Ruokolahti (; sv, Ruokolax; literally translated the "
Reed
Reed or Reeds may refer to:
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
* Reed bird (disambiguation)
* Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times
* Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales
* ...
Bay") is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of Finland, situated in south-eastern
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 B ...
, in the
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of
South Karelia
South Karelia ( fi, Etelä-Karjala; sv, Södra Karelen) is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, South Savo and North Karelia, as well as Russia (Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast).
Historical province
''For his ...
. Neighbouring municipalities are
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. ...
,
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...
,
Taipalsaari
Taipalsaari is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Nei ...
,
Puumala
, area_footnotes =
, area_total_km2 =
, area_land_km2 =
, area_water_km2 =
, area_rank =
, population_as_of =
, population_footnotes =
, population_total =
, population_density_km2 =
, population_rank =
, demographics_type1 =
, demograph ...
,
Sulkava
Sulkava is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
Neighbouring municipalities are Juva, Puumala, R ...
,
Punkaharju
Punkaharju is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the town of Savonlinna on January 1, 2013.
It was located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region.
The municipality had a population of ...
,
Parikkala
Parikkala () is a municipality of Finland located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region, from Lappeenranta and from Joensuu. The town center of Parikkala is about from the Russian border. The municipality ...
and
Rautjärvi
Rautjärvi () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. M ...
. Ruokolahti covers an area of of which is water.
The municipality has inhabitants
(),
but the population doubles in summer as holidaymakers occupy the 3,000 summer cottages in the region.
[ (Text from ''Discover Ruokolahti'' web site with a permission.)]
Ruokolahti is known for its natural environment, for example
Kummakivi is a balancing rock located at 61° 29' 36.4596" N, 28° 25' 45.5016" E in Ruokolahti and is protected. In the west there is the 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 ...
and in the east there are hundreds of smaller lakes. The
Salpausselkä
Salpausselkä (; "Bar Ridge") is an extensive ridge system left by the ice age in Southern Finland. It is a large terminal moraine formation that formed in front of the Baltic ice lake during the Younger Dryas period about 12,250–10,400 years ...
ridges run through the area.
The famous sniper
Simo Häyhä
Simo Häyhä (; 17December 1905 1April 2002), often referred to by his nickname, The White Death ( fi, Valkoinen kuolema; russian: Белая смерть, Belaya smert’), was a Finnish military sniper in World War II during the 1939–1940 Wi ...
lived in Ruokolahti for 57 years after the 1939–40
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 ...
. He is buried there in the graveyard of
Ruokolahti Church.
The municipal
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
of Ruokolahti is a
canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus.
French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial all ...
that directly refers to the name of the municipality, including
reeds appearing in it.
Wave line is usually used to describe a local body of water. The coat of arms was designed by
Gustaf von Numers
Gustaf von Numers (31 July 1912 – 21 May 1978) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish civil servant and leading heraldic artist.
Life
Gustaf von Numers studied heraldry in the 1930s under Arvid Berghman and was considered one of the leading Fin ...
and was confirmed for use on September 11, 1951.
Gallery
File:Ruokolahti Church 01.JPG
File:Ruokolahti Church 02.JPG
File:Ruokolahti Church 03.JPG
File:Ruokolahti Church 04.JPG
File:Ruokolahti Church 05.JPG
File:Simo Häyhä's grave.jpg
References
External links
Municipality of Ruokolahti– Official website
Discover Ruokolahti– Information for tourists
Municipalities of South Karelia
Populated places established in 1868
{{EasternFinland-geo-stub