The city of Sortavala in Karelia: the Karelian-Finnish pearl of Russia

Interesting Facts

The Karelian city of Sortavala is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, on both sides of the Lyappajarvi Bay. Only 270 km separate Sortavala from the capital of the republic, Petrozavodsk, and 50 km from the border with Finland. As of 2021, just over 18,000 people permanently reside in the city.

Interestingly, there are several versions regarding the origin of the city’s name. For example, the famous Russian philologist Yakov Grot believed that the word “Sortavala” is based on the Finnish participle sorttawa (“cutting”), referring to the Vakkolahti Bay dividing the city into two parts. There is also a “church” version, according to which it was in the Sortavala region that the evil spirits expelled by the monks from Valaam went. And the name “Sortavala” (Finnish sorta from the Russian “devil”, valta - power) means “the power of the devil”.

No less interesting is the fact that in less than five hundred years Sortavala has been part of three states: Finland, Sweden and Russia. Moreover, the city changed hands several times.

• In the 14th - early 17th centuries, these lands were part of the Novgorod principality.
• Then, starting in 1632, they were under the control of the Swedish state for almost 100 years.
• Since 1721, when the Northern Ladoga region was conquered by Peter I, the territory is again considered Russian.
• Numerous wars did not benefit the city; it turned into the small village of Serdobol. Catherine II returned the village to city status and gave it a coat of arms.
• After the revolution of 1917, the entire northern coast of Lake Ladoga came into the possession of the Finns.
• Just 33 years later, after the Winter War, Sortavala returned to the USSR.
• With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Ladoga region again passed to the Finns, and from 1944 it again became Soviet territory.

This whole change of power was reflected in the appearance of the city, its ethnic composition and cultural development. Having been under the rule of different countries in different centuries, the city now represents a mixture of architectural styles, but unfortunately, for the most part only from the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1903, a big fire occurred in Sortavala, destroying almost all the wooden buildings of the Old Town. However, there are enough surviving buildings to rightfully classify the city as one of the most interesting settlements in Karelia from an architectural point of view.

How to get to Sortavala

Since there is no operating airport in Sortavala, you can get here by bus or train. Direct bus and train services operate from St. Petersburg, but only trains operate directly from Moscow. In addition, it is convenient to get there from Petrozavodsk.

Photo: Anton Romanov / Shutterstock.com

Information on transport schedules and ticket prices is presented as of 2021 according to the Tutu.ru service. Check prices, flight availability and departure times for the desired date when booking tickets.

From Saint-Petersburg

Getting to Sortavala from St. Petersburg is not difficult. What are the ways:

• You can get there by bus in 4-5 hours, the ticket price starts from 700 rubles;
• the high-speed train “Lastochka” with comfortable seats will take you about 4 hours (runs twice a day), a ticket costs about 712 rubles;
• on the passenger train Moscow - Petrozavodsk, which stops in St. Petersburg and Sortavala, the journey takes about 5 hours 50 minutes, the ticket will cost about 794 rubles.

Read more in the article on how to get from St. Petersburg to Sortavala.

Another option is to rent a car and travel around Karelia on your own. Then you can not only visit interesting cities, but also see natural attractions.

It is convenient to rent a car in St. Petersburg on the website Discovercars.com.

From Moscow

There are several options for getting from Moscow to Sortavala:

• first fly to Petrozavodsk - the flight will take about 1 hour 45 minutes;
• then take a bus or train to Sortavala.

A passenger train runs directly from Moscow to the destination city, the final station of which is Petrozavodsk. On the way, he makes a stop at the Sortavala railway station.

You will spend about 14 hours and 34 minutes on this train. Departs daily from Leningradsky Station at approximately 16.00. You will arrive in Sortavala at approximately 6.34 am.

A ticket costs from 1,241 rubles in a reserved seat carriage and from 2,063 rubles in a compartment.

Read more in a separate article on how to get from Moscow to Sortavala.

