TheKarelian Isthmus (Russian:Карельский перешеек,romanized: Karelsky peresheyek;Finnish:Karjalankannas;Swedish:Karelska näset) is the approximately 45–110-kilometre-wide (30–70 mi) stretch of land situated between theGulf of Finland andLake Ladoga in northwesternRussia, to the north of theRiver Neva.[1] Its northwestern boundary is a line from theBay of Vyborg to the westernmost point of Lake Ladoga, Pekonlahti. If the Karelian Isthmus is defined as the entire territory of present-daySaint Petersburg andLeningrad Oblast to the north of the Neva and also a tiny part of theRepublic of Karelia, the area of the isthmus is about 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi).
The smaller part of the isthmus to the southeast of the old Russia-Finland border is considered historically as NorthernIngria, rather than part of the Karelian Isthmus itself. The rest of the isthmus was historically a part ofFinnish Karelia. This was conquered by theRussian Empire during theGreat Northern War in 1712 and included within the autonomousGrand Duchy of Finland (1809–1917) of the Russian Empire. When Finland became independent in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory roughly corresponding to present-dayVsevolozhsky District and some districts of Saint Petersburg) remained Finnish. Finnish Karelia was partly ceded to theSoviet Union byFinland following theWinter War (1939–1940) andContinuation War (1941–1944). In 1940–1941, during theInterim Peace, most of the ceded territories in the isthmus were included within theKarelo-Finnish SSR. However, sinceWorld War II the entire isthmus has been divided between the city ofSaint Petersburg (mostlyKurortny District), as well asPriozersky District,Vsevolozhsky District andVyborgsky District ofLeningrad Oblast.
According to the2002 census, the population of theKurortny District ofSaint Petersburg and the parts ofLeningrad Oblast situated on the Karelian Isthmus amounts to 539,000. Many Saint Petersburg residents also decamp to the Isthmus during their vacations. The main population centers of the Isthmus areVyborg (Выборг;Finnish:Viipuri;Swedish:Viborg),Priozersk (Приозе́рск;Finnish:Käkisalmi;Swedish:Kexholm) andPrimorsk (Примо́рск;Finnish:Koivisto;Swedish:Björkö).[2][3]
The isthmus' terrain has been influenced dramatically by theWeichselian glaciation. Its highest point lies on the Lembolovo Heightsmoraine at about 205 m (670 ft). There are no mountains on the isthmus, but steep hills occur in some places.
TheVuoksi, the largest river, runs southeastwards from LakeSaimaa of Finland toLake Ladoga, dividing the isthmus into two uneven parts.Saimaa Canal opened in 1856 links Lake Saimaa to theBay of Vyborg passing through the city ofLappeenranta inSouth Karelia, Finland.
The Karelian Isthmus lies within theecoregion ofScandinavian and Russian taiga. Geobotanically, it lies at the juncture of the Central European, Eastern European and Northern Europeanfloristic provinces of theCircumboreal Region of theHolarctic Kingdom.
The isthmus is mostly covered byconiferous forests formed byScots pine (Pinus sylvestris) andNorway spruce (Picea abies), with numerous lakes (e.g.Lake Sukhodolskoye andLake Glubokoye) as well as small grass[clarification needed],fen andSphagnumraised bogs. Forests cover approximately 11,700 km of the isthmus, more than three quarters of its total area. Swampy areas occupy 5.5 percent of the territory. In the large contiguous area along the shore ofLake Ladoga inVsevolozhsky District, in the southeastern part of the isthmus, bogs occur much more frequently than in other parts. The same was once true of the lowland along theNeva River, which has since been drained.[4] The soil is predominantlypodsol, which contains massive boulders, especially in the north and northwest, where largegranite rocky outcrops occur.
