendace can be found at every major outdoor event in larger cities these days. They are usually eaten with mashed potatoes. A more Helsinki-style version of this is fried herring, which is similarly coated in rye flour and fried.
Salmiakki
Salmiakki is Finland’s national candy. This black and strongly flavored confection is not much liked elsewhere, though it is eaten to some extent in the other Nordic countries and in the Netherlands. It’s worth giving salmiakki a chance, however. And if not as candy, you can also drink it in alcoholic form: salmiakkikossu, which is made by dissolving so much salmiakki in vodka that you can’t taste the alcohol, makes for an excellent shot! It’s so good, in fact, that when it was first launched in the 1990s, it was banned precisely because it didn’t taste like alcohol and was therefore considered dangerous by the authorities. These days, it’s back on the market. Salmiakki is made by mixing ammonium chloride into licorice.
Lohikeitto
Salmon soup was originally an archipelago dish, but today, you can find it everywhere. In addition to salmon fillets, the soup contains potatoes, carrots and leeks – and cream. It’s often eaten with saaristolaisleipä, ‘archipelago bread’, a malty rye loaf sweetened with syrup.
Mustikkapiirakka
Tampere’s gift to the world: a black sausage that looks suspicious, but tastes good! In the ’80s, this food was still referred to as kuuma sian verimakkara, ‘hot pig’s blood sausage’, which was maybe not the best
Blueberry pie is the perfect ending to any summer meal. Finnish blueberries, or more precisely, bilberries, are small, but that makes them all the sweeter. Blueberry season usually starts in July. Finland’s ‘Everyman’s right’ guarantees that anyone can go into the forest to pick berries. In a pie, the berries really shine! s
photo:
Karelian pasties ready to be enjoyed with egg-butter topping.
Saimaa area in a nutshell
Saimaa
Lake Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland – and the fourth largest in the whole Europe. It is not one big lake though, but rather consists of many smaller ones that are interconnected. Roughly measured, Lake Saimaa is 200 kilometres long and 100 kilometres wide. It is one of the most popular summer cottage areas in Finland and has about 25,000 holiday homes.
The best-known and at the same time rarest animal living in the lake is saimaannorppa – the Saimaa ringed seal – which became isolated from other ringed seal populations of the Baltic Sea about 8000 years ago, just after the ice age ended. Sadly, it is a highly endangered species today.
The largest cities in the Saimaa area are Lappeenranta, Mikkeli, Savonlinna, Imatra and Varkaus.
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta is the 13th biggest city in Finland and has a population of about 72,000. It was founded as early as 1649 and its history can be seen, for example, in the Lappeenranta fortress area, which has many museums, galleries and much more to see. The nearby city harbour is also beautiful and offers access to Saimaa cruises.
Mikkeli
The history of Mikkeli, with a population of 52,000, is quite belligerent. The city is mentioned in various peace treaties since the 14th century and has often been involved in war battles. During the last war, the headquarters of Finnish army was there. That is why the city has, among other things, the Headquarters Museum. Mikkeli is also Finland’s second most popular summer cottage location: there are about 10,000 cottages there.
Savonlinna
Savonlinna is especially known for its beautiful medieval castle called Olavinlinna, as well as the famous Opera Festival that the castle hosts every summer. The city is home to 32,000 people and its surroundings are full of beautiful sights and landscapes – for example, one of Finland’s national landscapes, Punkaharju, the narrow seven-kilometer-long ridge formed during the ice age. Tsar Nicholas I of Russia fell in love with it so much that in 1843 he ordered the area to be protected.
Imatra
Imatra is home to 25,000 people. The main industries are the paper industry and tourism: the city is located right next to the Russian border. Imatra is known for its exceptionally magnificent rapids, which is the oldest tourist attraction in Finland, and for the State Hotel on its shores. Dating back to 1903, the building reminiscent of a fairytale castle is well worth a visit.
Varkaus
The first mention of Varkaus dates back to 1323, when it was just a village as a border marker for a peace treaty. Since then, it developed into a significant center of the wood and paper industry thanks to its excellent location along the waterways. Today, the paper industry has waned even in Varkaus, but nature and wonderful landscapes remain, such as the beautiful Taipale canal or the unique Kämäri nature reserve. The city of around 20,000 inhabitants is also a city of naïve art and many museums. s
A surrealist on the ski jumping hill
A Finnish gallerist has added a jumping suit worn by legendary ski jumper Matti Nykänen to his collection because, in his opinion, Nykänen was the most surrealistic athlete in the world.
