Pielisjoki (River Pielinen)SUP Joensuu
/ref> is a long river in Eastern Finland. It is the sixth most fast-flowing river in Finland and the largest river draining into

Lake Saimaa Saimaa ( , ; sv, Saimen) is a lake located in the Finnish Lakeland area in southeastern Finland. At approximately , it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest natural freshwater lake in Europe. The name Saimaa likely comes from a ...

. The river connects the two largest lakes in North Karelia, Pielinen and

Pyhäselkä Pyhäselkä is a former municipality of Finland, now part of Joensuu. It seat was located in ''Hammaslahti''. Pyhäselkä is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality had a population ...

(part of Greater Saimaa). The city of

Joensuu Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. Th ...

is situated at the mouth of the river. The river was formed shortly after the last glaciation when the Uimaharju esker was broken under the pressure of Pielinen waters, which previously drained north but were redirected by tilting of the ground as a result of post-glacial land uplift. Ten

canal locks A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...

were built for navigation on the river in the late 19th century. In the 1950s and 1960s two power plants were built that block the river, Kaltimo and Kuurna. At the same time associated new canals were constructed that replaced the previous navigation system.

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Rivers of Finland Tributaries of the Vuoksi {{Finland-river-stub

See also

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