The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
and
Lake Ladoga in northwestern
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
, to the north of the
River Neva. Its northwestern boundary is a line from the
Bay of Vyborg
Vyborg Bay (, , ) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, ...
to the westernmost point of Lake Ladoga, Pekonlahti. If the Karelian Isthmus is defined as the entire territory of present-day
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
to the north of the Neva and also a tiny part of the
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (ru ...
, the area of the isthmus is about .
The smaller part of the isthmus to the southeast of the old Russia-Finland border is considered historically as Northern
Ingria
Ingria is a historical region in what is now northwestern European Russia. It lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with E ...
, rather than part of the Karelian Isthmus itself. The rest of the isthmus was historically a part of
Finnish Karelia. This was conquered by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
during the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
in 1712 and included within the autonomous
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...
(1809–1917) of the Russian Empire. When Finland became independent in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory roughly corresponding to present-day
Vsevolozhsky District and some districts of Saint Petersburg) remained Finnish. Finnish Karelia was partly ceded to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
by
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
following the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
(1939–1940) and
Continuation War (1941–1944). In 1940–1941, during the
Interim Peace, most of the ceded territories in the isthmus were included within the
Karelo-Finnish SSR
The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelo-Finnish SSR; fi, ; rus, Каре́ло-Фи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, r=Karelo-Finskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Resp ...
. However, since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
the entire isthmus has been divided between the city of
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
(mostly
Kurortny District), as well as
Priozersky District,
Vsevolozhsky District and
Vyborgsky District of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
.
According to the
2002 census, the population of the
Kurortny District of
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and the parts of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
situated on the Karelian Isthmus amounts to 539,000. Many Saint Petersburg residents also decamp to the Isthmus during their vacations. The main population centers of the Isthmus are
Vyborg (''Выборг''; fi, Viipuri; sv, Viborg),
Priozersk (''Приозе́рск''; fi, Käkisalmi; sv, Kexholm) and
Primorsk Primorsk may refer to:
* Dənizkənarı, Azerbaijan, formerly called Primorsk
* Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö
* Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Ob ...
(''Примо́рск''; fi, Koivisto; sv, Björkö).
Geography and wildlife
The isthmus' terrain has been influenced dramatically by the
Weichselian glaciation. Its highest point lies on the Lembolovo Heights
moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...
at about 205 m (670 ft). There are no mountains on the isthmus, but steep hills occur in some places.
The
Vuoksi, the largest river, runs southeastwards from Lake
Saimaa of Finland to
Lake Ladoga, dividing the isthmus into two uneven parts.
Saimaa Canal opened in 1856 links Lake Saimaa to the
Bay of Vyborg
Vyborg Bay (, , ) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, ...
passing through the city of
Lappeenranta in
South Karelia, Finland.
The Karelian Isthmus lies within the
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...
of
Scandinavian and Russian taiga. Geobotanically, it lies at the juncture of the Central European, Eastern European and Northern European
floristic provinces of the
Circumboreal Region of the
Holarctic Kingdom.
The isthmus is mostly covered by
coniferous forests formed by
Scots pine
''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...
(''Pinus sylvestris'') and
Norway spruce
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clo ...
(''Picea abies''), with numerous lakes (e.g.
Lake Sukhodolskoye and
Lake Glubokoye) as well as small grass,
fen and ''Sphagnum''
raised bogs. Forests cover approximately 11.700 km of the isthmus, more than three-fourths of its total square. Swampy areas occupy on average 5.5 percent of the territory. In the large contiguous area along the shore of
Lake Ladoga in
Vsevolozhsky District, in the southeastern part of the isthmus, bogs occur much more frequently than in other parts. The same was once true of the lowland along the
Neva River, which has been drained. The soil is predominantly
podsol, which contains massive boulders, especially in the north and northwest, where large
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...
rocky outcrops occur.
Pine forests (with ''
Pinus sylvestris'') are the most widespread and occupy 51% of the forested area of the Karelian Isthmus, followed by spruce forests (with ''
Picea abies
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clo ...
'', 29%) and birch forests (with ''
Betula pendula'' and ''
B. pubescens'', 16%). Stands on more fertile soils and in more favorable locations are occasionally dominated by
Norway maple,
black alder,
grey alder,
common aspen,
English oak,
grey willow,
dark-leaved willow
''Salix myrsinifolia'', known as the dark-leaved willow or myrsine-leaved willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and Western Siberia. It forms a high shrub. In the north it often becomes a tree up to tall.Väre H., Kiuru H., ''Suom ...
