Imatrafall
The Imatrafall ( Finnish Imatrankoski [ ˈimɑtrɑŋˌkoski ]) is a waterfall in the city of Imatra in southeastern Finland . The river Vuoksi falls here over a length of around 500 meters in a narrow granite gorge 18 meters. However, since 1929 the falls have been used to generate electricity and the water has been diverted. The locks are only opened at certain times and the old river bed is flooded. The flow rate of the Imatrafall is then 500 m³ / s. Both the immediately neighboring district of Imatrankoski and the city of Imatra were named after the Imatrafall.
Imatrafall is one of 27 official " national landscapes " of Finland. Imatrafall has been a popular tourist destination since the visit of Tsarina Catherine the Great in 1772. The luxurious state hotel (Valtionhotelli) built in 1903 directly on Imatrafall is evidence of this . Today, during the tourist season from mid-June to mid-August, demonstrations take place once a day for twenty minutes. Visitors can watch the natural spectacle from an arched bridge or from a park below. To open the locks, Jean Sibelius traditionally plays the play Es boil der Strom by loudspeakers .
Web links
- gosaimaa.fi: Imatrankoski (Finnish)
Coordinates: 61 ° 10 ′ 6 ″ N , 28 ° 46 ′ 18 ″ E