The Art Bank gallery, on the island of Pargas in the Turku archipelago, houses the only private exhibition of Salvador Dalí works in the Nordic countries. Gallerist Ted Wallin, who has in numerous interviews assured incredulous journalists that he is the reincarnation of Dalí, has now acquired for his collection a jumping suit that ski jumper Matti Nykänen wore at least during a Four Hills Tournament in the 1980s. According to an interview with Helsingin Sanomat (6 February 2025), Wallin had a clear motivation: “Nykänen
Written by Matti MäkeLä transLated by Christina saarinen
A comment from the beginning of his singing career is so surrealistic that even Dalí would have been proud to hear it: “The album is already recorded. Next, I’m going to take singing lessons.”
was the most surrealistic athlete in the world. We [surrealists], after all, cultivate a slightly-more-than-reality feeling.” He has a point, though the competition for the title of the world’s most surrealistic athlete is fierce. What makes Nykänen more qualified for the title than, say, larger- and stranger-than-life figures like Diego Maradona and Dennis Rodman?
Nykänen’s particular strength is his wide-ranging surrealism. He resembles Salvador Dalí in that a total work of art includes not only one’s artistic production, but also the artist’s personality and, in practice, everything he does. The Dalí Theatre and Museum, which Dalí built in Figueres, Spain, and opened in 1974, uses paintings, sculptures and various decorative objects to create an assemblage that depicts Dalí and his art, with each room also featuring an independent work of art.
The artwork created by Nykänen’s life is performative (although a monument entitled Höyhen, ‘Feather’, has been erected for Nykänen in his hometown of Jyväskylä), a story that bounces in different directions in an almost dreamlike (and sometimes also nightmarish) way, like the legendary film Un Chien Andalou made by Dalí and Luis Buñuel. The story begins with an incredible sports career (ten gold medals from the Olympics and World Championships between 1981 and 1990, plus 48 World Cup wins and four overall victories), during which he made headlines not only for his sporting achievements but also for his colorful personal life. The peak of his kiosk break-ins and other drunken antics was his winter 1987 “training camp” in Spain: Nykänen, after a dispute with the Finnish Ski Association, goes south for two weeks to party, returns for the World Championships and wins silver.
After his sports career, Nykänen followed Dalí’s advice that if you want people’s attention, you have to provoke them, and he worked as both a striptease dancer and a pop singer. A comment from the beginning of his singing career is so surrealistic that even Dalí would have been proud to hear it: “The album is already recorded. Next, I’m going to take singing lessons.”
Nykänen’s steadily worsening alcoholism ultimately turned his epic-turned-comedy into a tragedy. At first, Nykänen’s domestic and other violence brought him suspended sentences, until the drunken stabbing of a male acquaintance brought him a prison sentence of over two years in 2004. Nykänen’s life ended in 2019. He was only 55 years old at the time.
In a new documentary by Olli Laine, Nykänen’s sister Päivi sums up his tragedy as follows: “The gift he had was too great for him to bear.” The weight of Nykänen’s burden is all the more evident considering that Nykänen was only diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and that not only journalists, fans and managers, but also officials from the Finnish Ski Association more often took advantage of, mocked or enabled Nykänen’s destructive behavior than acted as his friends or supporters. Perhaps he would have even endorsed Dalí’s words: “It is not me who is the clown, but this monstrously cynical and so unconsciously naive society, which plays the game of seriousness in order better to hide its madness.”
In addition to his sporting success and his ultimately sad life story, Nykänen is especially remembered for his one-liners, which in their absurdity and funniness rival those of Dalí. For example: “The greatest tragedy of today’s youth is that I’m not one of them anymore.”
A few of Nykänen’s best: “Life is the best time to be alive” / “Love is like a ball of string – it begins and it ends” / “Germany-Austria is my second homeland” / “Having experienced everything, I can say that there are still things left to experience.” And one more, which meets the demands of surrealism’s main theorist, André Breton, by effortlessly brushing aside the shackles of logic and limitations of everyday reality: “You can’t undo what you haven’t done.”
Finally, it’s worth remembering that ski jumping itself is a surreal sport, in which you fly on skis for a distance that can top 200 meters down a hill. Perhaps the most incredible performance of Nykänen’s career was at the 1982 World Championships in Oslo, where on the last day of the competition, the large hill was shrouded in a dense blanket of fog. Any sane person would have thought the competition should be canceled, but the officials decided otherwise. Many jumpers fell or landed their jumps dozens of meters shorter than normal. Nykänen, on the other hand, set off from the top of the jumping hill (as if determined to prove true the famous quote of Dalí’s, “The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad”), briefly emerged from the fog at the take-off, and flew unseen to the bottom of the hill, where he materialized again and won gold. That jump was like something straight out of Salvador Dalí’s restless dreams. s
YOU ARE HERE! Hotels providing Saimaa Times are marked on the map with numbered red dots. The number of your hotel can be found from the list on page 16.