,
tea-leaved willow Tealeaf willow or tea-leaved willow is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
*''Salix phylicifolia'', native to northern Europe and northwestern Asia
*''Salix planifolia'', native to northern and western North America
*''Salix pulchra ...
,
small-leaved lime or
European white elm
''Ulmus laevis'' Pall., variously known as the European white elm, fluttering elm, spreading elm, stately elm and, in the United States, the Russian elm, is a large deciduous tree native to Europe, from France northeast to southern Finland, east b ...
. Common vegetation of various types of pine forests includes
heather,
crowberry,
common juniper,
eared willow,
lingonberry,
water horsetail
''Equisetum fluviatile'', the water horsetail or swamp horsetail, is a vascular plant that commonly grows in dense colonies along freshwater shorelines or in shallow water in ponds, swamps, ditches, and other sluggish or still waters with mud b ...
,
bracken, graminoids (i.e. grasses in the wider sense) ''
Avenella flexuosa
''Deschampsia flexuosa'', commonly known as wavy hair-grass, is a species of bunchgrass in the grass family widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and North America.
Description
Wavy hair-grass, ''Deschampsia flexuosa'', has wiry ...
'' and ''
Carex globularis
''Carex globularis'' is a perennial species of sedge in the family Cyperaceae native to damp forests and wetlands of Asia, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Eur ...
'', mosses ''
Pleurozium schreberi'', ''
Sphagnum angustifolium
''Sphagnum angustifolium'', the fine bogmoss, is a species of peat moss with a Holarctic distribution.
References
External linksUSDA PLANTS profile
'' and ''
S. russowii'', and lichens ''
Cladonia'' spp. Prominent in various spruce forests are
wood horsetail,
common wood sorrel,
bilberry, lingonberry, graminoids ''Avenella flexuosa'', ''
Calamagrostis arundinacea'', ''Carex globularis'', and mosses ''
Polytrichum commune'' and ''
Sphagnum girgensohnii
''Sphagnum girgensohnii'', also known as Girgensohn's bogmoss, Girgensohn's sphagnum or common green peat moss, is a species of peat moss with a Holarctic
The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats fou ...
''. Prominent vegetation of various birch forests include
meadowsweet, common wood sorrel, bilberry and graminoids ''Calamagrostis arundinacea'' and ''
C. canescens''.
1184 species of wild
vascular plants are recorded in the isthmus. See also the
List of the vascular plants of the Karelian Isthmus
This is a comprehensive list of the vascular plants of the Karelian Isthmus, a land mass in Russia connected to Finland on one side and otherwise surrounded by three bodies of water: the Gulf of Finland, the Neva River, and Lake Ladoga.
Pteridophy ...
.
Red squirrel,
moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
,
red fox,
mountain hare and
boar (reintroduced) are typical inhabitants of the forests.
The climate of the isthmus is
moderately continental, with 650–800 mm (25–32 in) average precipitation per year, long snowy winters lasting from November through mid-April and occasionally reaching about -40 °C (-40 F), moderately cool summers and short frost-free period. Compared to other parts of the
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
, the winter here is usually milder due to the moderating influence of the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
, but longer.
The
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
of
Vyborg and the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares ...
of
Priozersk are situated on the northwestern part of the isthmus.
The Karelian Isthmus is a popular place for
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...
,
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...
,
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...
(
Korobitsyno
Korobitsyno (russian: Коробицыно) is a rural locality on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəj ...
and
Kavgolovo),
climbing (near
Kuznechnoye),
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other ac ...
(
Losevo),
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...
for consumption (of
carp bream,
northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish water, brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are kno ...
,
roach,
European perch,
ruffe,
burbot
The burbot (''Lota lota'') is the only gadiformes, gadiform (cod-like) freshwater fish. It is also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, and eelpout. The species ...
and others),
mushroom hunting (for
porcini,
red-capped scaber stalk,
birch bolete,
velvet bolete,
slippery Jack,
golden chanterelle, ''
Lactarius resimus'',
woolly milk-cap,
ugly milk-cap,
saffron milk-cap
''Lactarius deliciosus'', commonly known as the saffron milk cap and red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus ''Lactarius'' in the order Russulales. It is native to Europe, but has been accidentally introdu ...
, ''
Lactarius rufus'', various
Russulas and others),
berry picking
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...
(of
bilberry,
raspberry,
woodland strawberry
''Fragaria vesca'', commonly called the wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry or European strawberry, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Norther ...
,
cowberry,
cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranber ...
