Karelian Isthmus
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- See Karelia (disambiguation) for other meanings of the name Karelia.
- For the Amorphis album, see The Karelian Isthmus.
The Karelian Isthmus (Finnish: Karjalankannas, Karjalan kannas; Russian: Карельский перешеек) is a narrow stretch of land of about 45-110 km wide situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The city of Vyborg and the town of Priozersk are situated on the northwestern part of the isthmus. Since World War II, when the fronts moved back and forth over the isthmus, it has been divided between the city of Saint Petersburg (mostly Kurortny District), as well as Priozersky District, Vsevolozhsky District and Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast.
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[edit] Geography
The isthmus' terrain has been influenced dramatically by the Weichsel glaciation. Its highest point lies on the Lembolovo Heights moraine at about 205 m (670 ft).
Vuoksi, the largest river, runs southeastwards from Lake Saimaa of Finland to Lake Ladoga through a moraine valley dividing the isthmus into two uneven parts.
The isthmus is mostly covered by coniferous forests formed by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies), with numerous lakes (e.g. Lake Sukhodolskoye) and Sphagnum peat bogs. The soil is predominantly podsol, which contains massive boulders, especially in the north and northwest, where large granite rocks occur.
The climate of the isthmus is moderately continental, with 650-800 mm (25-32 in) average precipitation per year, long snowy winters lasting from November through mid-April and occasionally reaching about -40°C (-40 F), moderately cool summers and short frost-free period. Compared to other parts of the Leningrad Oblast, the winter here is usually milder due to the moderating influence of the Gulf of Finland, but longer.
Karelian Isthmus is a place of ski resorts (Korobitsyno and Kavgolovo), climbing areas (Kuznechnoye), canoe areas (Losevo), fishing, mushroom and berry gathering, popular summer resort for St. Petersburg citizens since the early 20th century, including numerous dachas.
The western part of Karelian Isthmus is an important transport corridor linking Scandinavia and Central Russia. Primorsk, which has recently become one of the most efficient Russian sea ports, is also located here.
The only motorway on the isthmus is the recently completed E18 "Scandinavia" (M10) going from St. Petersburg through Vyborg and Vaalimaa.
Karelian Isthmus is served by a number of railways:
- St. Petersburg – Devyatkino – Vaskelovo – Sosnovo – Priozersk – Kuznechnoye – Hiitola (see Saint Petersburg-Sortavala railroad)
- St. Petersburg – Beloostrov – Zelenogorsk – Kirillovskoye – Vyborg – Kouvola
- St. Petersburg – Sestroretsk - Beloostrov
- Vyborg – Kamennogorsk – Inkilä – Hiitola
- St. Petersburg – Vsevolozhsk – Ladozhskoye Ozero
- St. Petersburg – Vsevolozhsk – Petrokrepost – Nevskaya Dubrovka
- Vyborg - Veschevo (earlier also through Zhitkovo to Michurinskoye)
- Kamennogorsk – Svetogorsk – Imatra
- Zelenogorsk – Primorsk – Sovetsky - Vyborg
[edit] Cities, towns and urban-type settlements
- Kamennogorsk
- Primorsk
- Priozersk
- Roshchino
- Saint Petersburg
- Sertolovo
- Sestroretsk
- Svetogorsk
- Toksovo
- Vsevolozhsk
- Vyborg
- Vysotsk
- Zelenogorsk
[edit] History
[edit] Archaeology
Apart from the old towns of Vyborg and Priozersk and churches on the Konevets island of Lake Ladoga, since the late 19th century a number of other archaeological sites have been discovered on the isthmus.[1] Numerous archaeological remnants of the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age occur all over the isthmus. The eastern part of Karelian Isthmus hosts a number of medieval remnants. There are many grave pits of Karelians of the 10th-15th centuries with metal and ceramic artifacts along the northern armlet of Vuoksi, near Lake Sukhodolskoye and in a few other places in Priozersky District.[2] On the southern shore of Lake Sukhodolskoye small medieval burial mounds are abundant as well. A lot of large cult stones have been found along these bodies of water, as well as agglomerations of cairns. Remnants of several rural settlements were also discovered there as well as on the shore of Lake Ladoga. Remnants of the Tiuri (Tiversk) town (10th-15th centuries) were excavated on a former island in the northern Vuoksi armlet near the Tiuri village (now Vasilyevo). A few treasures of silver adornments and medieval Arabian and Western European coins have also been found, as the isthmus lay on the Volga trade route.