Saimaa Times is available in these high standard hotels
01 holiDay Club punkaharJu
Hiekkalahdentie 128, 58430 Kulennoinen
Tel. +358 43 825 4531 www.holidayclubresorts.com
02 holiDay Club saiMaa
Rauhanrinne 1, 55320 Lappeenranta
Tel. +358 300 870 900 www.holidayclubresorts.com
03 hotel hospitz
Linnankatu 20, 57130 Savonlinna
Tel. +358 15 515 661 www.hospitz.com
04 hotel lähDe
Ainonkatu 17, 53100 Lappeenranta
Tel. +358 44 766 5005 www.hotellilahde.fi
05 hotel osCar
07 hotel saiMa
Linnankatu 11, 57130 Savonlinna
Tel. +358 15 515 340 www.kahvilasaima.fi/hotelli
08 original sokos hotel
seurahuone saVonlinna
Kauppatori 4-6, 57130 Savonlinna
Tel. +358 10 764 2200 www.sokoshotels.fi
09 original sokos hotel
Vaakuna Mikkeli
Porrassalmenkatu 9, 50100 Mikkeli
Tel. +358 10 764 2100 www.sokoshotels.fi
10 saiMaaholiDay oraVi
Kiramontie 27, 58130 Oravi
Tel. +358 44 274 7078 www.oravivillage.com
12 sCanDiC Mikkeli
Mikonkatu 9, 50100 Mikkeli
Tel. +358 30 030 8456 www.scandichotels.fi
13 sCanDiC patria
Kauppakatu 21, 53100 Lappeenranta
Tel. +358 30 030 8451 www.scandichotels.fi
14 spahotel Casino saVonlinna Kylpylaitoksentie 7, 57130 Savonlinna
Tel. +358 29 320 0540 www.spahotelcasino.fi
15 suMMer hotel tott
Satamakatu 1, 57130 Savonlinna
Tel +358 10 764 2250 www.sokoshotels.fi
16 Vesileppis sport & spa hotel
Ode to Lake Saimaa Surprise menus available Tue-Sat 3.7.-2.8.2025. Book our restaurant for private events, such as dinners and meetings.
M/S LAKE STAR M/S LAKE SEAL
Maisema- ja tilausristeilyt
Tunnin maisemaristeilyllä voit nähdä ja kokea Savonlinnan kaunista saaristomaisemaa. Risteilyllä reittiselostus suomeksi, englanniksi, venäjäksi ja saksaksi.
Tickets online or straight from aboard/ship. Route guidance in English, Russian, German.
Lähtöajat 1.6.-31.8.:
M/S Lake Star (1.6.–31.8.)
10:30
12:00 13:30 15:00 16:30 (18:00)
M/S Lake Seal (n. 29.6.–10.8.) 11:15 12:45 14:15 15:45 (17:15) (19:30)
Osta liput verkkokaupasta tai suoraan laivoilta!
Mainitsemalla lippua (laivalta) ostaessasi Saimaa Times saat 3€ alennuksen!
GO ON A CRUISE IN SAVONLINNA!
LÄHDETÄÄN RISTEILEMÄÄN!
Savonlinna sightseeing cruise Risteily kaupungin ympäri m/s IEVA
11.00, 12.30, 14.00, 15.30, 17.00
1.7.-31.7. extra 9.30, 18.30, 20.00
Cruise to the Savonlinna archipelago
Maisemaristeily saaristoon
m/s ELVIIRA
10.00, 11.30, 13.00, 14.30, 16.00
1.7.-31.7. extra 17.30
See more information and by ticets
Katso lisää ja osta liput: www.savonlinnaristeilyt.fi
+358 50 5173 040
Katso lisää | See more: www.saimaanlaivamatkat.fi info@saimaanlaivamatkat.fi +358 15 250 250
Tiedustelut ja varaukset: Sapha Oy
The policeman who could write
Popular
detective novelist Christian Rönnbacka makes a living off murder. To kick back, he distills gin.
Christian Rönnbacka, one of Finland’s most popular detective writers, loves Sundays:
“They’re the best time to write because you know that reasonable people aren’t at work and won’t be bothering you with messages. Same goes for holiday periods.”
But Sunday hours alone aren’t enough, as Rönnbacka publishes a couple of books per year. Usually, one book in his Hautalehto series, on which a couple of TV series have been based, and a more recent series about the escapades of Henna Björk, an agent for the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service.
One of the secrets to Rönnbacka’s popularity is that the police work in his books feels extremely realistic. Which should come as no surprise because Rönnbacka is a former police officer. In fact, Rönnbacka is the kind of old-school writer who has managed to see and do a lot in life other than just spinning words.
“Besides police work, I’ve worked as an insurance investigator and in a glove factory. I was a telemarketer for a day, and I can also milk cows and have been a mover. In 1992, I was head of security at the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and got to see the leaders of both superpowers from two meters away. But it’s been 20 years now since I’ve been in the police force, and my blue blood is starting to run thin.”
The partner who does the writing
When Rönnbacka committed to becoming a freelance writer three years ago, it was quite a bold leap. At a little past the age of 50, he left behind a job with a pension!