,
cloudberry,
bog bilberry and
stone bramble). It is a popular summer resort for
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
citizens since the late 19th century, served by trains of
Finlyandsky Rail Terminal. The isthmus, especially the land along
Saint Petersburg–Vyborg and
Saint Petersburg–Priozersk railroads, hosts numerous
dacha
A dacha ( rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ') or shack serving as a family's main or only home, or an out ...
s.
A 20–35 km wide stretch of land in
Vyborgsky District and
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (ru ...
to the west of the
Vyborg–Hiitola railway, as well as the islands and shores of the Gulf of Vyborg, belongs to the strictly guarded
zone of the border control, reaching the shore of
Lake Ladoga at Hiitola. In 1993–2006 the zone was formally 5 km wide, although in fact it has always been much wider. Visiting it is forbidden without a permit issued by the
FSB (by
KGB during the time of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
).
Geological history
Geologically the Karelian Isthmus lies on the southern edge of the
Baltic Shield's crystalline bedrock. During the final part of the last
Weichselian glaciation, deglaciation in the central parts of the Isthmus started as early as 14000
BP, when it formed the bottom of a large lake dammed by the surrounding
ice sheet. During further deglaciation, at the time of the
Baltic Ice Lake, an early high water stage of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...
, when the ice sheet retreated to
Salpausselkä, the upland area of the Isthmus remained a large island and many upland lakes emerged.
[Davydova, Natalia N. et al. (1996)]
Late- and postglacial history of lakes of the Karelian Isthmus
'' Hydrobiologia'' 322.1-3, 199–204.
Prior to 12650 BP, the land was characterized by harsh
Arctic conditions with
permafrost
Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surfac ...
and
sparse vegetation.
Steppe-tundra
During the Last Glacial Maximum, the mammoth steppe, also known as steppe-tundra, was the Earth's most extensive biome. It spanned from Spain eastward across Eurasia to Canada and from the arctic islands southward to China. The mammoth steppe w ...
complexes developed after this point. Around 11000 BP climate began to warm and became humid, first pine and birch forests were established.
Around 9000 BP
Ancylus Lake, another stage of the Baltic Sea, retreated, and many lowland lakes were also isolated in depressions formed earlier by
glacial exaration and fluvioglacial activity.
Lake Ladoga was separated from the sea as well. Due to land uplift, around 5000 BP the
River Vuoksi started emptying into Lake Ladoga as a new outlet of
Lake Saimaa. Lake Ladoga
transgressed, flooding lowland lakes and the Vuoksi, and became connected with the sea at
Heinjoki (now Veshchevo), to the east of present-day
Vyborg. Around 3100–2400 BP the
Neva River emerged, draining
Lake Ladoga into the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...
. Ladoga level gradually sank from 15–18 m to its modern position of 4–5 m above sea-level, and lowland lakes were isolated again. However, the Vuoksi still had a significant direct outflow connection to the
Bay of Vyborg
Vyborg Bay (, , ) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, ...
, possibly as late as in the 12th century AD.
The connection disappeared due to ongoing land uplift in the 2nd millennium AD.
In 1818 a canal, which was dug to drain spring flood waters from
Lake Suvanto (now Lake Sukhodolskoye, a 40-km long narrow lake in the eastern part of the Isthmus) into
Lake Ladoga, unexpectedly eroded and turned into the
Taipaleenjoki (now Burnaya River). The Taipaleenjoki started draining Suvanto and decreased its level by 7 m. Originally waters of Lake Suvanto flowed into the Vuoksi River through a waterway at
Kiviniemi (now Losevo), but as a result of the change, the waterway dried out. In 1857 the canal was dug there, but the stream reversed direction, revealed
rapids and rendered navigation at Kiviniemi impossible. Since 1857 Suvanto and the Taipaleenjoki have constituted the southern armlet of the Vuoksi River, which has decreased the level of the original northern armlet emptying into Ladoga near
Kexholm (now Priozersk) by 4 m, isolating it as a separate river basin.
Cities, towns and urban-type settlements
:
Kamennogorsk
Kamennogorsk (russian: Каменного́рск; known before 1948 by the Finnish name of Antrea (russian: А́нтреа; sv, S:t Andree)), is a town in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Karelian Isthmus on the ...
( fi, Antrea)
:
Kuznechnoye (''Kaarlahti'')
:
Lesogorsky (''Jääski'')
:
Primorsk Primorsk may refer to:
* Dənizkənarı, Azerbaijan, formerly called Primorsk
* Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö
* Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Ob ...