Pine forests (withPinus sylvestris) are the most widespread and occupy 51% of the forested area of the Karelian Isthmus, followed by spruce forests (withPicea abies, 29%) and birch forests (withBetula pendula andB. pubescens, 16%). Stands on more fertile soils and in more favorable locations are occasionally dominated byNorway maple,black alder,grey alder,common aspen,English oak,grey willow,dark-leaved willow,tea-leaved willow,small-leaved lime orEuropean white elm. Common vegetation of various types of pine forests includesheather,crowberry,common juniper,eared willow,lingonberry,water horsetail,bracken, graminoids (i.e. grasses in the wider sense)Avenella flexuosa andCarex globularis, mossesPleurozium schreberi,Sphagnum angustifolium andS. russowii, and lichensCladonia spp. Prominent in various spruce forests arewood horsetail,common wood sorrel,bilberry, lingonberry, graminoidsAvenella flexuosa,Calamagrostis arundinacea,Carex globularis, and mossesPolytrichum commune andSphagnum girgensohnii. Prominent vegetation of various birch forests includemeadowsweet, common wood sorrel, bilberry and graminoidsCalamagrostis arundinacea andC. canescens.[5]
1184 species of wildvascular plants are recorded in the isthmus.[6] See also theList of the vascular plants of the Karelian Isthmus.Red squirrel,moose,red fox,mountain hare andboar (reintroduced) are typical inhabitants of the forests.
The climate of the isthmus ismoderately continental, with 650–800 mm (25–32 in) average precipitation per year, long snowy winters lasting from November through mid-April and occasionally reaching about -40 °C (-40 F), moderately cool summers and short frost-free period. Compared to other parts of theLeningrad Oblast, the winter here is usually milder due to the moderating influence of theGulf of Finland, but longer.
Thecity ofVyborg and thetown ofPriozersk are situated on the northwestern part of the isthmus.
The Karelian Isthmus is a popular place forhiking,cycling,skiing (Korobitsyno andKavgolovo),climbing (nearKuznechnoye),canoeing (Losevo),fishing for consumption (ofcarp bream,northern pike,roach,European perch,ruffe,burbot and others),mushroom hunting (forporcini,red-capped scaber stalk,birch bolete,velvet bolete,slippery Jack,golden chanterelle,Lactarius resimus,woolly milk-cap,ugly milk-cap,saffron milk-cap,Lactarius rufus, variousRussulas and others), berry picking (ofbilberry,raspberry,woodland strawberry,cowberry,cranberry,cloudberry,bog bilberry andstone bramble). It is a popular summer resort forSaint Petersburg citizens since the late 19th century, served by trains ofFinlyandsky Rail Terminal. The isthmus, especially the land alongSaint Petersburg–Vyborg andSaint Petersburg–Priozersk railroads, hosts numerousdachas.
A 20–35 km wide stretch of land inVyborgsky District andRepublic of Karelia to the west of theVyborg–Hiitola railway, as well as the islands and shores of the Gulf of Vyborg, belongs to the strictly guardedzone of the border control, reaching the shore ofLake Ladoga at Hiitola. In 1993–2006 the zone was formally 5 km wide, although in fact it has always been much wider.[7] Visiting it is forbidden without a permit issued by theFSB (byKGB during the time of theSoviet Union).
Geologically the Karelian Isthmus lies on the southern edge of theBaltic Shield's crystalline bedrock. During the final part of the lastWeichselian glaciation, deglaciation in the central parts of the Isthmus started as early as 14000BP, when it formed the bottom of a large lake dammed by the surroundingice sheet. During further deglaciation, at the time of theBaltic Ice Lake, an early high water stage of theBaltic Sea, when the ice sheet retreated toSalpausselkä, the upland area of the Isthmus remained a large island and many upland lakes emerged.[8]
Prior to 12650 BP, the land was characterized by harshArctic conditions withpermafrost andsparse vegetation.Steppe-tundra complexes developed after this point. Around 11000 BP climate began to warm and became humid, first pine and birch forests were established.[9]
Around 9000 BPAncylus Lake, another stage of the Baltic Sea, retreated, and many lowland lakes were also isolated in depressions formed earlier byglacial exaration and fluvioglacial activity.Lake Ladoga was separated from the sea as well. Due to land uplift, around 5000 BP theRiver Vuoksi started emptying into Lake Ladoga as a new outlet ofLake Saimaa. Lake Ladogatransgressed, flooding lowland lakes and the Vuoksi, and became connected with the sea atHeinjoki (now Veshchevo), to the east of present-dayVyborg. Around 3100–2400 BP theNeva River emerged, drainingLake Ladoga into theBaltic Sea.[10] Ladoga level gradually sank from 15–18 m to its modern position of 4–5 m above sea-level, and lowland lakes were isolated again. However, the Vuoksi still had a significant direct outflow connection to theBay of Vyborg, possibly as late as in the 12th century AD.[8][11] The connection disappeared due to ongoing land uplift in the 2nd millennium AD.
