Accompanying Persons Programme

Information about Group events:


Thursday, May 25th, 10.00 - 15.00

Sightseeing tour to the city of Imatra.
Lunch at the Hotel Imatran Valtionhotelli is included.

Imatra is a town near by the Russian border and 38 km from Lappeenranta. Its famous sights are Imatrankoski Rapids, Kruununpuisto Park and Hotel Imatran Valtionhotelli, the jugenstil castle hotel, an imaginative creation named "Grand Hotel Cascade" was inaugurated in 1903.

Imatrankoski Rapids and Kruununpuisto Park
The rapids were formed ca. 5000 years ago, when water from Lake Saimaa broke through the Salpausselkä ridge at Vuoksenniska. The Imatrankoski rapids are the oldest tourist attraction in Finland and have brought worldwide acclaim both to Imatra and Finland as a whole. The rapids have been depicted both pictorially and in literature. Tourism in Imatra is considered to have begun in 1772, when Empress Catherine II of Russia and her retinue came to admire the violent struggles of the water in the narrow waterway. A ropeway was built in 1872, enabling brave visitors to cross the foaming rapids in a basket. When hotel Valtionhotelli was built by the rapids in 1903, Imatra saw an unparalleled flow of tourists. Every day, fourteen trains brought aristocracy from St Petersburg to admire the surge of the rapids.
The rapids flowed freely until 1929, when the hydroelectric plant of Imatran Voima was completed and the rapids were dammed. Nowadays there are regular rapids shows in summertime, when the rapids are allowed to flow.
Hotel Imatran Valtionhotelli (which had already undergone many changes over the decades) was completely renovated and opened at March 2005. Today, the Hotel creates a wonderful milieu for new stories - hopefully happier ones than the story of the Grey Lady.


Friday, May 25th, 12.00 - 15.00

Guided tour of the Fortress and the harbor of Lappeenranta; glance through the past and present of Lappeenranta.
Coffee at the café Majurska is included.

The Fortress - a Unique Area of Lappeenranta

Surrounded by the ramparts, this historic district represents the original town which was founded in a medieval trading centre during the Swedish regime in 1649. Most of the buildings date back to the Russian era, which lasted from 1741 to 1917. Following renovation, they now house private residences, handicraft workshops and cultural and business premises. Graced with a fascinating history, magnificent scenery and myriad attractions, the Fortress is today a popular tourist destination.

More information about the Fortress of Lappeenranta:
www3.lappeenranta.fi/linnoitus/english/