“Of course, I had already published 14 books by then, while also working. I managed to negotiate a contract that was tailored to my situation, which guaranteed a certain basic income for several years. That’s how I got the nerve to do it.”
But where did he get the skills?
“Well, the old joke says that if you have two policemen, one will be able to read and the other to write. I was the writer.”
Some kind of genetic knack for storytelling might have also helped. Once Rönnbacka opens his mouth, he’s unlikely to stop talking. And he had practiced by writing blogs and the like.
“From that, I learned the importance of being succinct. A good story doesn’t need fancy words or descriptions. You get one chance to write it well enough. The reader is always right, and if afterward, the reader is wondering what that was all about, you haven’t succeeded.”
With Rönnbacka’s background, detective stories were a natural fit: He didn’t need to do research to find out what police meetings are really like or what it looks like in jail.
Written by roope Lipasti transLated by Christina saarinen
Plausible and possible
There is one downside, however, for a police officer who becomes a detective novelist:
“I can’t take shortcuts with credibility. I can’t just make my characters do whatever kind of fantastic stunts. Everything has to be plausible and possible. The register I write in doesn’t allow for things to go in a way that they really couldn’t.”
For example, there is a scene in one of his books where a person in a bulletproof vest is shot to death on a golf course with a compound bow and target-shooting arrow. Rönnbacka had to try it out and discovered that an arrow like that wouldn’t penetrate a bulletproof vest. So the victim in the book was killed by a direct shot to the head.
Detective writers often think their plots through to the last detail before they actually start writing. Rönnbacka is an exception here too:
“I live from hand to mouth. I tell lies at the keyboard for a day, and then I see where it leads.”
That is how police work is done, after all: slowly moving forward as new information becomes available. For Rönnbacka, an important aspect of a story is its editing – in a cinematic sense. How much should be revealed? In any case, the reader always knows more than the characters.
“Readers are also smart and have imaginations. That’s why I only describe what I have to for the purposes of the plot. And Stieg Larsson taught me not to touch local politics, even with a ten-foot pole. They’re so boring.”
“It hasn’t become a global hit yet, but let’s wait and see! It’s fun to make a book with the hope that the person listening to it falls asleep.”
Liquor, that fuel that drives writers’ souls, is also close to Rönnbacka’s heart. It’s not that he’s a drinker, per se, but he has established an entire gin brand and distillery.
Its name is Authors’ Distillery, and there are other authors involved too, but the idea was originally Rönnbacka’s. He was writing a whisky book about Finnish distilleries and fell in love with the atmosphere, stories and people – and wanted something similar for himself.
“Making whiskey is so slow that it takes a long time to get your money back. But gin is ready faster. I got a good group together, and we thought about what the company’s story should be. We came up with the idea that it’s the writers themselves.” The company was founded in a temperance society building in Helsinki, Rönnbacka says.
This story perhaps best describes Rönnbacka’s method of working:
“Publishers always want to know the title of a book eight months before it comes out. But how am I supposed to know? One time, I was on my way home from a long meeting where they had nagged me about the title of a book, and I heard the song ‘Rafael’s Angel’ on the radio. I decided to use Rafael as the title. So then I thought about what Rafael could mean and decided it was a call sign from the war in Ukraine. I placed a Finnish soldier who had served there in Porvoo, and had him bump into young Sebastian, who was being harassed by roadmen. From there, I started following what would happen when Sebastian wanted revenge.”
A bedtime storybook for men
Rönnbacka is from Ostrobothnia, and perhaps the traditional entrepreneurial spirit of that region explains why he always has so many different projects going on. One of the most unique has been a bedtime storybook for men. It’s an audiobook featuring recordings of his own idea of pleasant, soothing sounds especially for men. It’s called Nuku Perkele! (Sleep, Damn It!), and it includes, among other things, loading an assault rifle magazine, an idling Land Rover Defender engine, a whittler carving curls of wood, and rifling through a box of fishing lures.
I put an ad in the paper that said we were buying juniper berries. Now I have a juniperium there - kind of like an imperium.
Only after they came up with the story did they start thinking about the product itself. They started with gin, but soon added rum. And since there are also real spirits professionals involved, who actually run the distillery, the gin turned out well:
“We participated in the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, where there were a total of 1,000 different gins from 700 manufacturers, and Readers’ Gin won gold in the Gin & Tonic category! Our rum, which was less than a year old, received a bronze medal, which is a great showing for a rum that was practically still in diapers.”
Some of the authors’ gins use juniper berries Rönnbacka has shipped from Åland, where junipers grow to excess. The shrub is seen mostly as a weed there, and the berries hadn’t been harvested before. Even Åland’s own distillery wasn’t using them – they ordered their berries from Southern Europe like everyone else.
But now, that’s changed:
“I put an ad in the paper that said we were buying juniper berries. People called and said, great, but how do you pick them? I said I had no idea, but let’s figure it out. Now I have a juniperium there – kind of like an imperium.”
