LAKE LADOGA – THE SEA OF KARELIA

During the Eastern War, also known as the Crimean War or the Åland War, Lake Ladoga was of great importance, also in the transportation of food. At that time, Finland was dependent on grain imports, and that traffic shifted from the Gulf of Finland to the interior. Freight traffic ran from Russia across Lake Ladoga...

Sawmills were a typical industry in the north-western and northern parts of Lake Ladoga. The area offered them favourable conditions. There was plenty of timber in the forests, during the open-water season it was easy to transport sawn timber along Lake Ladoga, and the region's many rivers...

The vast water system of Lake Ladoga and the connections it enabled to distant regions were key prerequisites for the development of Karelia's ancient culture and the accumulation of wealth. Flowing into or out of Ladoga are rivers along which people travelled southeast to the Volga…

In the open waters of Lake Ladoga, there still existed in the early 20th century a distinctive hunting culture that combined fishermen's livelihoods, old beliefs and an exceptional knowledge of nature. The Ladoga ringed seal, the Ladoga seal (Pusa hispida ladogensis), was an important supplement to the livelihood of many coastal fishermen...

The monasteries of Lake Ladoga were born between two histories. For centuries, the monasteries of Valaam and Konevits, located on the islands of Lake Ladoga, have been the spiritual centres of Orthodox Karelia. However, their origin history is not unambiguous. Research and ecclesiastical…

In the open waters of Lake Ladoga, there still existed in the early 20th century a distinctive hunting culture that combined fishermen's livelihoods, old beliefs and an exceptional knowledge of nature. The Ladoga ringed seal, the Ladoga seal (Pusa hispida ladogensis), was an important supplement to the livelihood of many coastal fishermen...

The Karelian railway network was the densest in Finland before the wars. The main lines built during the autonomy period ran between Riihimäki and St Petersburg, and between Vyborg and Joensuu. Karelia also had many branch lines and spurs. For the construction of the railways…

The new exhibition at Kexholm Museum, Ladoga – The Sea of Karelia, guides visitors through the history of Europe's largest lake, from its formation after the Ice Age to the heyday of Karelia. The exhibition brings together the natural history of Lake Ladoga, the emergence of trade routes, Karelian culture…

Hillforts are elevated terrain features or islands with man-made stone or earth ramparts or other man-made structures. In the region of the ceded Karelia, there are numerous places whose names refer to a fort or surveillance.…