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South-Eastern Finland fortification system is an extensive defensive system formed by three concentric fortress chains in South-East Finland built by Russia in the 1790s. The purpose of the fortification system was to protect the capital of the Russian Empire, Saint Petersburg, from a possible Swedish attack.
Before the South-Eastern Finland fortification system was built, the defence of the Russian-controlled South-East Finland or Old Finland in 18th century relied mainly on the fortresses captured from Sweden. Russia had acquired the medieval castles in Vyborg (Viipuri) and Korela (Käkisalmi) in the Treaty of Nystad 1721. In the 1743 Treaty of Åbo Sweden ceded the 17th-century fortress in Lappeenranta and the Hamina fortress built in the 1720s as well as the medieval castle of Olavinlinna in Savonlinna to Russia. The only new fortress built by Russia in Old Finland before the 1790s was the construction of the first phase of the Taavetti fortress in Luumäki between 1773 and 1781.
The Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 started by the new King Gustav III of Sweden ended in the Treaty of Värälä with neither side gaining territory. Nevertheless, the victories the Swedish army achieved in the war had shown that the defences of the North-Western border of Russia were inadequate and the capital of Saint Petersburg – located relatively close to the border – was thus in potential danger. After the war Russia began to strengthen the defences in Old Finland. The empress of Russia, Catherine II, gave the responsibility of strengthening the defences by creating a strong fortification system to General Alexander Suvorov in 1791.
General Suvorov rapidly started the construction works. The objective was close all roads leading to Saint Petersburg through Old Finland with fortresses. New fortresses were built at cross roads or in terrain that was difficult to bypass and old fortresses were renovated according to the latest fortification technology. The end result was a strong fortification system of three concentric fortress chains.
The inner fortress chain closest to the capital was formed from Shlisselburg fortress (Pähkinälinna), Kronstadt fortress and the castles of Vyborg and Korela. The second chain was formed from the fortresses of Hamina, Taavetti and Lappeenranta. New border fortresses built in Kymenlaakso formed the outermost chain along with the medieval castle of Olavinlinna. The inland fortresses of Kärnäkoski, Järvitaipale and Utti along with the fort of Liikkala were quite small, but the double fortress of Kyminlinna and Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress on the coast was quite formidable.
Only the fortresses in the outermost chain were new, but existing older fortresses were also enlarged and strengthened. The earth walls of Hamina and Lappeenranta were reinforced with stone walls, Taavetti fortress was enlarged, the cannon towers of Olavinlinna were raised and bastions were added to the medieval castle. The bastions of Vyborg and Korela castles were also reinforced.
In addition to the fortifications, the ability of the Russian Navy to sail in Saimaa Lake was improved by building four new open canals called Suvorov Military Canals on the waterway between Lappeenranta and Savonlinna. The canals were needed, because Sweden could still control the water traffic in Saimaa at the narrows in Puumala. The canals of Kutvele, Käyhkää, Kukonharju and Telataipale located in Taipalsaari, Ruokolahti, Puumala and Sulkava respectively were built alongside the fortresses. Gunboats of the Russian Saimaa Fleet were based at Lappeenranta and Kärnäkoski fortresses and Olavinlinna castle. The fleet consisted of less than a hundred different sized vessels and one thousand men.
The manpower for the construction works was provided by the regular army of the Vyborg Governorate (20 000 men) and a temporary Finland division (Finljandskij division) of 20 000–30 000 men. Prisoners were also used for labor. The smaller border fortresses were finished quickly, some already in the early 1790s. Larger construction works, such as canals, took longer.
The conditions in the construction sites were harsh. Severe climate, poor accommodation, insufficient nutrition and sickness took a toll on the men. Up to 10 000 men died or were too ill to work. The gruelling pace of the work maintained by General Suvorov is also said have caused the death of many workers. The local Finnish population did not have to partake on the actual construction work, but had to provide shelter, food and transport for the large army.
The enormous amount work done to fortify Old Finland was wasted, as the border between Sweden and Russia moved westward as a result of the Finnish War between 1808 and 1809. The fortification system was not tested in this war, as the Swedish troops retreated from border well before Russians attacked. After the war the inland fortresses were abandoned, and only the coastal fortresses retained their military value. Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress was attacked by British-French fleet during the Crimean War in 1855. The Russian troops abandoned the fortress before the attack and the enemy demolished the empty sea fortress.
Most of the fortresses are now popular tourist attractions. Fortresses inside the borders of modern Finland are maintained by the Finnish National Board of Antiquities, which has been restoring them especially during the 1990s. The last part of the fortification system, the military canals of Suvorov, are currently under restoration work.
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg in Russia to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn. The eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland belong to Russia, and some of Russia's most important oil harbors are located farthest in, near Saint Petersburg. As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the Gulf of Finland has been and continues to be of considerable strategic importance to Russia. Some of the environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf.