Authors’ Distillery products are available at certain Alko locations. You can also order them online and try your luck at some restaurants. Gin and tonic is close to Rönnbacka’s heart too:
“My body doesn’t believe I’m on holiday until I’ve had a gin and tonic in the hotel lobby bar.” s
Like an adult amusement park
Written by roope Lipasti
Over a decade, Anna-Riikka Carlson visited every one of Finland’s national parks.
When Anna-Riikka Carlson, the fiction publisher at Finland’s largest publishing house, WSOY, turned 40 a little over ten years ago, she set herself a challenge: she would visit every one of Finland’s national parks before she turned 50.
And so she did, visiting the last of the 41 parks last November. The story actually began when her brother, Jarkko Nieminen , ended his successful career as a professional tennis player and returned home with the thought that he never wanted to travel anywhere again. He just wanted peace and quiet at his cabin and to spend time in nature.
“I suggested this national park thing, and we did visit a few together. But some other things came up for him – three children – so the project was put on hold, but I kept going.”
Carlson is the kind of person who has never wanted to measure or tabulate anything in her free time, since she does more than enough of that at work. So at first, it felt a bit strange to be checking off places one by one:
“And what’s more, it ended up being really important to me! When I visited the last national park on the list in November, I felt a bit empty. Like, what now?”
Anna-Riikka Carlsson in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, Muonio, Lapland.
transLated by Christina saarinen
Want to go to a bog with me?
Well, life goes on, and there’s nothing that says you can’t visit the same natural site twice. In any case, it was a wonderful experience:
“I saw more Finnish nature than I ever would have otherwise. And on top of the natural sights, I got to visit a lot of cities and places that I otherwise probably never would have. Another great thing was that I got up the nerve to ask friends to come along. People suggest going for coffee all the time, but it was kind of a big deal to ask somebody if they wanted to go to a bog with me. It deepened a lot of friendships, and of course my own relationship with nature – I read a lot of nature literature.”
Originally, Carlson had a rule that she could check off a park if she had hiked at least ten kilometers there. Sometimes the trip could take a week, even.
“But some national parks are so small that you can’t really cover ten kilometers without walking in a circle. So what I did was choose the nicest route, even if it was shorter. The deciding factor could be something like a nice swimming spot along the way. I might also spend part of the day just reading a book on an outcrop of rock.”
Nature’s own library card
Carlson says that for her, as a middle-aged person, hiking was a big deal at first, physically speaking:
“I had never done anything like that before, and I had never been particularly physically active. But I managed, and it was fun! I’m now on a bit of a mission to make the experience possible for others. I know a lot of women my age who would like to experience something like this but don’t dare do it alone. The intention is to organize at least a couple of trips for a slightly larger group.”
Carlson has a clear favorite among the national parks: Urho Kekkonen National Park in Lapland.
“Partly because it was my first, back in 2015. It was like an adult amusement park. It was hard to believe how much fun it was! And the place is beautiful. There are forests, lakes, ponds, fells – everything that Finnish nature can offer. We stayed overnight in backcountry huts, and it gave me the same sort of feeling as being in a library – that somebody put this here for me, and it’s free!”
What is a national park?
A national park is a nature reserve whose primary purpose is to safeguard biodiversity. Each park represents a typical Finnish natural environment at its best, from the fells to the archipelago. The parks’ hiking trails are designed and maintained to guide visitors through the landscape in a nature-friendly way. You can stay overnight in tent camping areas, lean-tos, backcountry or rental huts, or in accommodations provided by private companies.
Finland’s first national parks were established in 1938, but their existence has only really been promoted since the 1970s. Today, there are 41 national parks in Finland, and they are located all over the country. The closest national park to any larger city is usually no more than an hour’s drive away. If you can’t make a trip to an actual national park, there are smaller nature trails in every city and municipality. They offer another convenient way to explore the Finnish forest.
For more information about Finland’s national parks, visit: www.luontoon.fi/en
Good shoes and snacks
The trails in the national parks are so well marked that it’s practically impossible to get lost. Every park has something special about its natural environment, though for the most part, you’ll have to be content with observing the vegetation because you’re unlikely to come across any larger animals:
“They know how to stay out of sight of people. In Lapland, I did see birds that we don’t have in the south, like willow grouse and Siberian jays. And when I was in the north for the first time, I was impressed by even ordinary animals, like reindeer. I wouldn’t be as thrilled by seeing something like that in quite the same way anymore.”
No special hiking equipment is necessary, at least not if you’re only going for a day:
“It’s worth having good shoes. I personally love my hiking boots – my husband thinks I use the word ‘love’ quite freely – but even regular sneakers are enough. And of course, it’s a good idea to take some snacks too! And a good friend. Though it can also be nice to hike alone!” s
Linnansaari National Park lies in the middle of the lake Haukivesi, a part of greater Saimaa. The critically endangered Saimaa ringed seal inhabits the park.
kertoo 1940-41 ja 1944 tapahtuneesta itäisen maarajan linnoittamisesta ja Salpalinjasta, joka lähtee Virolahdelta. Museoon kuuluvat sisänäyttely ja ulkoalueen linnoituskohteet, tykkipuisto sekä Hyvän Mielen Polku!
