Kesalahti
Kesälahti [ ˈkɛsælɑhti ] ( Swedish historically Kesälax ) is a former municipality in the Finnish countryside of North Karelia . Since 2013 she has been part of the City of Kitee .
Geography and population
Kesälahti is located in the south of the eastern Finnish landscape of North Karelia on the border with Russia 35 kilometers southwest of the city center of Kitee and almost 70 kilometers east of Savonlinna . The former municipality of Kesälahti covers 583.1 square kilometers (195.2 square kilometers of which are inland water). The landscape is dominated by the two large lakes Puruvesi in the west and Pyhäjärvi in the east. Climatically, Kesälahti belongs to the catchment area of Lake Ladoga in the Russian part of Karelia , which means that the climate is relatively mild and sunny. Kesälahti therefore markets itself as aurinkokunta ("sun community"). The last population of the municipality was 2,326 (as of December 31, 2012).
The only settlement center ( taajama ) in Kesälahti is the church village of Kesälahti, which is located on State Road 6 on an isthmus between the Puruvesi and Pyhäjärvi lakes and has 1,037 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2011). The villages of Marjoniemi, Purujärvi, Sarvisalo, Suitsansaari, Totkunniemi, Varmonniemi and Villala also belong to the former municipality of Kesälahti.
history
The first traces of settlement in Kesälahti date from the Neolithic Age 5000 years ago. A place of justice on a rock on the island of Sirnitsa was first mentioned in 1556. At that time, Kesalahti was under Russian influence; the population belonged to the Orthodox faith. In the Treaty of Teusina in 1595, the border between Sweden and Russia was moved to the east, it now ran at Kesälahti. In 1617 Kesälahti came under the Treaty of Stolbowo as part of Kexholm County to Sweden. The Lutheran congregation was founded around 1630 . In the period that followed, the Orthodox population was subjected to reprisals; some converted to the Lutheran faith, some emigrated to Tver and Olonez . After the Peace of Nystad (1721), the Swedish-Russian border ran again at Kesälahti. The place itself remained on the Swedish side until all of Finland came under Russian rule in 1812. Part of the recorded folk poetry, on the basis of which Elias Lönnrot created the Finnish national epic Kalevala , was collected in Kesälahti in 1828. By separating the political parishes from the church administration, the parish Kesälahti was created in 1873. After Finland became independent in 1917, the areas east of Kesälahti also belonged to Finland. During the Second World War, Kesälahti suffered destruction, among other things the old church from 1830 burned down. A modern church was built in its place in 1950. The free-standing stack of bells from 1770 has been preserved. Since Finland had to cede East Karelia to the Soviet Union in 1944 , Kesälahti has been a border town again. At the beginning of 2013, the municipality of Kesälahti was incorporated into the city of Kitee.
traffic
State road 6 , which runs parallel to the eastern border, connects Kesälahti with the south of the country. Kesälahti is also connected to the Helsinki - Joensuu railway line. The nearest airport is in Savonlinna. It is possible to enter Russia via the border crossing in neighboring Värtsilä .
Sons and daughters
- Lauri Silvennoinen (1916–2004), cross-country skier
- Hemmo Silvennoinen (1932-2002), ski jumper
- Kauko Laasonen (* 1951), archer
Individual evidence
- ↑ Maanmittauslaitos (Finnish Land Surveying Office): Suomen pinta-alat kunnittain January 1, 2012 . (PDF; 80 kB)
- ↑ Väestörekisterikeskus (Finnish population register): Population of the Finnish municipalities on December 31, 2012 ( memento of the original of October 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Tilastokeskus (Finnish Statistics Office): Taajama- ja haja-asutusalueväestö iän ja sukupuolen mukaan kunnittain December 31, 2011. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
Coordinates: 61 ° 54 ' N , 29 ° 50' E