Savonlinna (, , ; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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, ...

, located in the eastern interior of the country. It lies in the

Finnish Lakeland Finnish Lakeland or the Finnish lake district ( , "Lake Finland", ) is a large landscape region in central eastern Finland. The hilly, forest-covered landscape of Lakeland Finland's lake plateau is dominated by drumlins and by long sinuous es ...

, the

South Savo South Savo (or Southern Savonia; ; ) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total area of South Savo is 18,768.33 km ...

region. The population of Savonlinna is approximately , while the

sub-region A subregion is a part of a larger geographical region or continent. Cardinal directions are commonly used to define subregions. There are many criteria for creating systems of subregions; this article is focusing on the United Nations geoscheme ...

has a population of approximately . It is the most populous

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in Finland. Savonlinna is located in the heart of the

Saimaa Saimaa ( , ; ) is a lake located in the Finnish Lakeland area in southeastern Finland. With a surface area of approximately , it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth-largest natural freshwater lake in Europe. The name Saimaa likely co ...

Lakeland, which is why it is also known as the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with

Mikkeli Mikkeli (; ; ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city in, and the regional capital of, South Savo, Finland, located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population is approximately , while the Mikkeli sub-region of Southern Savonia has a populat ...

, they are the two largest towns in the South Savo region and both are centres of the region's hospital districts. Savonlinna enclaves the municipality of

Enonkoski Enonkoski () is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is encircled by the city of Savonlinna in the Southern Savonia regions of Finland, region. It is the smallest municipality in Southern Savonia in terms of population. History ...

. Savonlinna is internationally known for its medieval St. Olaf's Castle and the annual

Savonlinna Opera Festival Savonlinna Opera Festival () is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's Castle), built in 1475. The castle is located amid spectacular lake scenery. Origin The birth ...

History

The city was founded in 1639, based on

Olavinlinna Olavinlinna (), also known as St. Olaf's Castle, is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi (Saimaa), Pihlajavesi. It is ...

castle (''St. Olaf's Castle''). The castle was founded by

Erik Axelsson Tott Erik Axelsson (Tott) ( – 1481) was a Dano-Swedish statesman who served as the regent of Sweden under the Kalmar Union, jointly with Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna in 1457 and alone from 1466 to 1467. Biography He was born in Scania during the re ...

in 1475 in an effort to protect

Savo Savo may refer to: Languages * Savo dialect, forms of the Finnish language spoken in Savo, Finland * Savo language, an endangered language spoken on Savo People * Savo (given name), a masculine given name from southern Europe (includes a list of ...

and to control the unstable border between the Kingdom of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and its

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n adversary. During the

Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) The Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743 (also known as The War of the Hats) was instigated by the Hats, a Swedish political party that aspired to regain the territories lost to Russia during the Great Northern War, and by French diplomacy, which soug ...

, the castle was captured by Field-Marshal

Peter Lacy Peter Graf von Lacy (; ; ; 26 September 1678 – 30 April 1751) was an Irish-born soldier who later served in the Imperial Russian army. Considered one of the most successful Russian Imperial commanders before Rumyantsev and Suvorov, in a ...

. It was held by Russia between 1743 and 1812, when it was granted back to Finland as a part of "

Old Finland Old Finland (; ; ) is a name used for the areas that Russia gained from Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700–1721) and the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743), and which were united as the Vyborg Governorate in 1744. During the Finnish War ...

". In 1973 the municipality of

Sääminki Sääminki (; ) was a countryside and former municipality of Finland. Most of Sääminki municipality was incorporated in 1973 with the Savonlinna town and the rest with Punkaharju municipality. It was located in the province of Eastern Finla ...

was consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of year 2009 the municipality of

Savonranta Savonranta is a former List of former municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It became part of Savonlinna in early 2009. It was located in the provinces of Finland, province of Eastern Finland and was part of the Southern Savonia r ...

and a land strip from

between Savonlinna and Savonranta were consolidated with Savonlinna. In the beginning of the year 2013, the municipalities of

Kerimäki Kerimäki is a former municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the town of Savonlinna on January 1, 2013. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savoni ...

and

Punkaharju Punkaharju is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the town of Savonlinna on January 1, 2013. It was located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region In geography, regions, otherwise ...

were consolidated with Savonlinna.

