Puumala () is a

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' ...

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 is located in the

Southern Savonia South Savo (or Southern Savonia; ; ) is a Regions of Finland, 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 ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The main road route through the region is route 62, which connects to

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 ...

to the north and

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 ...

to the south. Until the year 1995 a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

connected the two sides of Puumalansalmi-strait. In 1995, a bridge replaced the ferry. The bridge is a very dominant structure when looking Puumala town center from a distance. Puumala has relatively good services compared to the amount of population. In the town center is situated a post office, an

Alko Alko Inc is the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly in Finland. It is the only store in the country which retails beer over 8% ABV, wine (except in vineyards) and spirits. Alcoholic beverages are also sold in licensed restaurants an ...

store, a kiosk, several supermarkets and a few restaurants. The reason for the survival of these entrepreneurs is the arrival of summer inhabitants who triple the population of Puumala during the season. In June 1788, Swedish soldiers wearing uniforms of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, staged an attack against the town. This would allow King Gustav III to declare a defensive

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

against the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, as Swedish law prohibited starting offensive wars without approval by the

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

. The subject of Puumala's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

refers to the local history: in the

Treaty of Åbo The Treaty of Åbo, or the Treaty of Turku, was a peace treaty signed between the Russian Empire and Sweden in Åbo (Turku) on in the end of the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743. History By the end of the war, the Imperial Russian Army had ...

in 1743, Puumala became a border parish, but due to its strategic location, the narrow Puumalansalmi has been the scene of several battles since the 16th century, which the flaming bombshells on the coat of arms refer to. The coat of arms was designed by Tapio Vallioja, and the Puumala municipal council approved it at its meeting on September 24, 1962. The

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

approved the coat of arms for use on April 18, 1963. The

Puumala virus Puumala virus (PUUV) is the main cause of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Russia. Puumala virus is transmitted by the bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus''). In its natural reservoir, PUUV causes a persistent infectio ...

is named after this place as it was first isolated from samples from the Puumala area.

Gallery

File:Puumalansalmen silta (1).jpg File:Puumala_2018.jpg File:Puumalachurch2.jpg File:Puumalachurch1.jpg

References

External links

Municipality of Puumala
– Official website Municipalities of South Savo Populated places established in 1868 {{EasternFinland-geo-stub