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

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 ...

and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

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 Bo ...

, 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 ...

, 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. Its surrounding the enclaved municipality of

Enonkoski Enonkoski () is a municipality of Finland. It is encircled by the city of Savonlinna in the Southern Savonia region. It is the smallest municipality in Southern Savonia in terms of population. History Enonkoski was founded in 1882. Before that i ...

History

The city was founded in 1639, based on Olavinlinna castle (''St. Olaf's Castle''). The castle was founded by Erik Axelsson Tott in 1475 in an effort to protect Savonia and to control the unstable border between the Kingdom of Sweden and its

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 ...

n adversary. During the

Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) The Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743 (also known as The War of the Hats) was instigated by the Hats, a Swedish political party that aspired to regain the territories lost to Russia during the Great Northern War, and by French diplomacy, which sou ...

, 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 was consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of year 2009 the municipality of Savonranta and a land strip from

between Savonlinna and Savonranta were consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of the year 2013, the municipalities of Kerimäki and Punkaharju were consolidated with Savonlinna.

Attractions

The most notable attraction in Savonlinna is the Olavinlinna 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 in the neighboring village of Kerimäki, which is the largest wooden church in the world. Savonlinna hosts the famous annual Savonlinna Opera Festival, 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 libre ...

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 Evangelical Lutheran Church can refer to many different Lutheran churches in the world. Among them are the following: U.S. * Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a mainline Protestant denomination in Chicago, Illinois * Evangelical Lutheran Chu ...

File:Kerimaki church exterior.jpg, Kerimäki Church 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 Punkaharju

Sports

The ice hockey team of Savonlinna, SaPKo or Savonlinnan Pallokerho, is playing in the second tier Mestis. 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 plays some of its home matches in Savonlinna. The football team Savonlinnan Työväen Palloseura (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 ...

, 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. T ...

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 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.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Savonlinna is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

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 t ...

, Germany *

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total o ...

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

Arendal Arendal () is a municipality in Agder county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Arendal (which is also the seat of Agder county). Some of the not ...

, Norway *

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).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 appe ...

, former professional hockey forward, coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien * Kari Hietalahti, actor * Ere Kokkonen, film director and screenwriter * Erik Laxmann, explorer and natural scientist * Ville 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, professional hockey forward for HIFK * Tuukka Rask, former professional hockey goaltender, member of the 2014 Finnish Olympic ice hockey team