Suomenlinna, or Sveaborg, is an inhabited sea fortress built on eight islands about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Suomenlinna is popular with tourists and locals who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site. Originally named Sveaborg, or Viapori as referred to by Finnish-speaking Finns, it was renamed in Finnish to Suomenlinna in 1918 for patriotic and nationalistic reasons, though it is still known by its original name in Sweden and by Swedish-speaking Finns.
Lappeenranta is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about 30 kilometres from the Russian border and 64 kilometres (40 mi) from the town of Vyborg (Viipuri). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and because of that, it is also one of the most significant urban centers in the whole Saimaa region, along with the towns of Imatra, Mikkeli and Savonlinna. With approximately 73,000 inhabitants Lappeenranta is the 13th largest city in Finland, after incorporating the previous municipalities of Lappee and Lauritsala in 1967, Nuijamaa in 1989, Joutseno in 2009, and Ylämaa in 2010. Today, Lappeenranta's neighboring municipalities on the Finnish side are Imatra, Lemi, Luumäki, Miehikkälä, Ruokolahti and Taipalsaari, and on the Russian side, the neighbors are Seleznjovo, Svetogorsk and Kamennogorsk.
Olavinlinna is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi. It is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing. The castle forms a spectacular stage for the Savonlinna Opera Festival, held for the first time in the summer 1912.
Old Finland is a name used for the areas that Russia gained from Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700–1721) and in the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743). Old Finland was joined to the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland as Viipuri Province in 1812.
Korela Fortress, at the town of Priozersk, Leningrad Oblast, Russia.
The Vuoksi is a river running through the northernmost part of the Karelian Isthmus from Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland to Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The river enters Lake Ladoga in three branches, an older main northern branch at Priozersk (Käkisalmi), a smaller branch a few kilometers to the north of it, and a new southern branch entering 50 kilometers (31 mi) further southeast as Burnaya River, which has become the main stream in terms of water discharge. Since 1857, the old northern distributaries drain only the lower reaches of the Vuoksi basin and are not fed by Lake Saimaa. The northern and southern branches actually belong to two separate river systems, which at times get isolated from each other in dry seasons.
South Karelia is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, South Savo and North Karelia, as well as Russia.
The Treaty of Åbo or the Treaty of Turku was a peace treaty signed between the Russian Empire and Sweden in Turku on 7. Augustjul./ 18. Augustgreg. 1743 in the end of the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743.
The Saimaa Canal is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September 1856 . It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968.
Vyborg Castle is a Swedish-built medieval fortress around which the town of Vyborg evolved. The castle became the stronghold of the Swedish realm in the Karelian region. Throughout the centuries, it was the first defence of the kingdom against Russians. Its military and strategic status in the late Middle Ages was second only to the fortified capital Stockholm. Currently it serves as the site of Vyborg Regional Museum.
The Viipuri Province was a historical province of Finland from 1812 to 1945.
Kyminlinna is a fortress located in the northern part of island of Hovinsaari in Kotka, on the south coast of Finland. Kyminlinna is part of the South-Eastern Finland fortification system built by Russia after the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790. Kyminlinna formed the northern part of a double fortification, together with Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress, where Kyminlinna was intended to repulse land-based attacks along the King's Road.
Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress is a fortification system in Kotka, Finland. It is part of the South-Eastern Finland fortification system built by Russia after Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790. Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress formed the southern part of a double fortress together with Kyminlinna and it was built to counter the Swedish sea fortresses of Svartholm in Loviisa and Sveaborg (Suomenlinna) in Helsinki. Ruotsinsalmi also acted as an outpost of the Kronstadt sea fortress in Saint Petersburg. During the Crimean War, a British-French fleet destroyed the Ruotsinsalmi fortifications in 1855.
Hamina Fortress is located in Finland on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and it is an integral part of the Hamina city centre. Hamina fortress is a Star fort, representing the Renaissance ideal city embodied by Palmanova city in northeastern Italy.
Kärnäkoski Fortress is a bastion fortress in Finland located in Kärnäkoski, Savitaipale built by Russia between 1791 and 1793 to protect Saint Petersburg.
The Tower of St. Olav is the one remaining tower of Vyborg Castle. It is a symbol and an architectural landmark of the city of Vyborg.
Suvorov military canals is a series of four open canals on Saimaa lake in Finland. The four canals of Kutvele, Käyhkää, Kukonharju and Telataipale are located in Puumala, Ruokolahti and Sulkava. They were built between 1791 and 1798 as part of the South-Eastern Finland fortification system and are the oldest canals in Finland. The canals are named after general Alexander Suvorov who ordered their construction.
Liikkala Fortress is a fortress in Kouvola, Finland. It was built in 1790s as a part of a larger South-Eastern Finland fortification system to protect Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire.
Taavetti is a village and administrative center of the Luumäki municipality in South Karelia, Finland. It has a population of 2,084. It is located along Highway 6 between Lappeenranta and Kouvola, and its center also runs on Highway 26 towards Hamina. The distance from Taavetti to the nearest city, Lappeenranta, is about 40 kilometres (25 mi).