From Petrozavodsk

The distance between the capital of Karelia and Sortavala is about 242 km. A large number of buses run in this direction - the journey will take 5-6 hours. Ticket costs from 815 rubles.

In addition, there is a direct railway connection: by train Petrozavodsk - Moscow you will reach Sortavala in 5 hours 26 minutes. Departs from Petrozavodsk station around 13.54 (check the schedule when booking), arrives in the destination city around 19.20 pm.

The cost of a train ticket starts from 754 rubles in a reserved seat carriage.

Read more in a separate article on how to get from Petrozavodsk to Sortavala.

Buy a train or bus ticket

It is convenient to compare bus and train departures to various destinations and purchase a ticket for a suitable flight on the Tutu.ru website. There you can check the schedule and all the details of the trip: travel time, stops, ticket prices, and read reviews from other passengers.

After payment, the ticket will be sent to your email; all you have to do is print it out and come to board the bus or train. It is better to take care of your seats in advance: closer to departure they may be sold out.

Monument to the Rune Singers

In the city center, on Väinämöinen Square, there is a monument to the Karelian rune singers. A rune singer is a person who sings runes - songs created on the basis of myths and folk epics. The blind storyteller Pedri Shemeikke from Suistamo was taken as the prototype of the rune singer.

Väinämöinen Square was created in 1935. Previously, in its place there was a modest park, which had the simple name “triangular”. But in 1935, when Finland celebrated the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of the main Karelian-Finnish epic, “Kalevala,” a “Singing Festival” was held in Sortavala. The park was divided into four “green zones”, paths were laid between them, and where they connected, a monument to the rune singers was subsequently erected.

central bank

Behind the Petri Shemeikko monument, on Väinämöinen Street, there is a building unique in its appearance - the Central Bank. In 1915 it was built for the Central Bank of Finland, and since 2010 it has housed the Central Bank of Russia. At first glance, the building seems as if it was carved into a monolithic rock, perhaps because the main facade is lined with large blocks of unique Serdobol granite - a material that was mined only on the shores of Ladoga.

There is no less pathos inside the building. Thus, the floor of the operating room is covered with mosaic slabs: small hexagonal tiles and large square ones. The walls are covered with narrow mahogany cladding panels, with numerous vertical bracings. Between the ceiling and the panels there is a profiled stone cornice with crackers located under it. The doors are made of mahogany and decorated with panels. If the Bank is open, be sure to take a look inside, it’s an impressive sight.

When is the best time to go and the weather on the Norwegian website

It is better to come to Sortavala in spring and summer, when the trees are blooming and there is a fabulous aroma in the air.

During the warm season, all excursions are open to visitors.

In winter, the city goes into hibernation. The harsh northern nature often pleases residents with snowfalls, the roofs of houses are covered with snow caps, and there is slush on the streets. You won’t be able to visit significant places at this time of year; it’s hard to even go up to the park.

The exact weather forecast in the city can be found on the Norwegian website.

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

St. Nicholas Church is one of the first stone Orthodox churches in Sortavala. The temple was erected in the second half of the 19th century, mostly with donations from the St. Petersburg merchant G.P. Eliseev, who won a large sum of money in the lottery. The God-fearing merchant decided to spend his unexpected winnings on building a church, thereby writing his name in the history of the city.

Sortavala Town Hall

Another decoration of Sortavala is the small wooden building of the city hall, built in 1885. By the way, one of the few wooden buildings in Sortovala that survived the fire of 1903. Nowadays the former town hall houses the city library. On the facade, right under the roof, there is a window with an arched pediment - before the Second World War, the medallion of this window had the coat of arms of Sortavala on it. The roof of the building is topped with a small turret with a spire and a weather vane.

Kronid Gogolev Museum

Continuing the theme of wood, one cannot fail to mention the museum of Kronid Gogolev, an outstanding Karelian woodcarver. The museum is located in an old Finnish building built in 1899, and its main exhibits are sculptural wooden bas-reliefs and some paintings. The main theme is northern landscapes, life and everyday life of peasants. The accuracy, detail and harmony of the works presented in the museum evoke only one feeling - immense admiration for the talent and hard work of the artist. The museum is a must-see for all visitors to the city.