Attractions

The most notable attraction in Savonlinna is the

castle, a 15th-century castle built on an island. Near the castle is also the Savonlinna regional museum. Some other attractions include the forest museum Lusto in the village of Punkaharju, and the

Kerimäki Church The Kerimäki Church (, ) in Kerimäki, Finland, is the largest wooden church in the world. However, it is not the tallest; Săpânța-Peri Monastery church in Romania, at , Ascension Cathedral, Almaty, Ascension Cathedral in Kazakhstan, at me ...

in the neighboring village of Kerimäki, which is the largest wooden church in the world. Savonlinna hosts the famous annual

, which was held first time in 1912. The

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s are performed on a stage built inside the Olavinlinna castle. The city has also hosted the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships since 2000. File:Savonlinnan tuomiokirkko 1 AB.JPG, Savonlinna Cathedral is an Evangelical Lutheran Church File:Kerimaki church exterior.jpg,

is the biggest wooden church in the world. File:Savonlinna Museo 1.JPG, Savonlinna Provincial Museum File:Lusto 1 AB.jpg, Lusto is a national forest museum is located in

File:PunkaharjuVomWasserturm.jpg,

Punkaharju Ridge Punkaharju Ridge is an esker (ridge) in South Savo, southeastern Finland. It separates two lakes of the Saimaa lake system, Puruvesi and Pihlajavesi, with only a narrow strip of dry land and a series of islands visible above water. Punkaharju ...

nature reserve

Climate

Sports

The ice hockey team of Savonlinna,

SaPKo Savonlinnan Pallokerho (SaPKo) is an ice hockey team from Savonlinna, Finland, they currently play in the Suomi-sarja. It plays its home matches at the Talvisalo ice rink. The sports club Savonlinnan Pallokerho was founded in 1929. First it con ...

or Savonlinnan Pallokerho, is playing in the second tier

Mestis Mestis (from , meaning 'Championship series', stylized as MEST1S) is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division ...

. The top-tier

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team Saimaa Volley plays some of its home matches in Savonlinna. The football team

Savonlinnan Työväen Palloseura Savonlinnan Työväen Palloseura or STPS for short, is a football club located in Savonlinna, Finland. The club was founded in 1947. STPS has a strong labour movement background, ''"työväen palloseura"'' meaning "workers ball club" in Finnish. ...

(STPS), is playing in

Kolmonen Kolmonen or III divisioona is the fifth level in the Finnish football league system, league system of Finnish football and comprises 108 Finland, Finnish football (soccer), football teams. The III divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mi ...

, the fourth tier.

Transport

Savonlinna is located east of

, west of

Joensuu Joensuu (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Joensuu is approximately , while the sub-region has a population ...

and south of

Kuopio Kuopio ( , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Savo. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Kuopio is approximately , while the Kuopio sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mos ...

. It is also from the capital city of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

by road, and some four hours away by train. Flights from Savonlinna Airport to Helsinki take 40–60 minutes.

Education

South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (, Xamk) is a University of Applied Sciences in Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to ...

has a campus in Savonlinna, teaching healthcare as well as process technologies. Research and development facilities include laboratories for wood processing and electronics.

University of Eastern Finland The University of Eastern Finland () is a university in Finland, which was founded in 2010 and has campuses in Joensuu and Kuopio. History The Finnish Parliament passed the Universities Act on June 16, 2009, which, among other things, extende ...

had a campus in Savonlinna, primarily for teacher education. The campus was shut down in 2018. There are two high schools in Savonlinna. One of these high schools is specialized in art subjects, which when it started its operation in 1967 was the first specialized high school in

as well as in all of the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Savonlinna is twinned with: *

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

, Germany *

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

, Sweden *

Torzhok Torzhok () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Tvertsa River along the federal highway M10 highway (Russia), M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway division of the Russian Railways. The ...

