Imatra is acity inFinland, located in the southeastern interior of the country. Imatra is located in the region ofSouth Karelia, onLake Saimaa and theRiver Vuoksi. The population of Imatra is approximately 25,000, while thesub-region has a population of approximately 37,000. It is the 42nd most populousmunicipality in Finland.
Imatra lies on theborder with Russia. On the other side of the border, seven kilometres (4.3 mi) away from the centre of Imatra, lies the Russian town ofSvetogorsk. The city ofSt. Petersburg is situated 210 km (130 mi) to the southeast, the Finnish capitalHelsinki is 230 km (140 mi) away andLappeenranta, the nearest Finnish city, is 37 km (23 mi) away.
The main employers are the pulp and paper manufacturerStora Enso Oyj, the City of Imatra, the engineering steel manufacturerOvako Bar Oy Ab and theFinnish Border Guard. As of October 2003[update], the total number of employees was 12,423.[6] As of December 2004[update], 1,868 people were employed by the City of Imatra. The city's nicknames include Imis, Ibiza and Nahkalippis City (leather baseball cap city). Due to its location close to the border, Russian tourists are a common sight in the city, and Russiantourism is a boon to the local economy. Most people shop in Imatra, and Imatra'stax-free sales are the third largest among Finnish cities (only Helsinki and Lappeenranta are ahead).[7]
The name of Imatra is thought to derive from apre-Finno-Ugric language. The lightning symbols on Imatra's coat of arms refer to the power plants that were built in the early 1920s at the Tainionkoski andImatrankoski rapids. Thecoat of arms was designed byOlof Eriksson [fi] and approved by the Imatra Town Council on 9 August 1950. TheMinistry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 25 October of the same year.[8][9]
An Art Nouveau or Jugend style castle, currently known as Imatran Valtionhotelli (Imatra State Hotel), was built near the rapids in 1903 as a hotel for tourists from the Russian Imperial capitalSaint Petersburg.
Imatra was founded in 1948 on the territory of three municipalities –Jääski,Ruokolahti andJoutseno. Finland ceded 9% of its territory to the Soviet Union after theWinter War. Jääski lost 85% of its territory and it was decided that a new municipality, Imatra, should be established on the remaining 15% of Jääski and some areas of Ruokolahti and Joutseno. This is why the Imatra coat of arms has three flashes – in honour of those previous municipalities that granted areas to it. It gained its municipal charter in 1971.
The Black & White Theatre has produced more than 20 performances, the movie "Murderer" and organized from 2004 Black & White Theatre Festival in Imatra.[12][non-primary source needed]
TheKouvola–Joensuu railway passes through Imatra, and theImatra railway station serves both passenger and freight transport. From the rail yard of this station is a fork onto the railway towardsKamennogorsk viaVyborg. The planning of the initiation of regular international passenger traffic between Imatra andSaint Petersburg has stopped due to Russia's war against Ukraine.[13]
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