Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta, Swedish Villmanstrand, city, southeastern Finland. Lappeenranta lies at the southern end of Lake Saimaa, northeast of Kotka.

It was a major trade centre during the Middle Ages, with a municipal charter granted by Per Brahe, the Swedish governor-general of Finland, in 1649. A border fortress and the headquarters of the administrative district of Kyminkartano after the Treaty of Uusikaupunki (1721), Lappeenranta was destroyed by the Russians in 1741. After the Treaty of Åbo (Turku) in 1743, the city became a Russian possession until 1812.

Lappeenranta’s notable sites include the mineral baths (established in 1824), the wooden Lappee Church (1791; restored 1929), and a Greek Orthodox church (1785); the remains of the old town and its ramparts and fortifications are on a promontory overlooking the harbour.

Lappeenranta is the rail junction point between many eastern Finnish cities and Vyborg and St. Petersburg in Russia and is a major harbour for several of Lake Saimaa’s shipping routes. Lappeenranta University of Technology was established in 1969. Local industries include lumber mills, lime and cement factories, and machine shops. Because of its fine lakeside location and its mineral baths, Lappeenranta is known as a health resort. Pop. (2013 est.) 54,910.