SAIMAA

Saimaa is Europe’s biggest lake district, with the Great Saimaa lake system itself covering 4,400 sq km, boasting a shoreline of 14,850km and harbouring approximately 13,710 islands

In Finland‘s Saimaa lake district, nature trails and historical curiosities abound, while well-signposted canoe routes enable the quiet waters to offer endless opportunities for combining walking with boating.

The Saimaa seal
Sharp-eyed visitors may catch a glimpse of an endangered Saimaa ringed seal basking on sun-warmed rocks. The seal is found only in the Saimaa region, having adapted itself to a freshwater habitat after becoming stranded in the lakes at the end of the last Ice Age.

Although the seals can live for thirty years, most do not die of old age. In the past, they were hunted almost to extinction for their leather, fat and meat, and although this practice has been outlawed, modern hazards abound. Motorised boats disrupt the seals’ breeding patterns, while pollution, fishing and shoreline building mean that fewer than 200 of these endearing creatures remain. Lake users can demonstrate their support for the plight of the seals by purchasing a special ‘Saimaa seal’ sticker for their boat or canoe.

The sticker entitles the bearer to use the 220 waste disposal points dotted around the lakes which are also identified with the seal logo and run by the ‘Keep the Islands Clean’ organisation. In this way, the rare Saimaa seal has become both the symbol of a precarious ecosystem and the representative of the drive towards its preservation.

Linnansaari National Park
Lakelands all over Finland have been damaged by building developments over recent years. Linnansaari National Park was established in 1956 to preserve the characteristic inland archipelago scenery, flora, heritage sites and habitat of the Saimaa seal. The national park covers a 40km long section of the Lake Haukivesi region of Great Saimaa, incorporating 130 islands larger than a hectare, as well as innumerable smaller islets. Accessible only by boat, the total surface area is 37 sq km, although the great expanses of water are not included as part of the national park.

Some islands are just heaps of stone or gravel ridges, while some of the larger ones are strewn with inhospitable boulders, sheer cliff-faces jutting out of the water. Here, the barren rock is clothed only in lichen and stunted Scots pine. Other islands, however, boast inviting sandy beaches and support lush vegetation, rich in herbs and shrubs. A typical woodland may include birch, alder, pine, aspen and lime trees, with hares, moose or badgers wandering across the fertile soil below the trees. Ornithologists are in their element here – Linnansaari teems with water birds of all varieties, including the rare osprey.

The best way to explore the park is to hire a boat and camp for a few days. There are hiking paths and nature trails on the main island, whilst those inclined towards social history can visit Linnansaari croft. Established in the 1850s and inhabited for over one hundred years, it is representative of the island crofts that were popular from the 17th century. With their little fields and farmyards, tenants enjoyed a certain independence from demanding landlords, a peace that can be replicated today in the isolation of the watery landscape.

Mikkeli
The lush lakelands have been inhabited since the Stone Age. The Astuvansalmi Nature Trail leads to the biggest set of rock paintings in Scandinavia, where sixty paintings cover a 15m area and date back 4,000 years. Just across Lake Yövesi are the Vierivuori rock paintings. These fragmentary pictures of people, elks and boats cover the steep cliff-face, but are now visible only from water.

Although Iron Age cemeteries also dot the area, the town itself only began to develop in the 15th century when it was named after St Michael, who is said to have stayed in the region. In 1838, Czar Nicholas I of Russia rather optimistically declared Mikkeli a city, apparently unconcerned that only sixty three people lived there at the time. But today, Mikkeli is the lively provincial capital with a population of over 40,000. Its neat streets are built on a grid system centring around the the red Neo-Gothic cathedral. An adjacent square is dominated by the Naisvuori tower, a former water tower that offers a panoramic vantage point for viewing the lakes and forests surrounding Mikkeli. Standing on the edge of the town is the oldest building in this part of Finland, the stone sacristy of Savilahti church, built in 1320.

Urpola Nature Centre is located near the town centre. As well as offering exhibitions on the flora, fauna, waters and geology of the area, it is the site of the oldest wooden building in Mikkeli, Urpola manor, which is associated with the wars that raged here at the end of the 18th century when Sweden and Russia fought for the territory. Other nature reserves in the vicinity of Mikkeli are suitable for walkers, botanists and bird-watchers.

Savonlinna
Savonlinna is built on a chain of islands on the Great Saimaa lake, its many sections divided by narrow straits. The town was a spa resort in the 19th century and remains one of the most popular holiday centres in Finland. It is perhaps best known for its international opera festival which attracts 100,000 people every July. Savonlinna also claims to host the largest regatta in the world, the ‘Grand Boat Race of Sulkava’, which attracts 8,000 participants every year.

Another attraction is Olavinlinna, a medieval castle, which affords lofty views from the rocks of Kyrönsalmi Island. Nearby is Rauhalinna villa, built by a general as a silver wedding gift to his wife and now a restaurant. Its intricate wood carvings and romantic name (The Castle of Peace) provide a perfect setting for relaxing after a hard day’s activity.

© Walk Europe
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