Imatrankoski (The Imatra Rapids) are

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep stream gradient, gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Flow, gradient, constriction, and obstacles are four factors that are needed for a rapid t ...

on the Vuoksi in

Imatra Imatra is a city in Finland, located in the southeastern interior of the country. Imatra is located in the region of South Karelia, on Saima, Lake Saimaa and the River Vuoksi. The population of Imatra is approximately , while the Imatra sub-regi ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It has been a famous tourist attraction since the late 1700s. Imatrankoski is also one of the

National landscapes of Finland National landscapes of Finland were selected by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment (Finland), Ministry of the Environment in 1992 as a part of the 75th anniversary of the Independence of Finland. The 27 selected landscapes represent the specia ...

. Since 1929, the rapids has been blocked by a dam as the Imatra hydroelectric plant began operation. Today, the dam is opened daily between June and August (Wednesday to Sunday, at 18:00) as well as on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.Imatrankoski rapids
Go Saimaa. Retrieved 7 March 2015.Imatrankoski
Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 7 March 2015.

Geological history

The Vuoksi and Imatrankoski were born about 5,000 BP as the waters of the Saimaa Lake penetrated the Salpausselkä end moraine due to

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

, forming a river flowing first into the Gulf of Finland and then to

Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake located entirely in Europe, the second largest lake in Russia after Lake ...

Tourism

Tourism in Imatrankoski is considered begun in 1772 as the Empress of Russia

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

visited the site. The Kruununpuisto Park, the oldest nature park in Finland, was established in 1842 by the Emperor Nicholas I. At the end of the 19th century, Imatrankoski was one of the best known nature attractions in Europe. The hotel Valtionhotelli was finally opened in 1903.

Gallery

File:Imatrankoski vapaana.jpg, A 19th century sketch of the Imatrankoski rapid File:ImatraExpress.jpg, The dam File:Imatrankoski Valtionhotelli ilma.jpg, Hotel Valtionhotelli at the Kruununpuisto Park File:Imatrankosken alapaviljonki 2017 05.jpg, Engraved signature by Emperor

Pedro II of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...

while visiting Imatrankoski in 1876.Emperor Pedro II of Brazil in Finland
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References

Rapids Imatra Tourist attractions in South Karelia {{Finland-geo-stub