(''Koivisto'')
:
Priozersk (''Käkisalmi'')
:
Roshchino (''Raivola'')
:
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
(''Pietari'')
:
Sertolovo (''Sierattala'')
:
Sestroretsk (''Siestarjoki'')
:
Sovetsky (''Johannes'')
:
Svetogorsk (''Enso'')
:
Toksovo (''Toksova'')
:
Vsevolozhsk (''Seuloskoi'')
:
Vyborg (''Viipuri'')
:
Vysotsk (''Uuras'')
:
Zelenogorsk (''Terijoki'').
Administrative territorial division
The Karelian Isthmus is located in two regions of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia
North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographic ...
,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and the
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
. Saint Petersburg is represented by seven districts, the Leningrad Oblast by three.
History
Archaeology
Apart from the old towns of
Vyborg and
Priozersk, and churches on the
Konevets
Konevets (russian: Коневец; fi, Konevitsa or ''Kononsaari'') is an approximately 8.5-km² island famous as the site of the Konevsky Monastery. It is located off the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga near the village of Vladimirovka. The i ...
island of
Lake Ladoga, since the late 19th century a number of other archaeological sites have been discovered on the isthmus. Numerous archaeological remnants of the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymo ...
,
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...
,
Copper Age and
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
occur all over the isthmus. The eastern part of the Karelian Isthmus hosts a number of medieval remnants. There are many grave pits of
Karelians of the 10th–15th centuries with metal and ceramic artifacts along the northern armlet of the Vuoksi, near
Lake Sukhodolskoye and in a few other places in
Priozersky District. On the southern shore of Lake Sukhodolskoye small medieval
burial mounds are abundant as well. A lot of large cult stones have been found along these bodies of water, as well as agglomerations of
cairns. Remnants of several rural settlements were also discovered there as well as on the shore of Lake Ladoga. Remnants of the Tiuri (
Tiversk) town (10th–15th centuries) were excavated on a former island in the northern Vuoksi armlet near the Tiuri village (now Vasilyevo). A few treasures of silver adornments and medieval Arabian and Western European coins have also been found, as the isthmus laid on the
Volga trade route (at that time, the
Vuoksi River had a distributary emptying into the
Bay of Vyborg
Vyborg Bay (, , ) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, ...
).
Prehistory and Medieval
Ancestors of
Baltic Finns wandered to the Karelian Isthmus possibly around 8500BC.
In the 11th century,
Sweden and
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of ...
started to compete tax holding rights. The
Treaty of Nöteborg of 1323 established a border between them along the rivers now known as the
Sestra and the
Volchya.
17th–20th centuries
During 17th century Sweden gained the whole isthmus and also
Ingria
Ingria is a historical region in what is now northwestern European Russia. It lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with E ...
. In this time many Karelians escaped to
Tver's Karelia.
From 1721–1812 the isthmus belonged to the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
, won in the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
that started with the Russian conquest of Ingria where the new imperial
capital, Saint Petersburg, was founded (1703) in the southern end of the isthmus, in place of old Swedish town
Nyenskans
Nyenschantz (russian: Ниенша́нц, ''Nienshants''; sv, Nyenskans; fi, Nevanlinna) was a Swedish fortress at the confluence of the Neva River and Okhta River, the site of present-day Saint Petersburg, Russia. Nyenschantz was built in 1611 ...
. Then in 1812, the northwestern half was transferred, as a part of
Old Finland, to the autonomous
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...
, created in 1809 and in a
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more State (polity), states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some e ...
with Russia.
Due to its size, favorable climate, rich fishing waters and proximity to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, the capital of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
, the Karelian Isthmus became the wealthiest part of Finland once the
industrial revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
had gained momentum in the 19th century. The railroads
Saint Petersburg–Vyborg–Riihimäki (1870),
Vyborg–Hiitola–Sortavala (1893),
Saint Petersburg–Kexholm–Hiitola (1917) crossed the isthmus, contributing to its economic development. By the end of the 19th century the nearby areas along the Saint Petersburg–Vyborg section had become popular place of summer resort for wealthy Saint Petersburgers.
When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory roughly corresponding to present-day
Vsevolozhsky District and some districts of Saint Petersburg) remained Finnish, part of the
Viipuri province with its center in
Viipuri, the fourth largest Finnish city. A considerable part of the remaining area populated by
Ingrian Finns seceded from
Bolshevist Russia
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
as the Finland-backed
Republic of North Ingria
The Republic of North Ingria ( fi, Pohjois-Inkerin tasavalta), Ingrian: ''Pohja-inkeriläin respublikka)'' or Republic of Kirjasalo ( fi, Kirjasalon tasavalta, Ingrian: ''Kirjsalon respublikka'') was a short-lived, small state for the Ingrian Fi ...