Luontopolut ja retkeilyreitit
• Tuntemattoman Polku (4,5 km)
• Erämaan Polku (4,3 km)
• Salpapolku (43 km)
• Avoinna 1.6.-31.8. joka päivä klo 10-18 •
• Touko- ja syyskuussa pe klo 10-18, la klo 10-16 •
• Vaalimaantie 1318, 49960 Ala-Pihlaja •
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Varmista näkyvyytesi: Puh. 045 656 7216 | Puh. 040 481 9445 www.aikalehdet.fi
Konsti’s summer is made of industrial heritage and art
Written by anna Vepsä
The Varkaus museum centre Konsti is located in Tehtaan koulu, the former school of the factory. Designed by architect Karl Lindahl in 1924, the prestigious building is today a cultural space that showcases the industry, culture and art of Varkaus. Konsti is also part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, so whether you are interested in art or the history of Finnish industry, this is the right place for you!
The establishment of Varkaus ironworks
The main exhibition at Konsti introduces visitors to local industrial history. The earliest metal industry in Eastern Finland was born at the beginning of the 19th century. The Swedish Mining Board, which was responsible for Finland's mining industry at that time, sent its experts to Eastern Finland to encourage the peasants to revive the almost forgotten skill of iron making. The peasants of Savo-Karelia used very little iron, and in Stockholm it was thought that Eastern Finland was suffering from an iron shortage.
However, the rural population could not be converted to produce iron – even though, for example, iron horseshoes were still rare in the Varkaus region and there were only two iron bars in Varkaus, as it was reportetd in 1808. With St. Petersburg's growing market in mind, it was Gustaf Wrede (1775–1830) who started manufacturing iron. In 1815, he received permission from the authorities to set up a production plant on the land of the crown that had previously been used by the army, but which after the Finnish War (1808–1809) no longer had any military significance.
By the early 1820s, Wrede had built iron foundries on both banks of the Huruskoski rapids, which was chosen because of its waterpower. Wrede spent almost his entire fortune on the foundries, and after his death in 1830, the ironworks passed to new owners Erik Längman and Paul Wahl
Rowing the ore
In the past, peasants and village communities had exploited the lake and marsh ore for their own needs. Wrede started extracting ore from his claims from as far as the Iisalmi area, from where it was rowed to a place of storage at Pirtinniemi. From there, the ore was hauled by horsepower to the Päiviönsaari blast furnace for processing. The sourcing and transport of lake ore provided work for the rural population.
However, Varkaus Ironworks had one crucial problem: the scarcity and poor quality of the ore from the nearby lakes. Efforts were made to solve this problem by producing better ore from further away, which in turn increased the price of the final product. Both Wrede and later Längman and Wahl struggled with the same problem, and for as long as the blast furnace and bloomery were in operation, the lake ore had to be brought to Varkaus from far away.
Bad coal
The blast furnace was completed in 1821, but regular production lasted only four years between 1821 and 1835. Production volumes remained modest, and one reason for that was problems with coal production.
In the early days of the foundry, local farmers produced coal to fuel the blast furnace. To improve the quality of coal, six coal furnaces were built at the foundry from the late 1830s onwards. The aim was to obtain the right quality of coal under the supervision of the foundry's professionals. During the burning, soot-black charcoal burners kept watch around the clock, while the blast furnace was the responsibility of the blast furnace foreman.
In 1836 during the time of Wahl and Längman, a new blast furnace was built, which was supposed to use logs instead of coal as fuel. There were, however, also problems with this new furnace. In the end, Längman decided to stop the production of pig iron in the blast furnace, and it was closed in 1851 due to its unprofitability.
Big pig iron
Varkaus Ironworks’ own workshop produced rod or wrought iron. The pig iron from the blast furnace was reheated in the furnace to melt it and then forged to make it more durable. The result was a big, rough iron rod. There were two furnaces in the workshop, which were tended by master blacksmiths, which in turn were assisted by journeymen and apprentices. The work was done in shifts. The tilt hammer used in forging was powered by the Ämmäkoski rapids, the flow of which was directed to the water wheel by means of a chute. The hammer weighed about 85 kilograms and struck 60 to 100 times a minute.
Due to the low quantity and poor quality of pig iron, the rod iron production had also been low during Wrede’s time. The raw material problem was finally solved when the foundry switched to using better-quality pig iron produced by the Jyrkkäkoski ironworks. Even after this, the production was still bottlenecked by the problems with the blast furnace and could not be made profitable. The Varkaus rod iron workshop operated until 1872.
