Sortavala
From Free net encyclopedia
Sortavala (Template:Lang-ru) is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga. Population: 21,131 (2002 Census).
History
Sortavala was founded by Sweden in 1632. In 1721, it was ceded to Russia and given the Russian name Serdobol. In 1812, it was made part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. After 1917, it became a part of independent Finland. After the Winter War and the Moscow Peace Treaty, Sortavala was ceded to the Soviet Union, after belonging to Finland for about 150 years. Like most of Karelia, Sortavala was re-conquered by Finland during 1941–1944 (the period of the Continuation War). After the war, Finns were evacuated fearing Soviet rule and the city was resettled by Russians.
Until 1940, the Ladoga shore southwest of Sortavala had been one of the very few areas north of the Karelian Isthmus that was relatively densely populated by Karelians.
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