, Russia * Budavár (Budapest), Hungary In addition, there is non-governmental cooperation with the following cities: *

Árborg Sveitarfélag ið Árborg () is a municipality in southern Iceland. It is the most populous in the region, with a population of 11,565 in 2024. Founded in 1998, its largest town is Selfoss. Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri are two communities on the ...

, Iceland *

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

, Norway *

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Hannu Aravirta Hannu Aravirta (born 26 March 1953) is a former Finnish ice hockey player and an ice hockey coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien. Career as player Aravirta was born in Savonlinna, and made his first professional ...

, former professional hockey forward, coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien * Arto Heiskanen, professional hockey left winger *

Kari Hietalahti Kari-Jukka Hietalahti (born 13 September 1964) is a Finnish actor and screenwriter. Career Kari Hietalahti is best known for having appeared in several popular Finnish television series, such as '' Vintiöt'', '' Ihmisten puolue'', and '' Roba ...

, actor *

Ere Kokkonen Erkki Olavi "Ere" Kokkonen (7 July 1938 – 16 October 2008), born in Savonlinna, was a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He worked closely with Spede Pasanen all the way from the 1960s until Spede's death, as a director, writer and also ...

, film director and screenwriter * Hanna Kosonen, politician and ski-orienteer *

Erik Laxmann Erik Gustavovich Laxmann () (July 27, 1737 – January 6, 1796) was a Finnish-Swedish clergyman, explorer and natural scientist born in Savonlinna (Nyslott) in Finland, then part of Sweden. He is remembered today for his taxonomic work on the fa ...

, explorer and natural scientist *

Ville Leino Ville Hans Viking Leino (born 6 October 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward. He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. Playin ...

, former professional hockey forward *

Petri Matikainen Petri Matikainen (born 7 January 1967) is a Finnish former ice hockey player. He is currently working as the head coach of JYP Jyväskylä in the Liiga. Matikainen was born in Savonlinna. Originally playing for SaPKo, he moved to play two ...

, ice hockey coach *

Jarmo Myllys Jarmo Pentti Kalevi Myllys (born 29 May 1965) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars as their ninth-round pick, #172 overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the goalkeepi ...

, former professional hockey goaltender, member of the 1988, 1994 and 1998 Finnish Olympic ice hockey teams * Pasha Pozdniakova, Finnish-Russian ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' model and social media influencer *

Joonas Rask Joonas Rask (born 24 March 1990) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing with HFK Helsinki of the Finnish Elite League (Liiga). He played 2 games in the National Hockey League with the Nashville Predators during t ...

, professional hockey forward for HIFK *

Tuukka Rask Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finns, Finnish former professional ice hockey Goaltender (ice hockey), goaltender. Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston ...

, former professional hockey goaltender, member of the 2014 Finnish Olympic ice hockey team *

Heikki Silvennoinen Heikki Johannes Silvennoinen (27 April 1954 – 18 December 2024) was a Finnish musician and an actor. He was a guitarist and a songwriter in several notable Finnish bands of the 1970s and 1980s, and also recorded solo albums. He was best know ...

, actor and musician *

Pekka Tirkkonen Pekka Tirkkonen (born July 17, 1968) is a Finnish ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. He most recently served as head coach of EHC Kloten of the National League (NL). Tirkkonen was selected by the Boston Bruins in the 2n ...

, ice hockey coach * i * St. Olaf's Castle *

Savonia (historical province) Savo, or Savonia (; ), is a historical province in the east of Finland. It borders Tavastia, Ostrobothnia and Karelia. Savo is now divided into two provinces: North Savo and South Savo. The largest cities in Savo by population are Kuopio, ...