Karelia, the historical landscape in Northern Europe

15 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Kotkatjärvi village © MaSii

Kotkatjärvi village © MaSii

Karelia, the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian Republic of Karelia, the Russian Leningrad Oblast, and Finland (the regions of South Karelia and North Karelia).   read more…

Die Stadt Wyborg in der historischen Region Karelien

7 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Embankment © Sergey Galchenkov

Embankment © Sergey Galchenkov

Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 kilometers (81 mi) to the northwest of St. Petersburg and 38 kilometers (24 mi) south from Russia’s border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland. Population: 80,000. The Hanseatic city lies in the boundary zone between the East Slavic/Russian and Finnish/Scandinavian worlds and has changed hands several times in history, most recently in 1944 when it was taken by the Soviet Union from Finland during World War II.   read more…

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