Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta
Villmanstrand
City
Lappeenrannan kaupunki
Villmanstrands stad
City of Lappeenranta
The city landscape
The city landscape
Coat of arms of Lappeenranta
Location of Lappeenranta in Finland
Location of Lappeenranta in Finland
Coordinates: 61°04′N 028°11′E / 61.067°N 28.183°E / 61.067; 28.183
Country Finland
Region South Karelia
Sub-regionLappeenranta sub-region
Charter1649
Government
 • City managerTuomo Sallinen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total1,723.56 km2 (665.47 sq mi)
 • Land1,433.99 km2 (553.67 sq mi)
 • Water290.14 km2 (112.02 sq mi)
 • Rank47th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-08-31)[2]
 • Total73,084
 • Rank13th largest in Finland
 • Density50.97/km2 (132.0/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish89.9% (official)
 • Swedish0.2%
 • Others9.9%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1413.6%
 • 15 to 6462.1%
 • 65 or older24.2%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
ClimateDfc
Websitewww.lappeenranta.fi/en

Lappeenranta (Finnish: [ˈlɑpːeːnˌrɑntɑ]; Swedish: Villmanstrand) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately 73,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 88,000. It is the 13th most populous municipality in Finland, and the 11th most populous urban area in the country.

Lappeenranta is located on the shore of Lake Saimaa, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Russian border and 64 kilometres (40 mi) from the city of Vyborg. Lappeenranta is one of the most important urban centres in the entire Saimaa region, together with the cities of Imatra, Mikkeli and Savonlinna.[6] Lappeenranta incorporated the late municipalities of Lappee and Lauritsala in 1967, Nuijamaa in 1989, Joutseno in 2009 and Ylämaa in 2010.

Lappeenranta, the region's tourism centre, is the second most visited city in Finland by Russian tourists after Helsinki and competes with Helsinki for the largest share of tax-free sales in Finland. Lappeenranta is a model for renewable energy and a clean living environment. Lappeenranta was the only Finnish city among the 14 finalists of the international Earth Hour City Challenge 2014 organised by WWF. In 2009, Lappeenranta was ranked fourth in the comparison of the largest Finnish cities, while in the 2008 survey the city was ranked fifth.[7] In a survey conducted among business representatives in 2011, Lappeenranta was ranked 17th among Finnish cities in terms of image.[8]

Lappeenranta Airport, opened in 1918 and located in the city centre, is Finland's oldest operating airport.

  1. ^ "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-09-24. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  3. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  4. ^ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Finland Travel - Getting to Mikkeli and Savonlinna, Lake Saimaa | Visit Saimaa".
  7. ^ "Lappeenrannan imago korkealla". YLE (in Finnish). December 8, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  8. ^ "Lappeenrannan imago hyvää keskisarjaa". Etelä-Saimaa (in Finnish). December 2, 2011. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2021.