, but was reintegrated with Russia in the end of 1920 according to the conditions of the
Treaty of Tartu. In 1928–1939 parts of the isthmus which belonged to Russia constituted the Kuivaisi National District with its center in
Toksova
Toksovo (russian: То́ксово; fi, Toksova) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Vsevolozhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located to the north of St. Petersburg on the Karelian Isthmus. It is served by two neig ...
, with
Finnish as the official language, according to the policy of
national delimitation in the Soviet Union. However, in 1936 the entire Finnish population of the parishes of
Valkeasaari,
Lempaala,
Vuole and
Miikkulainen along the Finnish border was
deported by the Soviet government.
World War II
A number of defensive lines crossed the isthmus during the Soviet-Finnish hostilities in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, such as
Mannerheim Line,
VKT-line,
VT-line, Main line (Finnish) and
KaUR
Kaur ( pa, ਕੌਰ (Gurmukhi), pa, کور (Shahmukhi) en, crown prince) (sometimes spelled as ''Kour''), is a surname or a part of a personal name primarily used by the Sikh and Hindu women of Punjab region. "Kaur" is also sometimes trans ...
(Soviet), and fronts moved back and forth over it.
In November 1939, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
staged the
Shelling of Mainila
The Shelling of Mainila ( fi, Mainilan laukaukset, , russian: Ма́йнильский инциде́нт, Máynil'skiy intsidént) was a military incident on 26 November 1939 in which the Soviet Union's Red Army shelled the Soviet village of ...
and invaded Finland in what became known as the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, which took a disproportionally heavy death toll on the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
. Only in February 1940 did the Soviet forces manage to penetrate the
Mannerheim Line across the isthmus, the strength of which is often exaggerated. Finland ceded the Karelian Isthmus and
Ladoga Karelia to the Soviet Union in the
Peace of Moscow of 12 March. According to the protocol appended to the Moscow Peace Treaty, the fighting was ended at noon (Leningrad time) on 13 March and by 26 March the Finnish troops had been completely withdrawn. The entire Karelian population of the ceded areas of about 422 thousand people was evacuated to other parts of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
(see
Evacuation of Finnish Karelia). On 31 March most of the ceded territories were incorporated into
Karelo-Finnish SSR
The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelo-Finnish SSR; fi, ; rus, Каре́ло-Фи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, r=Karelo-Finskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Resp ...
by a decision of the
Supreme Council of the Soviet Union (in the Karelian Isthmus the districts of
Jääski,
Kexholm and
Vyborg). The districts of
Kanneljärvi,
Koivisto and
Rautu as well as the town of
Terijoki were, however, included into
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
.
[Степаков, Виктор, Евгений Балашов]
В «Новых районах»: Из истории освоения Карельского перешейка, 1940–1941, 1944–1950
. Saint Petersburg: Нордмедиздат, 2001.
In 1941, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Germany invaded the Soviet Union in
Operation Barbarossa. Few days later
Continuation War as it is known in Finland (it is considered to be a front of the
Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and Russia) started. Finland initially regained the lost territory, reaching the Russian side of the border of 1939 and seen by the Russians as indirectly contributing to the
Siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet Union, So ...
(see
Finnish reconquest of the Karelian Isthmus (1941)
The Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus refers to a military campaign carried out by Finland in 1941. It was part of what is commonly referred to as the Continuation War. Early in the war Finnish forces liberated the Karelian Isthmus. It ...
). Some 260,000 Karelian evacuees returned home.
On 9 June 1944, strong Soviet forces opened the
Vyborg Offensive
Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ne ...
and pushed the front from the pre-1939 border to Vyborg in ten days. The returned Karelians were
evacuated to
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
again. In the
Battle of Tali-Ihantala, 25 June–9 July, the Finns concentrated their military strength and brought the offensive to a halt at the
River Vuoksi, in the northwesternmost part of the isthmus, at the closest point only 40 kilometres from the border of 1940. The
Moscow Armistice ending the war was signed on 19 September 1944. The entire isthmus became Soviet, although most of it has never been captured by the Soviets in battles. This time the ceded territories of the Karelian Isthmus (including the districts of
Jääski,
Kexholm and
Vyborg) were incorporated into
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
(unlike Ladoga Karelia, which remained within the Karelo-Finnish SSR). The border of the
Moscow Peace Treaty (1940) was recognized by Finland again in the
Peace of Paris, 1947.
