Pitkyaranta (; ; ) 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 ...

and the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of Pitkyarantsky District of the

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia, or simply Karelia or Karjala (; ) is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the Northwest Russia, northwest of the country. The republic is a part of the Northwestern Federal District, and covers an area of ...

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 ...

, located on the northeastern coast of

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 ...

. Population:

History

Originally a part of

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, ...

, Pitkäranta was part of the municipality of Impilahti. Pitkäranta was the largest settlement center in Impilahti, with about 2,000 inhabitants in the late 1930s. Pitkäranta was also the center of Salmi Parish. The Pitkäranta Orthodox parish comprised the eastern part of Impilahti municipality and the Uuksu area of Salmi. Pitkäranta also formed a prayer room under the Impilahti Lutheran Congregation. There was also a secondary school in Pitkäranta. Pitkäranta was, above all, a major industrial location. The most important industries were the mining and forestry industries. Mining in Pitkäranta began as early as the 18th century and its heyday was in the 19th century. The Pitkäranta mines produced, among other things, iron and silver. Mining was at a standstill in the early 20th century, but a resumption was planned. Pitkäranta also had sawmills, a red soil factory and a glass factory started in 1889, whose main products were bottles. Diesen Wood Oy's sawmill began operations on Pusunsaari in 1920 and a sulphite pulp mill in 1921. A plot of land was planned in Pitkäranta, but war and regional handovers prevented the plan from being implemented. Pitkäranta was ceded to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in the peace of Moscow in 1940. In the Soviet Union, it became a city on July 9, 1940. In the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

, Finland recaptured Pitkäranta in 1941, but had to cede it again in 1944. Most of Pitkäranta's buildings were destroyed during the wars.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Pitkyaranta serves as the

of Pitkyarantsky District, to which it is directly subordinated.Law #871-RZK As a municipal division, the

of Pitkyaranta, together with three rural localities, is incorporated within Pitkyarantsky Municipal District as Pitkyarantskoye Urban Settlement.Law #813-RZK

Economy

By the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 29, 2014 No. 1398-r «On approval of the list of single-industry towns», the city is included in the category of «Single-industry municipalities of the Russian Federation (single-industry towns) with the most difficult socio-economic situation». The «Pitkyaranta» Pulp Mill is located in the city. In the economy of the city, the leading place was occupied by the timber and mining complex. There is a railway station in the city. Passenger transportation services were discontinued in 2015. In 2021, traffic was resumed: in winter, several flights of the experimental Moscow—Pitkyaranta train took place, then the only passenger train at the station was a daily commuter train on the route from Karelian Sortavala to Lodeynoye Pole,

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Pitkyaranta is twinned with: *

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 ...

* Pikalyovo, Russia

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Cities and towns in the Republic of Karelia Monotowns in Russia Populated places in Pitkyarantsky District