Lappeenranta History, Finland

Lappeenranta is a great city and a municipality which resides on Lake Saimaa in the South Eastern Finland and lies over 30 kms from the border of Russia. It basically belongs to Southern Finland province and South Karelia region. Having over 59,000 inhabitants, it is considered as the 11th largest Finland city. Lappeenranta is a very crucial industrial and trade centre with lumber mills, sulfuric acid work and many cement factories. The dialects and the culture of Lappeenranta are very strongly a part of the Eastern Finland but the place belongs to Southern Finland’s province administratively. This city was actually chartered in the year 1649 and then it became a very important border-fortress after 1721 Treaty of Nystad. This is one place that has an incredibly colorful; history of 350 years between the west and the east.

Great Lappeenranta history at a glance

Lappeenranta is a place that is believed to have a very rich and colorful history behind what stands today as an industrial city of Finland. The history of the place basically lies extensively between the great cultures of two very different and remarkable cultures.

The birth of town, Villmanstrand

The very harbor area of the land of Lappeenranta was extensively known as the Lapvesi marketplace earlier in the 17th century. It was a very important place for trading and thus Pietari Brahe, the General Governor proposed that government of Sweden should Lapvesi with great town privileges. In the year 1649, Sweden’s Queen Christina signed an instrument of the foundation that included the emblem and a savage for this new town that just came in to existence. The town was christened with Swedish name, Villmanstrand that meant “wild man’s shore” from the emblem’s savage figure.

Fortification of the land of Lappeenranta

The Swedes had begun to fortify the land of Lappeenranta after 1721’s period of “great hate”. In 1741, in Lappeenranta battle, the fortress actually fell down in about 5 hours. In the year of 1743, when the Peace of Turku, after period of “lesser hate” was experienced, Lappeenranta had to fall under the rule of Russia, almost 100 years prior to the remaining of the Finland. It was only later, when Gustavus III tried again to restore the lost domains of the place but was unsuccessful in his endeavors.

It was in the year of 1811 that the “old Finland” was united with the remaining Finland. At this time, Lappeenranta was a peaceful district and not a place of constant battles. Peace was heavily restored here after the World War II.