This was the start of the industrial development in Varkaus. How did it go from there? Come visit Konsti and find out the rest in the exhibition.
The Children’s Factory
A place where children can try and fail safely! In the Children’s Factory, you can choose your occupation and clothes before starting your “working day”. And when the whistle blows, the factory calls you into action! The Children’s Factory describes the life around a local factory through role play and having fun.
Johanna Väisänen: Organ River (2022, video installation).
Rakel’s Salon
The gems of the Rakel Kansanen art collection are on display in the exhibition space named after the collector. Kansanen (1888–1949) was a translator and patron of Finnish expressionist painters. Artists like Helene Schjerfbeck, Tyko Sallinen and Jalmari Ruokokoski are represented in this homely interior.
Paintings and mathematical patterns
Artist Lars Holmström (born in 1949) is a Finnish painter who has been working with geometric patterns since the 1970´s. This retrospective exhibition also includes surrealist works from the early years of his production. In addition, there are sculptures and video art that demonstrate his ability to adapt to many different art-making methods. However, Holmström’s greatest love is constructivism – the art of edges, lines, circles, angular shapes and spaces that flirts with colour and perspective. The name of the exhibition, Dynamis, refers to something powerful and dynamic.
Pump organs in Finnish landscapes
In Johanna Väisänen's (b. 1972) video installation, a pump organ is transported along Finnish waterways to bring culture to areas where there is no road network yet. According to the artist, Finnish cultural history can in some respects be summed up in one object, the pump organ.
"The pump organ reminds me of a return to culture and time, perhaps even to the time of our ancestors who traveled along the rivers not only concretely, but also to other dimensions. The ancient Finns would have played pump organs if they had existed then. As a continuation of my childhood in a village school in Eastern Finland, I started collecting pump organs. For me, it is a magical instrument that has its own lungs, it's like its own organism", Väisänen describes.
The artwork has been supported by the Arts Promotion Center Finland. s
Lars Holmström: Dynamis, 13.4.2025–31.8.2025
Johanna Väisänen: Organ River 13.4.2025–31.8.2025
From firemen to firefighters 13.4.2024–6.1.2026
The exhibition provides information about the local fire brigade.
ABOUT THE WORD KONSTI
Konsti is a Finnish word which in English means cunning or skillful act, ability, trick or knack. It also refers to the Swedish word konst, which among other things means art.
THE VARKAUS MUSEUM CENTRE KONSTI
Satakunnankatu 1, Varkaus. Konsti is in the middle of Old Varkaus, so there is also much more to see nearby.
Opening times and fees
January 1st – May 31st / September 1st – December 31st Free entrance.
Mon–Tue closed Wed 10–16
Thu 10–20
Fri–Sun 10–16
June 1st – August 31st 5/3/0€
Mon closed Tue–Wed 10–17
Thu 10–20 Fri–Sun 10–17
Lars Holmström: The Stars (1975, oil painting), Lars Holmström's collection. Photo: Tuomas Toratti / The Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti.
Lars Holmström: Landscape (1971, oil painting), Lars Holmström's collection.
Photo: Tuomas Toratti /The Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti.
KOTKANIEMI
Presidentti P. E. Svinhufvudin kotimuseo ja kahvila Ellen
The home museum of president P. E. Svinhufvud and Cafe Ellen
Tervetuloa - welcome!
Olemme avoinna: 24.5.–31.8.2025
We are open: 24th May–31st August 2025
Lisätiedot / more info: www.kotkaniemi.fi
Itsenäisyydentie 799a, 54530 Luumäki
Tel. +358 40 5227553 • info@kotkaniemi.fi
Savitaipale is located in the middle of the most beautiful Karelia, on the shore of the clearwater lake Kuolimo. The area has very diverse hobby opportunities, fun events, rich history and wonderful landscapes shaped by the ice age for adventures.
of Lake ch menu.
the city. ients. and the
SAIMAA TIMES COLUMN
Would you like to return to your eternal youth?
Go on a hotel holiday! By yourself!
Did you know that the secret to eternal youth was actually invented a long time ago? And that this invention is available right now? In fact, you may have this miracle close at hand this very minute! Because I strongly suspect that a bottle of elixir of youth, or at least of rebellion, is hidden somewhere in your hotel room – in the fabulous and wonderfully crisp sheets, the plush towels, or those tiny soap bottles that the cleaner has arranged so beautifully on the counter just for you.
And why do I suspect this? Because I’ve experienced this miracle for myself.
I have two school-age children, and when they were younger, I would occasionally go to a hotel to write my books. I’m sure that anyone who has ever had small children understands why. I called these escapes of mine “sh*t mom” holidays because, in addition to working, the intention was to lie in front of the television with hamburger sauce on my face and take naps whenever I felt like it. Heck, yeah. Yet, against all expectations, I swear that I’ve never gotten so much work done!
