Everything about Sortavala totally explained
Sortavala is a
town in the
Republic of Karelia,
Russia, located at the northern tip of
Lake Ladoga. Population: 21,131 (
2002 Census); 22,579 (
1989 Census). It is an important station of the
Vyborg-Joensuu railroad.
History
The district of Sortavala was first recorded in Swedish documents dating to 1468. Russian documents first mention it as "Serdovol" or "Serdobol" in 1500. It is disputed which name was the earliest. The settlement of Sortavala was attested in 1582. It was ceded to
Sweden after the
Ingrian War; the modern town seems to have been founded in 1632.
With the 1721
Treaty of Nystad, the settlement was joined to Russia along with the rest of
Old Finland and was given the Russian name
Serdobol. It became known for its marble and granite quarries which provided materials necessary for construction of imperial palaces in
Saint Petersburg and the neighbourhood. In 1812, along with the rest of
Viipuri province, it was joined to the newly formed
Grand Duchy of Finland.
In 1917, the town remained a part of independent
Finland. It suffered extensively from mass Soviet bombardment during the
Winter War, and through the
Moscow Peace Treaty Finland was forced to cede the town to the
Soviet Union. All of the population of the town was evacuated for the first time. Like the rest of Finnish Karelia, Sortavala was retaken by Finland during 1941–1944 (the period of the
Continuation War) and most evaquees returned back to rebuild their homes. However, after the armistice of 1944 the Finns were evacuated again and the town was ceded back empty of population. After the war the city was resettled by the Slavic population.
Until 1940, the Ladoga shore southwest of Sortavala had been one of the very few relatively densely populated areas north of the
Karelian Isthmus populated by
Karelians.
Image:Ruskeala2.jpg|Ruskeala Park near Sortavala
Image:Ruskeala park.jpg|Ruskeala Park
Image:Marblelake.jpg|Marble Lake in Ruskeala
Image:Ruskeale.jpg|Ruskeala waterfall
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sortavala'.
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