After the war
As a result of the war, the population of the Karelian Isthmus has been almost completely replaced. After the war the isthmus was included into the
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
and people from other parts of the Soviet Union, mostly Russian, were settled here. The vast majority of the old Finnish
toponyms in the conquered territories were renamed to invented Russian ones by the government around 1948.
The Finnish toponyms of the territories included within Karelo-Finnish SSR and of the southern part of the isthmus (albeit assimilated) mostly remained. A lot of
youth summer camps were built all over the isthmus during the time of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. Some of them still exist.
Transport
The western part of the Karelian Isthmus is an important
transport corridor
A transport corridor is a generally linear area that is defined by one or more modes of transportation crossing the limits of more than one city or county like highways, railroads or public transit which share a common destination. Development ...
linking
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
and
Central Russia.
Primorsk Primorsk may refer to:
* Dənizkənarı, Azerbaijan, formerly called Primorsk
* Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö
* Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Ob ...
, terminus of the
Baltic Pipeline System, which has recently become one of the most efficient Russian
sea ports, is also located here.
The only
motorway on the isthmus is the recently completed
E18 "Scandinavia" (M10) going from
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
through
Vyborg and
Vaalimaa
Vaalimaa () is a village in the Virolahti municipality and a border crossing point between Finland and Russia. The border crossing station was opened in 1958 as a first road traffic crossing point between Finland and Soviet Union. With over 2 ...
.
Saimaa Canal (opened in 1856) is an important link connecting inland waterways of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
with the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
.
The Karelian Isthmus is served by a number of railways; the trains arrive from
Finlyandsky Rail Terminal and
Ladozhsky Rail Terminal
St. Petersburg-Ladozhsky (russian: Ла́дожский вокза́л), is the newest and most modern passenger railway station in Saint Petersburg, Russia, opened in 2003. It is the only major through station in the city, the other 4 are term ...
of
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
:
*
Saint Petersburg-Hiitola railroad
* eastern part of the
Saint Petersburg-Riihimäki railroad
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ort ...
*
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
–
Sestroretsk –
Beloostrov
* southern part of the
Vyborg-Joensuu railroad
*
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
–
Vsevolozhsk – Ladozhskoye Ozero
*
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
–
Vsevolozhsk –
Petrokrepost
Shlisselburg ( rus, Шлиссельбу́рг, p=ʂlʲɪsʲɪlʲˈburk; german: Schlüsselburg; fi, Pähkinälinna; sv, Nöteborg), formerly Oreshek (Орешек) (1323–1611) and Petrokrepost (Петрокрепость) (1944–1992), is ...
– Nevskaya Dubrovka
*
Vyborg –
Veschevo
Veshchevo (russian: Вещево; fi, Heinjoki) is a rural locality on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, and a station of the Vyborg– Zhitkovo railroad. The railway track between Veshchevo and Zhitkovo was, howev ...
(earlier also through
Zhitkovo
Zhitkovo (russian: Житко́во; fi, Ristseppälä) is a settlement on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast. It was a station of the Vyborg–Veshchevo–Zhitkovo– Michurinskoye railroad constructed by Finland
...
to
Michurinskoye)
*
Kamennogorsk
Kamennogorsk (russian: Каменного́рск; known before 1948 by the Finnish name of Antrea (russian: А́нтреа; sv, S:t Andree)), is a town in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Karelian Isthmus on the ...
–
Svetogorsk –
Imatra
Imatra is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. Imatra is dominated by Lake Saimaa, the Vuoksi River and the border with Russia. On the other side of the border, away from the centre of Imatra, lies the Russian town of Svetogorsk ...
*
Zelenogorsk –
Primorsk Primorsk may refer to:
* Dənizkənarı, Azerbaijan, formerly called Primorsk
* Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö
* Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Ob ...
–
Sovetsky –
Vyborg
Also on the Karelian isthmus are all lines of the St.
Petersburg metro
The Saint Petersburg Metro (russian: links=no, Петербургский метрополитен, Peterburgskiy metropoliten) is a rapid transit system in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Construction began in early 1941, but was put on hold due to Wor ...
.
Industry
The
pulp-and-paper
The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard and other cellulose-based products.
Manufacturing process
The pulp is fed to a paper machine where it is formed as a paper web an ...
