Do you want to visit a truly unusual city without going abroad? Then welcome to Sortavala - the oldest city in Karelia. Its peculiar appearance is the result of the influence of three countries - Russia, Finland and Sweden.
Interesting and unusual for our ear name "Sortavala" does not have an exact etymology, but it is covered with numerous legends. According to one version, it came from the word "sorttawa", which in Finnish means "dissecting" (the fact is that the Gulf of Vakkolahti divides the city in half). There is another version of the origin of the name of the city of Sortavala ("power of the devil"), according to which the first monks of Balaam expelled from the island an evil force, which moored to the piers of the city. Anyway, but Sortavala was and remains a mystery for every tourist.
The first mention of the city with a similar name is found in the Swedish annals of 1137, and its heyday Sortavala reached when it was part of Finland. This small town is located 50 km from the border with Finland, right on the shore of the Bay of Ljappjajärvi.
In and around Sortavala (Karelia)
The popularity of the city is closely connected with its advantageous geographical location: Sortavala has direct water connection with the island of Valaam, which is visited annually by thousands of pilgrims. In order to go there, you just need to book an excursion. You can do it right on the picturesque pier Sortavala, in one of the cash desks. High-speed boats go to Valaam 2 times a day.
But the city itself has a historical value. For example, here there are about 200 architectural monuments, most of which belong to the Finnish architecture of the beginning of the XX century. Arriving in Sortavala, be sure to admire the ancient buildings of the city center - the House of the merchant Siytonen, the Bank of Finland, the Leander house, the Water Tower, the building of the gymnasium and the former women's school, the Church of St. John the Evangelist, and others.
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The Museum of the Northern Ladoga Lake is located in the former house of Dr. Winter, built in 1900. The complex decor of this building and the asymmetry of its facade impress all the guests of the city. The expositions of the local history museum are also interesting, which will tell you about the history of the development of these territories, its mineral treasures and the ethnography of the region. Also here are collections of graphics, numismatics and paintings of local masters.
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To study the Karelian way of life, visit the unique exhibition of Kronid Gogolev. This artist masterfully owns woodcarving, and here you can see more than 100 of his unusual, original paintings, each of which narrates about the nature and culture of this area.
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Ruskeala Mountain Park is an amazing natural complex of northern landscapes, located not far from Sortavala. The marble quarry, filled with groundwater, is very beautiful and attracts tourists from all over Karelia and not only here. Here you will see lakes with turquoise water and marble banks, which are nowhere else in the world.
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Holidays in Sortavala (Karelia)
In Sortavala, this major tourist center of northern Russia, there is something to see and in addition to traditional attractions. Here they gladly come for fishing, because the surroundings of Sortavala are among the best fishing places in Karelia. You can stop in one of the small cozy hotels or at the recreation center. Among the latter, the most popular are the "Black Stones", "Marble Quarry", "Ladoga Usadba", "Yakkim Vaara" and others. In addition, many local residents rent apartments and private houses - this option will be a little cheaper.
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