In 1818 a canal, which was dug to drain spring flood waters fromLake Suvanto (now Lake Sukhodolskoye, a 40-km long narrow lake in the eastern part of the Isthmus) intoLake Ladoga, unexpectedly eroded and turned into theTaipaleenjoki (now Burnaya River). The Taipaleenjoki started draining Suvanto and decreased its level by 7 m. Originally waters of Lake Suvanto flowed into the Vuoksi River through a waterway atKiviniemi (now Losevo), but as a result of the change, the waterway dried out. In 1857 the canal was dug there, but the stream reversed direction, revealedrapids and rendered navigation at Kiviniemi impossible. Since 1857 Suvanto and the Taipaleenjoki have constituted the southern armlet of the Vuoksi River, which has decreased the level of the original northern armlet emptying into Ladoga nearKexholm (now Priozersk) by 4 m, isolating it as a separate river basin.
Name in Swedish added when it differs from the Finnish.
The Karelian Isthmus is located in two regions of theRussian Federation,Saint Petersburg and theLeningrad Oblast. Saint Petersburg is represented by seven districts, the Leningrad Oblast by three.
| District | Region |
|---|---|
| District of Vyborg | Lenoblast |
| District of Priozersk | Lenoblast |
| District of Vsevolozhsk | Lenoblast |
| Kurortny District | SPB |
| Primorsky District | SPB |
| Vyborgsky District | SPB |
| Kalininsky District | SPB |
| Krasnogvardeysky District | SPB |
| Nevsky District | SPB |
Apart from the old towns ofVyborg andPriozersk, and churches on theKonevets island ofLake Ladoga, since the late 19th century a number of other archaeological sites have been discovered on the isthmus.[12] Numerous archaeological remnants of theMesolithic,Neolithic,Copper Age andBronze Age occur all over the isthmus. The eastern part of the Karelian Isthmus hosts a number of medieval remnants. There are many grave pits ofKarelians of the 10th–15th centuries with metal and ceramic artifacts along the northern armlet of the Vuoksi, nearLake Sukhodolskoye and in a few other places inPriozersky District.[13][14] On the southern shore of Lake Sukhodolskoye small medievalburial mounds are abundant as well. A lot of large cult stones have been found along these bodies of water, as well as agglomerations ofcairns. Remnants of several rural settlements were also discovered there as well as on the shore of Lake Ladoga. Remnants of the Tiuri (Tiversk) town (10th–15th centuries) were excavated on a former island in the northern Vuoksi armlet near the Tiuri village (now Vasilyevo). A few treasures of silver adornments and medieval Arabian and Western European coins have also been found, as the isthmus laid on theVolga trade route (at that time, theVuoksi River had a distributary emptying into theBay of Vyborg).
Ancestors ofBaltic Finns wandered to the Karelian Isthmus possibly around 850 CE.
In the 11th century,Sweden andNovgorod Republic started to compete tax holding rights. TheTreaty of Nöteborg of 1323 established a border between them along the rivers now known as theSestra and theVolchya.
During 17th century Sweden gained the whole isthmus and alsoIngria. In this time many Karelians escaped toTver's Karelia.
From 1721–1917 the isthmus belonged to theRussian Empire, won in theGreat Northern War that started with the Russian conquest of Ingria where the new imperialcapital, Saint Petersburg, was founded (1703) in the southern end of the isthmus, in place of old Swedish townNyenskans. Then in 1812, the northwestern half was transferred, as a part ofOld Finland, to theGrand Duchy of Finland, created in 1809 as an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.
Due to its size, favorable climate, rich fishing waters and proximity toSaint Petersburg, the capital of theRussian Empire, the Karelian Isthmus became the wealthiest part of Finland once theIndustrial Revolution had gained momentum in the 19th century. The railroadsSaint Petersburg–Vyborg–Riihimäki (1870),Vyborg–Hiitola–Sortavala (1893),Saint Petersburg–Kexholm–Hiitola (1917) crossed the isthmus, contributing to its economic development. By the end of the 19th century the nearby areas along the Saint Petersburg–Vyborg section had become popular place of summer resort for wealthy Saint Petersburgers.
