South Karelia
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2020) |
South Karelia
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Region of South Karelia Etelä-Karjalan maakunta Landskapet Södra Karelen | ||
NUTS FI187 | | |
Regional bird | Thrush nightingale | |
Regional fish | Lake salmon | |
Regional flower | Spring pasque flower | |
Regional stone | Spectrolite | |
Regional lake | Lake Saimaa | |
Website | Etelä-Karjala |
South Karelia (or Southern Karelia,
).Historical province
For history, geography and culture see:
Regional Council
The Regional Council of South Karelia is a joint municipal authority of nine member municipalities. The council operates as the authority for regional development and unit for regional planning and looks after regional interests and to promote economic development and cultural well-being in South Karelia. The council has statutory responsibility for regional development and planning.[1]
The EU's regional Objective Programmes for South Karelia have partly been prepared in the council as it also implements and coordinates various projects. The council is also represented in several international organisations, such as AEBR.[2]
Municipalities
The region of South Karelia is made up of nine municipalities, of which two have city status (marked in bold).
Imatra Sub-region:
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Lappeenranta Sub-region:
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Tourism
South Karelia is a popular tourist area in Finland with its special features – its nature, its location between Lake Saimaa and the border as well as its cultural heritage and history as a border region. Thanks to the natural attractions, waterways and islands, tourism has natural prerequisites for developing in South Karelia. The provincial centres are continuously improving their services. Lappeenranta has in recent years focused particularly on tourism services for families, and Imatra on fishing and spa tourism. There is a good selection of agritourism attractions and tourism services available around the region.[2]
The most interesting attractions include Lake Saimaa,
The region also features an interesting cross-section of churches that represent various centuries, architectural styles and denominations. The internationally best-known of these is the Church of the Three Crosses in Imatra designed by Alvar Aalto.[5]
The South Karelian nature has played a key role in the history of tourism. The rapids of
The Rauha – Tiuruniemi area by the Lake Saimaa has long traditions in spa and hotel activities. As early as 1894 the area's first hotel spa - Rauha pensionat för turister - was established. In 1912 a Russia-born physicist Dimitri Gabrilovitsch bought the place to transform it into a sanatorium. The clinic's services at the time were different kinds of baths as well as galvanic and bright light treatments. The clinic had visitors from Russia, Europe and even the Americas. The spa in Lappeenranta, which is still in business today, was founded in 1871.
Tourism in South Karelia went into a decline for some time after the
Nature
The ground in the region consists of loose soil types accumulated on top of bedrock during the
The variable terrain and great local height differences make South Karelia exceptional in
Education
Heraldry
The coat of arms of South Karelia is composed of the arms of
Politics
Results of the
- Social Democratic Party 27.27%
- Finns Party 18.70%
- National Coalition Party 17.46%
- Centre Party 15.54%
- Green League 10.35%
- Christian Democrats 3.86%
- Left Alliance 2.87%
- Movement Now 1.65%
- Blue Reform1.34%
- Seven Star Movement 0.27%
- Other parties 0.69%
References
- ISBN 978-92-64-01278-3.
- ^ a b "Etusivu". Etelä-Karjalan liitto. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "South Karelia - A Popular Holiday Destination". Archived from the original on 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ "South Karelia - Museums, Churches". Archived from the original on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
- ^ "Shop frontiers: the rise of cross-border buying around the world". the Guardian. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2022-11-09.