During my hotel stays, I noticed that not only my physical form but also my brain reversed in age, straight back to the ’90s. I felt as if
I had returned, if not to my wild youth (I barely left my room – it was coronavirus times), then at least to a youthful lack of responsibility: no cleaning, let alone cooking. The envelopes bearing electricity bills and dentist appointment reminders didn’t make it to my door, and I showed up for breakfast hopelessly late. And when I got there, what did I eat? A plateful of chocolate waffles!
After breakfast, I lazed in front of the television (okay, I suppose young people these days laze in front of their phones, but I was returning to my youth, not theirs). If I had wanted to, I could have sneaked out into the alluring nightlife of the city and come home through the back door without anyone ever catching me. Another thing I did regularly in my youth. Although back then, I used to climb out the window of my childhood home because it was a much quieter way to sneak out (yes, I was trouble as a teen, but more on that some other time).
You Might think that all this lack of responsibility would have made it more challenging to get any work done, but you’d be surprised. As I said, I’ve never written so much in just a few days! When I knew that I could work at my own pace and that the point was also to rest, I
I think that taking a couple of nights away, a “sh*t mom” holiday, as I call it, should be required by law, or at least be a taxdeductible work benefit.
dove into my work without even realizing it. Finnish brain researcher Mona Moisala has said that you should do something restorative every 90 minutes during the workday. And because my own brain finds returning to the self-centered, housework-resistant years of the ’90s so restorative, in just a few days I ended up creating more Finnish children’s literature than I had in a long time!
A few years ago, I heard about a retired woman who sold her apartment and belongings and moved into a hotel. She took only a few personal belongings with her – only the things she needed. At first, I thought, whoa, bold move, and I wondered what life would be like without snow shoveling and cleaning days. Quite restorative, I bet! How much work would she be able to get done, if she wanted to?
I think that taking a couple of nights away, a “sh*t mom” holiday, as I call it, should be required by law, or at least be a tax-deductible work benefit. It would be for the good of Finland! If each of us could take a break from being the project managers of our own lives from time to time to live the wonderfully messy, responsibility- and bill-free life of a teenager, I think Finns’ fatigue would decrease by about 1,100 percent, and productivity would increase at the same rate. That should do something for the GDP and national debt, don’t you think? s
Hannele Lampela is a children’s author from Loviisa, known for her stories about Princess Pikkiriikki (Itty Bitty Princess) and Paavali Pattinen (Benjamin Bateman). Hannele loves her work – especially if she gets to sleep in a hotel on a regular basis.
Written by hanneLe LaMpeLa transLated by Christina saarinen
KEIDAS KESKELLÄ KAUPUNKIA!
Tuoretta savulohta, ravintola, ympärivuotinen leirintäalue, tilaussauna, juhlatilat ja pitopalvelu sekä herkulliset kakut tilauksesta.
kaivosmuseo | museotunneli lasten kaivos -teemapuisto kaivostorni | frisbeegolf
Tornikatu 1, Outokumpu | 044 7559 222
vanhakaivos.com
Varpasaarenpolku 12, 55120 Imatra +358 400 612 100 vuoksenkalastuspuisto.fi
River Hiitolanjoki
Experience restored rapids and industrial history
Haukkavuori
An ancient borderland and majestic landscapes invite you to hike
Kasarminkangas
Kollaa and Simo Häyhä Museum, and much more
FIND THE HIDDEN TREASURES OF LAKE SAIMAA
Have you heard of Geoparks? Saimaa UNESCO Global Geopark is a treasure in eastern Finland, known for its pure lake nature. The southern Saimaa region is part of Unesco’s Geopark Network, which includes more than 213 geoparks from 44 countries.
The Saimaa UNESCO Global Geopark is located in nine municipalities. The Saimaa region has a wide range of interesting sites for visitors of all ages, especially those who are interested in nature and culture.
SAIMAA IS THE 2024 EUROPEAN REGION OF GASTRONOMY
The Saimaa region was awarded ERG 2024 status in recognition of its unique food culture. The GEOfood project of Saimaa Geopark and LAB University of Applied Sciences was launched during the ERG anniversary year. The aim of the project is to create a regional local food brand that supports local food culture.
SAIMAA GEOPARK IS MORE THAN PLACE TO VISIT
The beautiful nature of the Saimaa region offers clean shores and various trails for recreation. When walking in nature, visitors can enjoy the delicacies that Lake Saimaa has to offer, such as berries, mushrooms, and fish. Restaurants in the area use these ingredients to create taste experiences that reflect the region’s food traditions and biodiversity.
INSPIRATION AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
Go on an adventure on Lake Saimaa. The Saimaa region offers great opportunities for hiking, cycling, or kayaking. Puumala’s cycling routes offer diverse food experiences, while the Savitaipale hiking trail explores Ice Age remains. The Lieviskänjoki canoeing route offers interesting canoeing experiences on the border between Puumala, Ruokolahti, and Sulkava.
