Savonlinna (, , ; sv, Nyslott, lit=New Castle) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and 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 inhabitants in the southeast 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 B ...

, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region, which is why the city is also nicknamed the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with

Mikkeli Mikkeli (; sv, S:t Michel; la, Michaelia) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of () (around 34,000 i ...

, it is one of the largest towns in the South Savonia region and one of the concentrations in the region's

hospital districts A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

. The town is internationally known for its medieval

St. Olaf's Castle Olavinlinna (also known as St. Olaf's Castle; sv, Olofsborg; german: Olafsburg; literally ''Olof's Castle'') is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the ...

and the annual

Savonlinna Opera Festival Savonlinna Opera Festival ( fi, Savonlinnan oopperajuhlat) is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's Castle), built in 1475. The castle is located amid spectacular lake ...

. Its surrounding the enclaved municipality of Enonkoski.

History

The city was founded in 1639, based on

Olavinlinna Olavinlinna (also known as St. Olaf's Castle; sv, Olofsborg; german: Olafsburg; literally ''Olof's Castle'') is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the ...

castle (''St. Olaf's Castle''). The castle was founded by

Erik Axelsson Tott Erik Axelsson (Tott) (c. 1419–1481) was a Dano-Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden under the Kalmar Union, jointly with Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna in 1457 and alone from 1466 to 1467. Biography He was born in Scania during the reign of K ...

in 1475 in an effort to protect Savonia and to control the unstable border between the Kingdom of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and its

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n adversary. During the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743), the castle was captured by Field-Marshal Peter Lacy. It was held by Russia between 1743 and 1812, when it was granted back to Finland as a part of " Old Finland". In 1973 the municipality of

Sääminki Sääminki (; sv, Säminge) is countryside and former municipality of Finland. Most of Sääminki municipality was incorporated in 1973 with the Savonlinna town and the rest with Punkaharju municipality. It is located in the province of Eastern ...

was consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of year 2009 the municipality of

Savonranta Savonranta is a former municipality of Finland. It became part of Savonlinna in early 2009. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality had a population of 1,263 (2003) and cov ...

and a land strip from Enonkoski between Savonlinna and Savonranta were consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of the year 2013, the municipalities of Kerimäki and

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 provinces of Finland, province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia regions of Finland, reg ...

were consolidated with Savonlinna.

Attractions

The most notable attraction in Savonlinna is the

castle, a 15th-century castle built on an island. Near the castle is also the Savonlinna regional museum. Some other attractions include the forest museum Lusto in the village of Punkaharju, and the

Kerimäki Church The Kerimäki Church ( fi, Kerimäen kirkko, sv, Kerimäki kyrka) in Kerimäki, Finland, is the largest wooden church in the world. However, St. George's Cathedral, Georgetown located in Guyana is taller, at 43.5 metres (143 ft). The Almaty Cat ...

in the neighboring village of Kerimäki, which is the largest wooden church in the world. Savonlinna hosts the famous annual

, which was held first time in 1912. The

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s are performed on a stage built inside the Olavinlinna castle. The city has also hosted the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships since 2000. File:Savonlinnan tuomiokirkko 1 AB.JPG,

Savonlinna Cathedral Savonlinna Cathedral ( fi, Savonlinnan tuomiokirkko, sv, Nyslotts domkyrka) is located in Savonlinna, Finland. It was built between 1874 and 1878 and designed by architect Axel Hampus Dalström in the Gothic Revival style. It has room for 1000 p ...

is an Evangelical Lutheran Church File:Kerimaki church exterior.jpg,

is the biggest wooden church in the world. File:Savonlinna Museo 1.JPG, Savonlinna Provincial Museum File:Lusto 1 AB.jpg, Lusto is a national forest museum is located in

Sports

The ice hockey team of Savonlinna,

SaPKo Savonlinnan Pallokerho (SaPKo) was an ice hockey team from Savonlinna, Finland, they formerly play in the Mestis league. It plays its home matches at the Talvisalo ice rink. The sports club Savonlinnan Pallokerho was founded in 1929. First it ...

or Savonlinnan Pallokerho, is playing in the second tier

Mestis Mestis (from fi, Mestaruussarja, meaning 'Championship series') is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division'). ...

. The top-tier

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team

Saimaa Volley 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 ...

plays some of its home matches in Savonlinna. The football team

Savonlinnan Työväen Palloseura Savonlinnan Työväen Palloseura or STPS for short, is a football club located in Savonlinna, Finland. The club was founded in 1947. STPS has a strong labour movement background, ''"työväen palloseura"'' meaning "workers ball club" in Finnish. ...

(STPS), is playing in

Kolmonen Kolmonen or III divisioona is the fourth level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 104 Finnish football teams. The III divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mid-1990s became known as the Kolmonen (''Number Three'' in En ...

, the fourth tier.

Transport

Savonlinna is located east of

, west 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 ...

and south of

Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...

. It is also from the capital city of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

by road, and some four hours away by train. Flights from Savonlinna Airport to Helsinki take 40–60 minutes.

Education

South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences has a campus in Savonlinna, teaching healthcare as well as process technologies. Research and development facilities include laboratories for wood processing and electronics.

University of Eastern Finland The University of Eastern Finland ( fi, Itä-Suomen yliopisto) is a university in Finland founded in 2010 with campuses in Joensuu and Kuopio. History The Finnish Parliament passed the Universities Act on June 16, 2009, which, among other things ...

had a campus in Savonlinna, primarily for teacher education. The campus was shut down in 2018. There are two high schools in Savonlinna. One of these high schools is specialized in art subjects, which when it started its operation in 1967 was the first specialized high school in

as well as in all of the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Savonlinna is twinned with: *

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

, Germany * Kalmar, Sweden * Torzhok, Russia In addition, there is non-governmental cooperation with the following cities: *

Árborg wikt:sveitarfélag#Icelandic, Sveitarfélagwikt:-ið#Icelandic, ið Árborg () is the biggest municipality in southern Iceland founded in 1998. The biggest town in the municipality is Selfoss (town), Selfoss. Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri are two comm ...

, Iceland *

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

, Norway * Silkeborg, Denmark

Notable people

Hannu Aravirta Hannu Aravirta (born 26 March 1953) is a Finnish ice hockey player and an ice hockey coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien. Career as player Aravirta was born in Savonlinna, and made his first professional appeara ...

, former professional hockey forward, coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien *

Kari Hietalahti Kari-Jukka Hietalahti (born 13 September 1964) is a Finnish actor and screenwriter. Career Kari Hietalahti is best known for having appeared in several popular Finnish television series, such as '' Vintiöt'', '' Ihmisten puolue'', and '' Roba ...

, actor * Ere Kokkonen, film director and screenwriter *

Erik Laxmann Erik Gustavovich Laxmann (russian: Эрик (Кирилл) Густавович Лаксман) (July 27, 1737 – January 6, 1796) was a Finnish-Swedish clergyman, explorer and natural scientist born in Nyslott in Finland, then part of Sweden. H ...

, explorer and natural scientist *

Ville Leino Ville Leino (born 6 October 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. Playing career Finland At age 17, Leino ...

, former professional hockey forward * Jarmo Myllys, former professional hockey goaltender, member of the 1988, 1994 and 1998 Finnish Olympic ice hockey teams * Pasha Pozdniakova, Finnish-Russian ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' model and social media influencer *

Joonas Rask Joonas Rask (born 24 March 1990) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He played 2 games in the National Hockey League with the Nashville Predators during the 201 ...

, professional hockey forward for HIFK * Tuukka Rask, former professional hockey goaltender, member of the 2014 Finnish Olympic ice hockey team