Kostomuksha

Kostomuksha ( _ru. Костомукша, _fi. Kostamus) is a town located in the northwestern part of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, thirty kilometers from the border with Finland and on the shore of lake Kontoki. The nearest large towns in Russia are St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk, which are connected to Kostomuksha by rail. The nearest towns are Kuhmo and Kajaani in Finland. The population is 29,746 (2002 Census). The town was established in 1977 as an urban-type settlement and populated by people from various regions of the Soviet Union. It was mostly built by Finnish building companies, according to an agreement between the Soviet and Finnish governments. Town status was granted in 1983. The town was later expanded by Soviet building companies but maintaining plenty of green areas.

The iron ore refinery (JSC "Karelsky okatysh", or "Karelian Pellet") employs around five thousand people and associated mining has left a huge hole near the factory. Wiring harness ("AEK" LLC) and electronics ("Electrokos" LLC) factories are part of Finnish company PKC Group Oyj. Other important industries include timber and furniture making. A wood processing complex being developed by Swedwood (an industrial group within IKEA) will include a sawmill, chip-board and furniture factory.

There is also a railway station, an airport (with no regular flights), and a federal road.

There is a large national park near the town with a reindeer population and a beaver population of Canadian origin, which were introduced in Finland and have migrated over into Russian territory. Part of the national park extends into Finnish territory. Tourism and recreational activities within the national park are prohibited.

Every summer there is a chamber music festival to which musicians, orchestras and theater groups come from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other parts of Russia. In summer the town enjoys more than two months of uninterrupted sunlight and many inhabitants spend time at their "dachas", typically situated on the banks of one of the many lakes in the vicinity, which also attract anglers due to their large fish populations. As in Finland, saunas are very popular. In winter, skiing and biathlon are popular. Most visitors come from Finland.