Museum of Northern Ladoga Region

In the southern part of the city on the shore of Läppäjärvi Bay, in a historical building built in 1903, and known as the city estate of Dr. Winter, there is the Museum of the Northern Ladoga Region. This is the only local history museum in Sortavala, so if you want to better study the history of the region, then you won’t find a better place.

The museum's exhibition is quite extensive for a provincial institution. Medieval Swedish armor, samples of rare types of granite and marble, works of folk artists of Karelia, historical photographs, handicrafts and other interesting artifacts are stored here. A ticket to visit the museum for an adult costs only 100 rubles.

How to save money on a hotel in Sortavala

Since the city is small, it is better to book a hotel here in advance - in the summer or on New Year's holidays, good options are usually sold out several weeks in advance.

Most hotels and hostels are concentrated in the city center - across the bridge from the train station. If you want to live within walking distance of historical attractions, museums and restaurants, then it is better to stay in this part of Sortavala.

The following services will help you choose the appropriate option:

Hotellook.ru is a site for searching hotels, hostels and apartments. It compares prices in more than 50 booking systems (Booking, Ostrovok and others) and finds the best special offers.

Mir Turbaz is a service for booking tourist, fishing and hunting recreation centers, guest houses in different parts of Russia.

Selection of hotels in Sortavala

Winter's dacha

Another attraction associated with the name of the very famous doctor Gustav Winter in Sortovala is located outside the city, but we still decided to include it in our list. The fact is that the history of this building is very interesting, and fully reflects the personality of its creator.

The dacha for Dr. Winter, a famous surgeon and public figure in Karelia, was built in 1909 by the young and talented architect Eliel Saarinen. The building is located on Cape Taruniemi and belongs to the “Northern Art Nouveau” style that was fashionable at the beginning of the 20th century. However, even more interesting than the building itself is the arboretum located on the adjacent territory. Now more than a hundred species of different plants grow here. Neat paths laid among lawns, playgrounds and hedges create a unique architectural and landscape ensemble here. This is an ideal place for a walk that will never get boring.

Where to eat tasty and inexpensive: restaurants and cafes

There are always a lot of tourists in the city, and there is no shortage of catering establishments.

In terms of price-quality ratio, the cafe-restaurant “Relax” with a varied menu and excellent service on Karelskaya Street, building 29 is considered one of the best in Sortavala.

Next to the pier from which ships sail to Valaam, at (2-ya Pristanskaya, no. 4), there is a restaurant with reasonable prices and a veranda with a panoramic view of the lake.

On Promyshlennaya Street there is a respectable establishment “Piipun Piha” with excellent cuisine, the menu of which includes a selection of dishes from Finnish and Karelian cuisines. Visitors must adhere to a dress code. The restaurant "Lamberg" (Lenina St., 3A), which is located in the island part of the city, is also expensive.

At the Dacha Winter recreation center, there is an atmospheric restaurant called Gustav Winter, which serves fish from the morning catch. Specialty dishes are represented by Scandinavian and Karelian cuisines - venison steaks, fish solyanka, roast chicken giblets, wild duck with pumpkin, pies stuffed with berries and other desserts.

Cafe "Kalitka" on Komsomolskaya, 5 offers visitors inexpensive pastries, tea and coffee. Opposite is the budget canteen “Riviera” with a variety of first and second courses.

The following cafes are also popular among city guests: “Uyut”, “Kinza”, “Dionysus”, “Zam Zam”, “Watercolor”, “Akrobaleno”, “Terrace” and “Berg House”.

If you are in Sortavala, I recommend visiting the excursion “Non-tourist Ladoga region: the beauty of pristine”, where you will see the little-known natural beauties of the Sortavala, Pitkyaranta and Lakhdenpokhsky regions.