,
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including Beam (structure), beams and plank (wood), planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as fini ...
and
woodworking
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...
industries (''JSC Svetogorsk'', pulp and paper mill in
Svetogorsk, ''Vyborgsky Pulp and Paper Mill'' in
Vyborg, ''Priozersky Furniture and Woodworking Industrial Complex'' and ''Priozersky Woodworking Factory'' in
Priozersk, as well as other smaller enterprises all over the isthmus) are well developed in
Vyborgsky and
Priozersky Districts. The
pulp and paper industry, however, affects the environment adversely. The predecessor of the Priozersk facilities, ''Priozersky Pulp and Paper Mill'', a major
polluter
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
of
Lake Ladoga constructed in 1931, was closed down in 1986. Northern and western parts of the isthmus are also an important reserve of
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...
(quarries in
Kuznechnoye, as well as a number of others along the
Vyborg-Hiitola railroad).
[Малков, Виктор (2006)]
Потенциал недр
. ''Промышленно-строительное обозрение'' 93.
''Vyborg Shipyard'' is one of the largest
shipbuilding companies in
Northwestern Russia
Northwest Russia, or the Russian North is the northern part of western Russia. It is bounded by Norway, Finland, the Arctic Ocean, the Ural Mountains and the east-flowing part of the Volga. The area is roughly coterminous with the Northwestern Fe ...
. ''Roskar Battery Farm'' in
Pervomayskoye is a leading producer of
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...
and
eggs.
In
Vsevolozhsky District state-owned ''Morozov Plant'' is located, which is an important producer of
paints,
adhesives,
abrasive
An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by friction. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflec ...
s and other substances. In Kuzmolovsky,
Vsevolozhsky District, near the station Kapitolovo of the
Saint Petersburg–Hiitola railroad, a facility of the Saint Petersburg nuclear enterprise ''Izotop'' is located, which specializes in transportation of
nuclear materials and
radioactive waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weap ...
.
Bogs of
Vsevolozhsky District along the shores of
Lake Ladoga and the
Neva River were major sources of
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
for fuel. Now it is extracted in smaller quantities, mostly for agricultural purposes. The district is also an important supplier of
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a soil texture, textur ...
. A plant of
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles ...
producing
Ford Focus cars was opened in
Vsevolozhsk in 2002.
Military
The Karelian Isthmus is included within
Leningrad Military District of the
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The isthmus hosts airfields in
Levashovo,
Pribylovo Pribylovo (russian: Прибылово) is the name of several rural localities in Russia:
*Pribylovo, Leningrad Oblast, a settlement in Primorskoye Settlement Municipal Formation of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast;
** Pribylovo (air base ...
and
Gromovo Gromovo (russian: Гро́мово; fi, Sakkola) is a settlement in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located 18 km northwest of Sosnovo, and a station of the Saint Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railway. Gromovo is situated on the no ...
. Other airfields in
Veshchevo
Veshchevo (russian: Вещево; fi, Heinjoki) is a rural locality on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, and a station of the Vyborg– Zhitkovo railroad. The railway track between Veshchevo and Zhitkovo was, howeve ...
and
Kasimovo
Kasimovo is a former air base in Leningrad Oblast, Russia located 30 km north of Saint Petersburg. It is an abandoned military airfield.
It was home to the 93rd independent Helicopter Squadron of the 30th Guards Army Corps from the 1960s to ...
(Vartemyagi) have been abandoned. In the northern part of
Vsevolozhsky District, to the south of the old Finnish border,
Karelian Fortified Region (KaUR) is located, which was reconstructed as late as in the 1960s, but now seems to be abandoned as well. There is ''Bobochinsky tank range'' (195.975 km², founded in 1913) between
Kamenka and
Kirillovskoye and a number of military facilities in
Vsevolozhsky District in the lowlands between
Lake Ladoga and
Saint Petersburg-Hiitola railroad, including ''Rzhevsky artillery range'' (founded in 1879), a huge area, , encircled by the
Road of Life, the roads
Rzhevka –
Novoye Devyatkino and Novoye Devyatkino –
Matoksa and the coast of
Lake Ladoga (available to visitors since 2003). In 2006 a
Voronezh
Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...
early warning radar was built in
Lekhtusi,
Vsevolozhsky District. The port of
Vysotsk is a base of the
Baltic Fleet. 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade is located in
Kamenka, and in the 56th District Training Centre in
Sertolovo.
