Kostomuksha

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Kostomuksha (Russian: Костомукша, Finnish: Kostamus) is a town located in the northwestern part of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, thirty kilometers from the border with Finland and on the shore of lake Kontoki. The nearest large towns in Russia are St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk, which are connected to Kostomuksha by rail. The nearest towns are Kuhmo and Kajaani in Finland. The population is 29,746 (2002 Census). The town was established in 1977 as an urban-type settlement and populated by people from various regions of the Soviet Union. It was mostly built by Finnish building companies, according to an agreement between the Soviet and Finnish governments. Town status granted in 1983. The town was later expanded by Soviet building companies. There are a lot of green areas in the town.

There is an iron ore refinery (JSC Karelsky okatysh, or Karelian Pellet), with about five thousand employees, a furniture factory, and timber companies in the town. The mining of iron ore has left a huge hole near to the factory.

There are wiring harness ("AEK" LLC) and electronics ("Electrokos" LLC) factories being a part of Finnish company PKC Group Oyj.

There is now being built a wood processing complex by Swedwood company (the industrial group within IKEA) which will include the Sawmill, The Glue Board and the Furniture Factory.

There is also a railway station, an airport (with no regular flights), and a federal road.

There is a large national park near the town with a reindeer population and a beaver population of Canadian origin, which were introduced in Finland and have migrated over into Russian territory. Part of the national park extends into Finnish territory. Tourism and recreational activities within the national park are prohibited.

Every summer there is a chamber music festival to which musicians, orchestras and theater groups come from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other parts of Russia. In summer the town enjoys more than two months of uninterrupted sunlight and many inhabitants spend time at their dachas, typically situated on the banks of one of the many lakes in the vicinity, which also attract anglers due to their large fish populations. As in Finland, sauna is very popular. In winter, skiing and biathlon are popular. Most visitors come from Finland.

v • d • e Cities and towns in the Republic of Karelia

Capital: Petrozavodsk

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