[edit] Prehistory and Medieval
In the first millennium, Finnic people wandered to the Karelian Isthmus.
In the 11th century, Sweden and Novgorod started to compete tax holding rights. Sweden gained them in the area near Viipuri and Novgorod in other parts of the isthmus.
[edit] Modern Times
During 17th century Sweden gained the whole isthmus and also Ingria. In this time many Karelians escaped to Tver's Karelia.
From 1721-1812 the isthmus belonged to the Russian Empire, won in the Great Northern War that started with the Russian conquest of Ingria where the new imperial capital, Saint Petersburg, was founded (1703) in the southern end of the isthmus, in place of old Swedish town Nyenskans. Then in 1812, the northwestern half was transferred, as a part of Old Finland, to the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, created in 1809 and in a personal union with Russia.
Due to its size, favorable climate, rich fishing waters and proximity to Saint Petersburg, the Karelian Isthmus became the wealthiest part of Finland once the industrial revolution had gained momentum in the 19th century. When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory of present-day Vsevolozhsky District) remained Finnish.
[edit] World War II
| Eastern Front |
|---|
| Barbarossa – Baltic Sea – Finland – Leningrad and Baltics – Crimea and Caucasus – Moscow – 1st Rzhev-Vyazma – 2nd Kharkov – Stalingrad – Velikiye Luki – 2nd Rzhev-Sychevka – Kursk – 2nd Smolensk – Dnieper – 2nd Kiev – Korsun – Hube's Pocket – Belorussia – Lvov-Sandomierz – Balkans – Hungary – Vistula-Oder – Königsberg – Berlin – Prague |
| Finland 1941-1944 |
|---|
| Arctic 1941-1944 – Continuation War – Lapland War |
In November 1939, the Soviet Union staged the Shelling of Mainila and invaded Finland in what became known as the Winter War. Soviet forces were able to penetrate the well-defended Mannerheim Line across the isthmus finally in early 1940. Finland ceded the Karelian isthmus to the Soviet Union in the Peace of Moscow.
In 1941, during World War II, Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. At the same time Continuation War as it is known in Finland (it is considered to be one front of World War 2 by Russians) started. Finland initially regained the lost territory (co-belligerent with Nazi Germany), reaching the Russian side of the border of 1939 and seen by the Russians as indirectly contributing to the Siege of Leningrad.
On 9 June 1944, strong Soviet forces opened a counter-offensive and pushed the front from the pre-1939 border to Vyborg in ten days. In the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, 25 June–9 July, the Finns concentrated their military strength and brought the offensive to a halt at the River Vuoksi, in the northwesternmost part of the isthmus, at the closest point only 40 kilometres from the border of 1940, that again was recognized by Finland in the Peace of Paris, 1947. Since then the isthmus has belonged to the Leningrad Oblast and been inhabited by Russian people.
After the wars most of the old Finnish names were renamed to Russian ones.
[edit] Trivia
Finnish heavy metal band Amorphis titled their first album The Karelian Isthmus .
In 1998 construction of a 32-meter radio telescope was completed in Svetloye on Karelian Isthmus (60°31'56.5"N, 29°46'55"E).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Лапшин В. А. Археологическая карта Ленинградской области. Часть 2. Санкт-Петербург: Изд. СПбГУ, 1995. ISBN 5-87403-052-2
- ^ Лебедев Г. С. Археологические памятники Ленинградской области. Ленинград: Лениздат, 1977.
[edit] External links
- Detailed and historical maps (site navigation in Russian)