Population
The population of the Karelian isthmus today is slightly less than 3.1 million inhabitants. Of these, about 2.4 million live in St. Petersburg and a little less than 700 thousand in the Leningrad region. The population is growing solely due to migration, as the mortality rate is much higher than the birth rate, but the migration attractiveness of St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas of the Leningrad region is very high. Thus, about 40% of the population of St. Petersburg and about 30% of the population of the Leningrad region live on the Karelian isthmus. There is strong growth in population in all the districts of the Karelian isthmus in addition to the Vyborg district and Priozersk district .
Notable people from the isthmus
Finnish period
*
Martti Ahtisaari, Finnish president, and recipient of the 2008
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
*
Georg Elfvengren
Colonel Georg (Yrjö) Elfvengren (8 September 1889, Sortavala – 10 June 1927, Moscow) was a Finnish officer of the Russian Imperial Guard during the First World War and a noted commander of the Finnish Civil War and Heimosodat, who sympathized w ...
, Finnish military commander
*
Gustav Hägglund, Finnish military commander
*
Max Jakobson, Finnish diplomat
*
Gustaf Komppa
Gustaf Komppa (28 July 1867 in Viipuri – 20 January 1949 in Helsinki) was a Finnish chemist best known for a world-first in commercializing total synthesis, that of camphor in 1903.
Komppa was born in Viipuri in 1867. While in secondary scho ...
, Finnish chemist
*
Juho Niukkanen, Finnish politician
*
Karl Lennart Oesch, Finnish military commander
*
Larin Paraske, Finnish oral poet
*
Edith Södergran,
Swedish-speaking Finnish
The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see #Terminology, below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic mi ...
poet.
*
Lauri Törni, born in Viipuri, Törni was a soldier and winner of the
Mannerheim Cross during the
Continuation War, who later served with the German and American armies.
*
Uno Ullberg, Finnish architect
*
Johannes Virolainen, Finnish politician
*
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist, and recipient of the 1945
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
Soviet and post soviet period
*
Elena Pogrebizhskaya
*
Ilia Shtokalov
Ilia Anatolyevich Shtokalov (russian: Илья Анатольевич Штокалов; born 1 September 1986, in Pobeda) is a Russian sprint canoeist. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's C-1 1000 metres. He finished 8th in th ...
*
Nastasya Samburskaya
Nastasya Anislavovna Samburskaya (russian: Настасья Аниславовна Самбурская; born 1 March 1987) is a Russian actress, folk-singer and TV presenter. Best known for her role as Kristina Sokolovskaya in comedy television ...
*
Lyubov Kozyreva (cross-country skier)
*
Elena Kondulainen
References
Further reading
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Юго-западный сектор, часть 1: Кивеннапа – Териоки (Первомайское – Зеленогорск). СПб.: Новое время, 1998. .
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Юго-западный сектор, часть 2: Уусикиркко (Поляны). СПб.: Новое время, 2000. .
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Юго-западный сектор, часть 3: Каннельярви – Куолемаярви (Победа – Пионерское). СПб.: Новое время, 1998. .
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 2–3. Юго-западный сектор: Уусикиркко – Куолемаярви – Каннельярви (Поляны – Красная Долина – Победа). 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. СПб.: Нива, 2002. .
* Шитов Д.И. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 4. Восточный сектор: Рауту – Саккола (Сосново – Громово). СПб.: Нордмед-Издат, 2000. .
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 5. Западный сектор: Койвисто (Приморск). СПб.: КультИнформПресс, 2002. .
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 5 – 6. Западный сектор: Койвисто – Йоханнес (Приморск – Советский). 2-е изд., испр. и доп. СПб.: Нива, 2003. .
* Орехов Д.И., Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 7. Центральный сектор: Муолаа – Яюряпяя (Красносельское – Барышево). СПб.: Нива, 2004. .
* Орехов Д.И., Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 8. Восточный сектор: Метсяпиртти (Запорожское). СПб.: Нива, 2005. .
* Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 9. Центральный сектор: Валкъярви – Вуоксела (Мичуринское – Ромашки). СПб.: Нива, 2005. .
* Шитов Д.И. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Часть 10. Северо-восточный сектор: Ряйсяля (Мельниково). СПб., 2006. .
* Иллюстрированный определитель растений Карельского перешейка / Под ред. А. Л. Буданцева, Г. П. Яковлева. – СПб: СпецЛит, 2000.
External links
Detailed and historical maps(site navigation in Russian)
Site of the local history association "Karelia"(in Russian).
Terijoki.spb.ru(in Russian)
{{Authority control
Ingria
Landforms of Leningrad Oblast
Finland–Soviet Union relations
Landforms of Saint Petersburg