Best of South Karelia

South Karelia's Essential Treasures

South Karelia is defined by the expansive Saimaa lake system and a strategic military history. This list includes the 18th-century Kärnäkoski and Taavetti bastions, alongside the Salpa Line’s WWII defensive bunkers. Cultural highlights center on the Lappeenranta Fortress area, featuring the South Karelia Museum, the Cavalry Museum, and the 1794 wooden Lappee Mary Church. The region’s architectural heritage is further represented by the Art Nouveau Imatran Valtionhotelli, situated near the historic Imatrankoski rapids.

South Karelia's Essential Treasures — Map

Public domain

A

Lake Saimaa

Saimaa is a lake located in the Finnish Lakeland area in southeastern Finland.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

B

Lappeenrannan taidemuseo

Neoclassical museum located within the Lappeenranta Fortress, focusing on regional art from South Karelia and Southeast Finland.

Oakokko / CC-BY-SA-3.0

C

Kärnäkoski Fortress

Kärnäkoski Fortress is a bastion fortress in Finland located in Kärnäkoski, Savitaipale built by Russia between 1791 and 1793 to protect…

Pasixxxx / CC BY-SA 4.0

D

Taavetti Fortress

Taavetti Fortress, is a fortress located in Taavetti in the municipality of Luumäki in Finland.

E

Talvi- ja jatkosodassa kaatuneiden ratsuväen miesten muistokivi

A memorial dedicated to the cavalrymen who fell during the Winter and Continuation Wars.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

F

Etelä-Karjalan museo

Regional history museum housed in early 19th-century stone warehouses within the Lappeenranta Fortress.

Smeiskon / CC BY-SA 4.0

G

Cavalry Museum

Housed in a 1772 guardhouse, the oldest building in Lappeenranta, this museum documents Finnish cavalry history from the 1600s to the present.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

H

Linnoituksen kesäteatteri

Outdoor summer theater located within the historic fortifications of the Lappeenranta Fortress.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

I

Lappeen Marian kirkko

Wooden double-cross church built in 1794 by Juhana Salonen, located in the center of Lappeenranta.

Hotarju / CC BY-SA 4.0

J

Savitaipaleen kirkko

Granite church designed by Josef Stenbäck in the National Romantic style, completed in 1906.

Tatu Kosonen / CC BY-SA 4.0

K

Salpa Line

The Salpa Line, or its official name, Suomen Salpa, is a bunker line on the eastern border of Finland.

L

Cumulus Resort Imatran Valtionhotelli

Historic Art Nouveau castle-style hotel built in 1903, situated overlooking the Imatrankoski rapids.

SeppVei / Public domain

M

Simpelejärvi

Simpelejärvi is a medium-sized lake in the Parikkala municipality in South Karelia region in Finland.

N

KarhunPesä

A wilderness shelter and fireplace located along regional hiking routes.

Other Lists

Lakes and Nature Escapes Historic Sites of Finland Finnish Churches of Significance