Karelian bridge and pier

The Karelian Bridge connects the areas of Kymel and Sortavala separated by the Vakkolahti Bay. It has impressive dimensions (length 220 m, width 11 m) and at the same time looks incredibly elegant and light. Built in 1932 for the 300th anniversary of Sortavala, it became the first bridge to be included in the street network of Finland.

By the way, at that time it was the longest in Finland. Due to increasing loads from the mid-1970s, the bridge began to sag. “Local” repairs did not help much, and in 2013 a major reconstruction was carried out, as a result of which the bridge acquired a new shape. Looking at Läppäjärvi Bay from the Karelian Bridge, you can see that the entire left side of the coast is a pier:

• first a small pier at the Seurahuone Hotel;
• then Bonn - rowing kayaks are put on the water from there;
• then the rescue station and its small fleet;
• a place where passenger hydrofoil boats dock;
• further on there is a mooring pier for steamships, motor ships, and fishing boats.

There are currently no long-distance flights from the main city pier - only to Valaam. Fast "Rockets" and small motor ships carry about 20% of all tourists and pilgrims heading to the island.

Train Station

Sortavala railway station is located across the bridge from the historical part. From here you can reach the city center in 20-30 minutes. Alternatively, you can take a taxi.

Photo: © Ivanova Ekaterina

The station building is small, but it has everything you need: including ticket offices, a waiting room and storage rooms. If you have small luggage with you, you can leave it in the storage room.

By the way, not far from the railway station there is a monument to the steam locomotive Er 788-81.

Photo: © Ivanova Ekaterina

Important: starting from the summer of 2021, another railway station opened in Sortavala, which is located closer to the city center (walking distance to Kirov Square is about 10 minutes). It is called Sortavala Center and is located on the dam of the Vakkolahti Bay of Lake Läppäjärvi.

Now the high-speed train “Lastochka” from St. Petersburg stops not only at the railway station, but also reaches the final station Sortavala-Center. So you can go to this station to be closer to the old part of the city.

Valaam Island

And concluding the story about the sights of Sortoval, which are actually enough for a good-sized guidebook, and not for a short article, we simply have to mention the island of Valaam. This is a truly special place, where a huge number of pilgrims and ordinary tourists strive to get to every year.

It cannot be said that this is to the benefit of the monastery, as a place where they strive to find peace and move away from worldly life, but such, as they say now, are the realities. In any case, the architectural ensemble of the island is considered one of the most interesting among the churches of the Russian North, and is definitely recommended for visiting.

Many tourists and pilgrims heading to Valaam often perceive Sortoval as a kind of “transshipment point” on the way to the island, forgetting that the city deserves attention in itself. We hope that our article will make you take a different look at this small Karelian city with a rich history.

Sortovala in Karelia: attractions in the area

It so happened that in addition to the island of Valaam, in the immediate vicinity of the city of Sortavala there are a dozen more attractions of the first magnitude. It is hardly worth trying to visit them in one trip, but it is, of course, necessary to at least list them here. Just so you understand how rich our Karelia really is.

So, within a radius of 30 kilometers from the city of Sortovala there are:

• Ruskeala waterfalls. An impressive cascade of four flat waterfalls.
• Paaso settlement. An ancient monument with a magnificent view of the surrounding area.
• Mount Owl. Military history museum inside a real underground bunker.
• Zoo "Zoogreenpark". Huge territory and a variety of animal species.
• Mountain park "Ruskeala". One of the most famous and visited Karelian attractions.

As you can see, there are more than enough interesting places to visit in the area. If you need similar descriptions of the sights of the city of Sortavala with photos, then look for them in this section of the site.

Sortavala

(Republic of Karelia)

OKATO code:
86410
Founded:
12th century.
City since:
1783 City of district subordination (Sortavala district of the Republic of Karelia)
Center:
Sortavala district
The city was formerly called:

Deviation from Moscow time, hours:
0
Geographic latitude:
61°42′
Geographic longitude:
30°40′
Altitude above sea level, meters:
5 Sunrise and sunset times in the city of Sortavala