When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory roughly corresponding to present-dayVsevolozhsky District and some districts of Saint Petersburg) remained Finnish, part of theViipuri province with its center inViipuri, the fourth largest Finnish city. A considerable part of the remaining area populated byIngrian Finns seceded fromBolshevist Russia as the Finland-backedRepublic of North Ingria, but was reintegrated with Russia in the end of 1920 according to the conditions of theTreaty of Tartu. In 1928–1939 parts of the isthmus which belonged to Russia constituted the Kuivaisi National District with its center inToksova, withFinnish as the official language, according to the policy ofnational delimitation in the Soviet Union. However, in 1936 the entire Finnish population of the parishes ofValkeasaari,Lempaala,Vuole andMiikkulainen along the Finnish border wasdeported toSiberia andCentral Asia, and replaced by a Russian-speaking population.[15]
A number of defensive lines crossed the isthmus during the Soviet-Finnish hostilities inWorld War II, such asMannerheim Line,VKT-line,VT-line, Main line (Finnish) andKaUR (Soviet), and fronts moved back and forth over it.[16]
In November 1939, theSoviet Union staged theShelling of Mainila and invaded Finland in what became known as theWinter War, which took a disproportionally heavy death toll on theRed Army. Only in February 1940 did the Soviet forces manage to penetrate theMannerheim Line across the isthmus, the strength of which is often exaggerated.[17] Finland ceded the Karelian Isthmus andLadoga Karelia to the Soviet Union in thePeace of Moscow of 12 March. According to the protocol appended to the Moscow Peace Treaty, the fighting was ended at noon (Leningrad time) on 13 March and by 26 March the Finnish troops had been completely withdrawn.[18] The entire Karelian population of the ceded areas of about 422 thousand people was evacuated to other parts ofFinland (seeEvacuation of Finnish Karelia). On 31 March most of the ceded territories were incorporated intoKarelo-Finnish SSR by a decision of theSupreme Council of the Soviet Union (in the Karelian Isthmus the districts ofJääski,Kexholm andVyborg). The districts ofKanneljärvi,Koivisto andRautu as well as the town ofTerijoki were, however, included intoLeningrad Oblast.[19]
In 1941, duringWorld War II, Germany invaded the Soviet Union inOperation Barbarossa. A few days later was the beginning of theContinuation War as it is known in Finland. (It is considered to be a front of theGreat Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and Russia.) Finland initially regained the lost territory, reaching the Russian side of the border of 1939 in what was seen by the Russians as indirectly contributing to theSiege of Leningrad (seeFinnish reconquest of the Karelian Isthmus (1941)). Some 260,000 Karelian evacuees returned home.
On 9 June 1944, strong Soviet forces opened theVyborg Offensive and pushed the front from the pre-1939 border to Vyborg in ten days. The returned Karelians wereevacuated toFinland again. In theBattle of Tali-Ihantala, 25 June–9 July, the Finns concentrated their military strength and brought the offensive to a halt at theRiver Vuoksi, in the northwesternmost part of the isthmus, at the closest point only 40 kilometres from the border of 1940. TheMoscow Armistice ending the war was signed on 19 September 1944. The entire isthmus became Soviet, although most of it had never been captured by the Soviets in battles. This time the ceded territories of the Karelian Isthmus (including the districts ofJääski,Kexholm andVyborg) were incorporated intoLeningrad Oblast (unlike Ladoga Karelia, which remained within the Karelo-Finnish SSR). The border of theMoscow Peace Treaty (1940) was recognized by Finland again in thePeace of Paris, 1947.
As a result of the war, the population of the Karelian Isthmus was almost completely replaced. After the war the isthmus was included in theLeningrad Oblast and people from other parts of the Soviet Union, mostly Russians, were settled there. The vast majority of the old Finnishtoponyms in the conquered territories were renamed to invented Russian ones by the government around 1948.[19] The Finnish toponyms of the territories included within Karelo-Finnish SSR and of the southern part of the isthmus (albeit assimilated) mostly remained. A lot ofyouth summer camps were built all over the isthmus during the time of theSoviet Union. Some of them still exist.
