Priozersk

Priozersk ( _ru. Приозе́рск, before 1948 Кякисалми or Кексгольм, _fi. Käkisalmi; _sv. Kexholm) is a town on the Karelian Isthmus, in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, centered on an island at the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, at the estuary of the northern armlet of River Vuoksi. It is served by a station of the Saint Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railroad with the same name. Population: 20,506 (2002 Census).

History

The main landmark of Priozersk, Korela Fortress, has historically been the center for the Karelians of the Karelian Isthmus; and from time to time been the northwestern outpost of the realm of the Russians or the eastern outpost of the realm of the Swedes.

From the Middle Ages, Priozersk was known as Korela to Russians and Käkisalmi to Karelians and Finns. Taxlation book from Novgorod from year 1500 lists 183 houses in Korela - so estimated population 1500-2000. The Swedes captured Korela twice: in 1578 for seventeen years and in 1611 for one hundred years. In the Swedish Empire, the fortress was called Kexholm and the whole district became known as the County of Kexholm. Russia definitively secured the area during the Great Northern War; the town's Swedish name was retained, however, as Keksgolm ( _ru. Кексгольм). But wars and devastating fires 1300, 1580, 1634, 1679 had taken its toll to civilian population. When the city gained its first court house in 1800 population was only 400.

In 1812, as the Grand Duchy of Finland three years earlier had been formed within Russian Empire, Alexander I of Russia incorporated Kexholm with the rest of Old Finland into the autonomous region. Käkisalmi was the smallest city in Viipuri province. City's growth was boosted by construction of the Saint Petersburg-Hiitola railway in 1917 and establishing two big saw mills and a big Ab Waldhof Oy's Wood pulp mill in 1929.

The Winter war On 30 November 1939 began the Winter War began with the Soviet attack. Eventually after hard fighting Finland was forced to cede Käkisalmi as whole Finnish Karelia to the Soviet Union in the 13.3.1940 Moscow Peace Treaty. During the Continuation War 1941 - 1944 Finland gained back Käkisalmi and other 1940 Soviet ceded territories, the population returned to rebuild the town, but were again evacuated in Evacuation of Finnish Karelia at the close of the WWII. In the last Finnish year 1939 Käkisalmi had a population of 5083. Around the town there was the rural municipality of Käkisalmi with a population of 5100. Minorities were Orthodox 946 persons and about 100 habitants announced to speak as native language; Swedish, Russian or German. Total population was 11 129 in 1939.

In 1948, Käkisalmi was renamed to Priozersk like names all cities and communities annexed from Finland to Leningrad Oblast 1947. The new given names of 1948 had no ties to historic names except Vyborg. New Priozersk was settled with a totally new population of people (mainly Russians, Belorussian, Ukranians) from the Soviet Union, who remain the majority of the local population. The ruined ramparts and towers of the old Korela Fortress are situated on the bank of the Vuoksi, still visible when traveling to the town from Saint Petersburg. The town is an excursion resort popular with St. Petersburgers, many of whom have dachas in the vicinity (see "Ozero").

Pictures

External links

* [http://www.enlight.ru/camera/145/index_e.html Photos of the town]
* [http://www.nortfort.ru/keksgolm/index_e.html Detailed info about the fortress]
* [http://www.luovutettukarjala.fi/pitajat/kakisalmi/kakisalmihist.htm history of käkisalmi in finnish]
* [http://www.luovutettukarjala.fi/pitajat/kakisalmi/kakisalmikuvina.htm Pictures from the Finish era >1939]