LAPPEENRANTA

Swedish Villmanstrand, city, Kymi lni (province), 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 bo (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. The National Sulphuric-Acid Works is located there, as well as 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. (1994 est.) 55,843.