• Source: Virolahti

Virolahti (Finnish: [ˈʋiroˌlɑhti]; Swedish: Vederlax) is the southeasternmost municipality of Finland on the border of Russia. It is located in the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality has a population of 2,860 (31 October 2024) and covers an area of 558.92 square kilometres (215.80 sq mi), of which 186.97 km2 (72.19 sq mi) is water. The population density is 7.68 inhabitants per square kilometre (19.9/sq mi).
The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The Vaalimaa border crossing, which connects the municipality with Russia, is located in Virolahti.




History


Virolahti is named after Estonians from Virumaa who traded around the nearby bay, which is also called Virolahti. The first mention of Virolahti dates to 1336. It is mentioned as an independent parish in 1370.
A small part of Virolahti was ceded by Sweden to Russia in the Treaty of Uusikaupunki in 1721. The border was located slightly further west than the modern Finnish-Russian border. In the treaty of Turku of 1743, the rest of Virolahti was ceded to Russia. The northern part of Virolahti became the Miehikkälä parish in 1863.
Before World War I the Russian Emperor Nicholas II used to spend summers with his family in the archipelago of Virolahti with his yacht Standart, Finland being an autonomous province within the Russian Empire between 1809 and 1917.
Virolahti lost some of its area (over 100 km2 (39 sq mi)) to Soviet Union in Paris Peace Treaties, 1947, after World War II.




Villages in 1939


Villages marked with an asterisk (*) are now completely or partially on the Russian side:
Alapihlaja, Alaurpala*, Eerikkälä, Hailila, Hanski, Hellä (Heligby), Hämeenkylä (Tavastby), Häppilä, Järvenkylä, Kattilainen, Kiiskilahti* (now Kiyskinlakhti), Kirkonkylä, Klamila, Koivuniemi, Koskela*, Koskelanjoki, Kotola, Kurkela, Laitsalmi*, Länsikylä (Flonckarböle), Martinsaari* (Now Island of Maly Pogranichny), Mattila, Mustamaa, Nopala, Orslahti* (now Primorskoye), Paatio* (Båtö in Swedish, now Bolshoy Pogranitshny), Pajulahti, Pajusaari*, Pitkäpaasi* (Island of Gorniya Kamenya), Pyterlahti, Ravijoki, Ravijärvi, Reinikkala, Rännänen (Grennäs), Sydänkylä (Kallfjärd), Säkäjärvi, Tiilikkala, Vaalimaa (Vaderma), Vilkkilä, Virojoki, Yläpihlaja, Yläurpala* (now Torfjanovka).




Notable people born in Virolahti


Uuno Klami, composer
Johannes Takanen, sculptor
Aarne Sihvo, general
Veli Saarinen, cross-country skier, olympic gold medalist
Väinö Liikkanen, cross-country skier, olympic silver medalist
Lauri Törni soldier who fought under three flags.




References






External links


Media related to Virolahti at Wikimedia Commons

Municipality of Virolahti – Official website (in Finnish)
Map of Virolahti

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• 7,5 cm Pak 40
• Virolahti
• Southern Finland Province
• Salpa Line
• Regions of Southern Finland
• Kymenlaakso
• Uuno Klami
• Hapanvelli
• Saint Isaac's Cathedral
• Miehikkälä
• Vaalimaa