Svetogorsk
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Svetogorsk (Russian: Светого́рск, Finnish: Enso) is an industrial town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus, laying alongside Bank of Vuoksa. It is located one kilometer from the Russian–Finnish border, five kilometers from the Finnish town of Imatra, and 207 kilometers from St. Petersburg. Population: 15,698 (2002 Census).
The town, founded in 1887, was originally called Enso and a part of the Jääski township, in the Finnish province of South Karelia. Enso was developing to be an influential town, but Soviet Union's hostilities against Finland led to occupation in 1940 and again in 1944. Soviet citizens were transferred to the town after the war (mainly from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia) and in 1948 town was renamed to Svetogorsk.
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[edit] Industry
Before the Winter War the town was a major factory site of Enso-Gutzeit Oy, the Finnish pulp and paper company (now Stora Enso). In the armistice of 1940 the new Finnish-Soviet border was deliberately drawn to leave the factory complex on the Soviet side. The town's major industry is still pulp and paper.
OAO Svetogorsk, one of the biggest paper mills in Russia, is the major employer. Covering two square kilometers, OAO Svetogorsk produces pulp, printing paper, and packaging board. Its brands include Svetocopy and Ballet office paper. Since December 1998, OAO Svetogorsk has been majority owned by International Paper. At end of 2001, the plant employed 3,000 people.
Immediately adjacent to OAO Svetogorsk is a tissue mill. This formed part of the original mill complex but was split-away and resold by International Paper to SCA during the acquisition of OAO Svetogorsk from Tetra Laval, which controlled the plant since 1995. Svetogorsk Tissue, as the separate entity was to be called, became fully integrated into SCA Hygiene Products Division in 2003. It employs around 400 people. Its products include Zewa and Tork brands of paper towels and toilet tissue.
[edit] Border
The Imatra-Svetogorsk border plays a key role in transportation of timber between Russia and Finland. Also, around 150 employees commute daily from Imatra to the paper mills. The border, which had temporary status, was a frequent cause of bottlenecks due to lengthy customs checks and inadequate facilities. A Russia-Finland agreement in 1997 allowed the development and eventual permanence of the border crossing. This €7 million European Union TACIS funded project ran from 1999 and the new international frontier, capable of handling 1,300 cars per day, opened on July 3, 2002. Further TACIS programmes are planned until 2010, including improvements to town infrastructure and the development of an industrial park with special tax rates.
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Cities and towns in Leningrad Oblast |  |
| Administrative center: Saint Petersburg (administratively separate) Boksitogorsk | Gatchina | Ivangorod | Kamennogorsk | Kingisepp | Kirishi | Kirovsk | Kommunar | Lodeynoye Pole | Luga | Lyuban | Nikolskoye | Novaya Ladoga | Otradnoye | Pikalyovo | Podporozhye | Primorsk | Priozersk | Sertolovo | Slantsy | Sosnovy Bor | Svetogorsk | Shlisselburg | Syasstroy | Tikhvin | Tosno | Volosovo | Volkhov | Vsevolozhsk | Vyborg | Vysotsk |
