Lakeland Finland - Finlandia lacustre

Lakeland Finland
Location
State	Finland
Surface	68,677 km²
Inhabitants	841.243 (2014 estimate)

Lakeland Finland (Järvi-Suomi) is the region bordering Russian Karelia.

To know

This territory, located in the south-eastern part of Finland, is also known as lakes region, as it is made up of an infinite mosaic of ponds and low hills.

Finns cross the lakes by ship in summer and with snow cats in winter, and build on their shores dachas (traditional Russian summer cottages) and saunas.

Geographical notes

It borders the provinces of the Finnish west coast, Southern Finland, Oulu and with the Russia.

Finnish lakes are shallow: only three reach beyond 100m. This means that the water heats up quickly in the summer and freezes in the winter. The ground was originally carved out of ice sheets during the Ice Age.

Spoken languages

He teaches in the Savo dialect a Savonlinna

Culturally, Eastern Finland is the land of the people Savo and their cousins Karelians, although much of historic Karelia was absorbed into theSoviet Union (USSR) after the defeat of the Finland in World War II (and much of Karelia never belonged to Finland).

The Savo dialect is verbose and relaxed, with doubled consonants and diphthongs mutating in various ways. According to the stereotype, Savonians speak much more than the average Finnish taciturn. They are also masters of the vague answer, in fact the canonical Savo answer to any question is "olla suattaapi, Vuan suattaapi olla olemattannii"that is," it could be, but it could also be that it isn't ".

Culture and traditions

Words are often heard in Finland järvi (the needle), saari (island), ranta (shore, beach), niemi (promontory), lahti (Bay), koski (quick), virta (current) e joki (river), all terms that occur in the most common Finnish surnames.

Territories and tourist destinations

      Northern Savonia - Northern Savonia is home to many events, from the strawberry festival to the world championship of carriage of wives. Other characteristic aspects are the kalakukko (a dish made from a loaf of bread stuffed with fried fish) and its recognizable dialect.

      North Karelia - The culture of the easternmost region of Finland carries the influences of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Also if you want to see a bear or wolf in its natural habitat, this is probably the place to go.

      Central Finland - Central Finland is remarkably hilly and can be visited via some small but very scenic roads.

      Southern Savonia - Southern Savonia is truly the heart of the lakes region; you will never find yourself far from a body of water. The most important monuments are the medieval castle Olavinlinna in the city of Savonlinna and the Punkaharju ridge which almost cuts across Lake Saimaa.

      Pirkanmaa - Pirkanmaa is generally seen as the heart of Finnish heavy industry, and the city of Tampere the "Manchester Finnish. "However, there are many things to see and do in the city for the traveler, from museums and theaters to the Särkänniemi amusement park.

Urban centers

Other destinations

How to get

By plane

At the airport of Tampere Opera Ryanair with flights from Bergamo-Orio al Serio e Pisa-Galileo Galilei. While Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio is Savonlinna they have small airports with limited service only Helsinki.

On the train

All major cities in the region are served by train. Trains are usually faster and a little cheaper than buses, but on some routes and for specific times, buses can be cheaper.

By bus

Buses fill the logistical gaps where trains do not arrive.

How to get around

By car

Those who intend to stay in a cottage, the use of their own car is practically mandatory, unless the accommodation is not a bicycle distance from the transport services used to approach (whatever they are).

By bus

Distances are long and public transport outside major cities varies between limited and nonexistent.

What see

View north from the Puijo observation tower a Kuopio

• Saimaa (Saimen in Swedish) is a lake in the south of this region. With its 1,147 km², it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fifth in Europe.
• The landscape a Punkaharju, which represents the "national landscape of Finland".
• The largest wooden church in the world a Kerimäki.

The WWII bunkers at the bunker museum of Joensuu.

• The Puijo tower a Kuopio and the view from its observation deck.
• The medieval castle of Savonlinna.
• The wooden church of Petäjävesi, a world heritage ofUNESCO.
• Industrial buildings of the nineteenth century Tampere, the "Manchester of Finland ".

What to do

Smoke from a lakeside sauna a Kannonkoski, in Central Finland

• There are nice spa hotels in Kuopio is Savonlinna. They offer large swimming pools with whirlpools, children's pools, saunas, steam rooms and spa treatments for passing visitors as well. Many activities are also organized in these hotels.
• Take part in the "wives transport" world championship held in Sonkajärvi.
• Take a boat ride on the lakes in a large boat or at your own pace in a small rowboat.
• Experience the Karelian culture in the North Karelia.

Nature

As the lakeside area is one of the most rural areas in Finland after Lapland, lakeside Finland has a lot to explore. There are five national parks in the region, including the Koli National Park whose scenery is one of the symbolic landscapes of the country.

• Trekking. In national parks and other hiking areas you can find several trails of various lengths and difficulties with well-marked routes. Hiking is also allowed everywhere.
• Navigate the various stretches of water in the region with paddle boats.

At the table

Fried whitefish (muikku) fresh off the market a Pieksämäki

There are a couple of Eastern Finnish specialties worth trying:

• Kalakukko - A large pie of rye bread stuffed with fish and meat. It can be eaten hot or cold.
• Lörtsy - A great variation of the ubiquitous fried meat pie (lihapiirakka), it can also be filled with apple jam.
• Whitefish (muikku) - A type of small freshwater herring, usually coated with rye flour for quick frying and eaten while still red-hot.
• Karjalanpiirakka - This typical Karelian cake is a particular type of cake made with rye flour and filled with Porridge of rice or mashed potatoes.

The best place to eat one of these is at the market which is in the center of each of the larger cities.

Tourist infrastructure

There are nice hotels with wellness centers in Imatra, Kuopio is Savonlinna. The room rate isn't much more expensive than other classic hotels, and includes free use of the large swimming pools with whirlpools, saunas, and more.

In the summer, an excellent choice is to stay in one of the thousands of villas (mökki), which dot the shores of the lake.

Safety

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Lakeland Finland