Savonlinna

Savonlinna
—  Town  —
Savonlinnan kaupunki
The marina of Savonlinna
Coat of arms
Location of Savonlinna in Finland
Coordinates: 61°52′05″N 028°53′10″E / 61.86806°N 28.88611°E / 61.86806; 28.88611Coordinates: 61°52′05″N 028°53′10″E / 61.86806°N 28.88611°E / 61.86806; 28.88611
Country	Finland
Region	Southern Savonia
Sub-region	Savonlinna sub-region
Charter	1639
Government
– Town manager	Janne Laine
Area(2011-01-01)[1]
– Total	1,973.13 km2 (761.8 sq mi)
– Land	1,210.51 km2 (467.4 sq mi)
– Water	762.62 km2 (294.4 sq mi)
Area rank	43rd largest in Finland
Population (2011-01-31)[2]
– Total	27,734
– Rank	40th largest in Finland
– Density	22.91/km2 (59.3/sq mi)
Population by native language[3]
– Finnish	97.7% (official)
– Swedish	0.1%
– Others	2.2%
Population by age[4]
– 0 to 14	13.7%
– 15 to 64	64.5%
– 65 or older	21.8%
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
– Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate[5]	20.5%
Website	www.savonlinna.fi

Savonlinna (Swedish: Nyslott, Russian: Нейшлот, Neishlott) is a town and a municipality of 27,734 (31 January 2011)^[2] inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "Newcastle".

History

The city was founded in 1639, based on Olavinlinna 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 Russian 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 the "Old Finland".

In 1973 the municipality of Sääminki was consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of year 2009 the municipality of Savonranta and a 31.24 km² (12.06 sq mi) land strip from Enonkoski between Savonlinna and Savonranta were consolidated with Savonlinna.

Transport

This town is 335 kilometres (208 mi) away from the capital of Helsinki by road, some four hours away by train. There is an airport in the town, and the journey to Helsinki takes 40–60 minutes by plane. It is built on a chain of islands located throughout a number of large lakes.

Education

University of Joensuu has a campus in Savonlinna, primarily for teacher education.

Attractions

Olavinlinna

The city hosts the famous annual Savonlinna Opera Festival. The operas are performed on a stage built inside the castle. It also has hosted the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships annually since 2000.

Sports

The ice hockey team of Savonlinna, SaPKo or Savonlinnan Pallokerho, is playing in the second tier Mestis. Notable SaPKo alumni include Jarmo Myllys, Ville Leino, Tuukka Rask and Hannu Aravirta.

The top-tier volleyball team Saimaa Volley plays some of its home matches in Savonlinna. The football team Savonlinnan Työväen Palloseura (STPS), is playing in Kolmonen, the fourth tier.

References

1. ^ "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (in Finnish and Swedish) (PDF). Land Survey of Finland. http://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/sites/default/files/pinta-alat_2011_kunnannimenmukaan.xls. Retrieved 9 March 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Population by municipality as of 31 January 2011" (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Information System. Population Register Center of Finland. http://vrk.fi/default.aspx?docid=4258&site=3&id=0. Retrieved 18 February 2011. 
3. ^ "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. http://pxweb2.stat.fi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=060_vaerak_tau_107_fi&ti=V%E4est%F6+kielen+mukaan+sek%E4+ulkomaan+kansalaisten+m%E4%E4r%E4+ja+maa%2Dpinta%2Dala+alueittain++1980+%2D+2008&path=../Database/StatFin/vrm/vaerak/&lang=3&multilang=fi. Retrieved 29 March 2009. 
4. ^ "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. http://pxweb2.stat.fi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=050_vaerak_tau_104_fi&ti=V%E4est%F6+i%E4n+%281%2Dv%2E%29+ja+sukupuolen+mukaan+alueittain+1980+%2D+2008&path=../Database/StatFin/vrm/vaerak/&lang=3&multilang=fi. Retrieved 28 April 2009. 
5. ^ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. http://www.vero.fi/nc/doc/download.asp?id=7996;193801. Retrieved 13 March 2011. 

External links

Media related to Savonlinna at Wikimedia Commons

• Town of Savonlinna – Official site
• savonlinna.travel
• Savonlinna travel guide from Wikitravel
• World66 – Open source travel guide

Map of Savonlinna