We often used to sit on Water Rock. It was easy to wade to the large, flat boulder at the tip of the spit; the…
The river Helisevänjoki springs from the lakes of Ruokolahti, traverses national boundaries and runs into the mighty river Vuoksi. In the Viking era it was…
Up, up to the top of Hengestivuori! The man spurs on his horse, strikes it for more speed. He hears the sounds of approaching horses…
In Manlahti, Immalanjärvi, a pine tree stands tall, surveying the scenery with the tranquil dignity of a centenarian. Its mighty branches have held a goldeneye’s…
The eastern part of Immalanjärvi, Varpaanlahti, reaches across the Russian border. An unwary traveller may accidentally cross the national boundary. Dusk was already falling over…
The Kolmiköytisenvuori rock paintings in Ruokolahti were made about 5000 BCE. The paintings are faint, but five human forms are discernible. It may be a…
At the end of the 1800s, Finnish artists of the so-called Golden Age sought folksy, realistic subjects, and in the hope of finding inspiration, also…
One of the cursed periods on the border was the occupation during the ‘Lesser Wrath’ (1742-1743). At that time, the border region left on the…
The Lumberjack’s Stone was found by a man working in the forest in Rautjärvi in the 1950s. He told others of his discovery, and it…
Church boats were widely used in Finland until the 1920s. The Rautjärvi church was not in the centre of the parish, so going to church…