The western part of the Karelian Isthmus is an importanttransport corridor linkingScandinavia andCentral Russia.Primorsk, terminus of theBaltic Pipeline System, which has recently become one of the most efficient Russiansea ports, is also located here.
The onlymotorway on the isthmus is the recently completedE18 "Scandinavia" (M10) going fromSaint Petersburg throughVyborg andVaalimaa.
Saimaa Canal (opened in 1856) is an important link connecting inland waterways ofFinland with theGulf of Finland.
The Karelian Isthmus is served by a number of railways; the trains arrive fromFinlyandsky Rail Terminal andLadozhsky Rail Terminal ofSaint Petersburg:
Also on the Karelian isthmus are all lines of theSaint Petersburg metro.
Thepulp-and-paper,timber andwoodworking industries (JSC Svetogorsk, pulp and paper mill inSvetogorsk,Vyborgsky Pulp and Paper Mill inVyborg,Priozersky Furniture and Woodworking Industrial Complex andPriozersky Woodworking Factory inPriozersk, as well as other smaller enterprises all over the isthmus) are well developed inVyborgsky andPriozersky Districts. Thepulp and paper industry, however, affects the environment adversely. The predecessor of the Priozersk facilities,Priozersky Pulp and Paper Mill, a majorpolluter ofLake Ladoga constructed in 1931, was closed down in 1986. Northern and western parts of the isthmus are also an important reserve ofgranite (quarries inKuznechnoye, as well as a number of others along theVyborg-Hiitola railroad).[20]
Vyborg Shipyard is one of the largestshipbuilding companies inNorthwestern Russia.Roskar Battery Farm inPervomayskoye is a leading producer ofchicken andeggs.
InVsevolozhsky District state-ownedMorozov Plant is located, which is an important producer ofpaints,adhesives,abrasives and other substances. In Kuzmolovsky,Vsevolozhsky District, near the station Kapitolovo of theSaint Petersburg–Hiitola railroad, a facility of the Saint Petersburg nuclear enterpriseIzotop is located, which specializes in transportation ofnuclear materials andradioactive waste.Bogs ofVsevolozhsky District along the shores ofLake Ladoga and theNeva River were major sources ofpeat for fuel. Now it is extracted in smaller quantities, mostly for agricultural purposes. The district is also an important supplier ofsand. A plant ofFord Motor Company producingFord Focus cars was opened inVsevolozhsk in 2002.
The Karelian Isthmus is included withinLeningrad Military District of theArmed Forces of the Russian Federation. The isthmus hosts airfields inLevashovo,Pribylovo andGromovo. Other airfields inVeshchevo andKasimovo (Vartemyagi) have been abandoned. In the northern part ofVsevolozhsky District, to the south of the old Finnish border,Karelian Fortified Region (KaUR) is located, which was reconstructed as late as in the 1960s, but now is abandoned as well. There isBobochinsky tank range (195.975 km², founded in 1913) betweenKamenka andKirillovskoye and a number of military facilities inVsevolozhsky District in the lowlands betweenLake Ladoga andSaint Petersburg-Hiitola railroad, includingRzhevsky artillery range (founded in 1879), a huge area, 740 km2 (286 sq mi), encircled by theRoad of Life, the roadsRzhevka –Novoye Devyatkino and Novoye Devyatkino –Matoksa and the coast ofLake Ladoga (available to visitors since 2003). In 2006 aVoronezhearly warning radar was built inLekhtusi,Vsevolozhsky District. The port ofVysotsk is a base of theBaltic Fleet. 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade is located inKamenka, and in the 56th District Training Centre inSertolovo.
The population of the Karelian isthmus today is slightly less than 3.1 million inhabitants. Of these, about 2.4 million live in St. Petersburg and a little less than 700 thousand in the Leningrad region. The population is growing solely due to migration, as the mortality rate is much higher than the birth rate, but the migration attractiveness of St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas of the Leningrad region is very high. Thus, about 40% of the population of St. Petersburg and about 30% of the population of the Leningrad region live on the Karelian isthmus. There is strong growth in population in all the districts of the Karelian isthmus in addition to the Vyborg district and Priozersk district.
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