Svetogorsk, town

Subject / Topography/Cities
SVETOGORSK (Enso [Finnish] before1948), a town in Vyborg District; a separate municipal entity in 1995–2005. Population: 15,700. Located in the northern part of the Karelian Isthmus near the Finnish border, on the banks of the Vuoksa River. S. has railway communication with Kamennogorsk (since 1892), through which the Vyborg-Hiitola railway branch extends. The Finnish town Imatra is 7 km away from S. In 2002, an international vehicle checkpoint was opened in S. The rapid development of the settlement is related to the construction of the Enso (Finnish ‘firstborn’) timber mill near the Räikkölä falls on the Vuoksa River in 1887 (currently Svetogorsk pulp & Paper Mill.) The same name was given to the settlement adjoining the mill (previously Pelkola locality), which belonged to Vyborg Gubernia. From 1916, the housing in S. followed the project developed by architect B. Brunila. From 1918 it belonged to the independent Finland. After annexation by the USSR in 1940, Enso got the status of a town and was included in the Karelo-Finnish SSR; since 1944, in Leningrad Oblast. The town was renamed Svetogorsk in 1949. In 1957, a Culture Center for 550 guests was opened in S., in 1978, a House of Sports, and in 1991, the Delfin swimming pool. Located in S. are a branch of the Institute of Plant Polymer Technologies, and a children’s school of arts. The town has a school of music (established in 1966) attended by about 500 children. With its active participation, Vuoksa international festival of arts has been held since 1998, involving children’s and youth teams from localities of Leningrad Oblast and Finland along the Vuoksa River. Gala performances of the festival are presented in S. and Imatra. Under the auspices of the Children’s and Youth Creativity Center are the Lira musical education studio, Sudarushka and Veretentse Russian folk song ensembles, Raduga ensemble, Mosaika dancing studio, decorative and applied art groups, and sports study groups. The “Vuoksa” newspaper has been published since 1996. In 1995, the parish of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was registered. Since the 1990s, touring has been developing in the environs of S., favored by the regions natural and climatic conditions (diverse water resources, cross-country terrains and cliff landscapes.)
See also Svetogorsk: Arms, Svetogorsk town library. Chistyakov, Anton Yuryevich
Brunila, Birger
Neighbouring Territories/Finland
Neighbouring Territories/Finland
Neighbouring Territories/Finland/Imatra Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vyborg District/Kamennogorsk Town
Topographical landmarks/Karelian Isthmus, the
Historical Toponyms/Karelian SSR
Topographical landmarks/Khiyitola
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vyborg District/Svyatogorsk Town
Topographical landmarks/Vuoksa River, the
Historical Toponyms/Grand Principality of Finland/Vyborg Province
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vyborg District/Vyborg Town
Светогорск: Краеведч. очерк /По материалам А.А.Осмакова.-СПб.: Изд-во «МорВест», 2002.-152 с.:ил.
Светогорский Портал. URL: http://www.svetogorsk.ru
Светогорск, 1941–1945 гг.: Книга памяти героев Великой Отечественной войны / Ред.-сост. С.М. Кудряшов. Выборг, 1995
Svetlogorsk children- youth creative centre
Svetogorsk children music school
Svetogorsk House of Culture
Svetogorsk Town Library, the
The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (Svetogorsk Town)
"Vuoksa", a newspaper
"Vuoksa", an art festival