Sortavala

Sortavala (till 1918 Serdobol; Russian: Сортавала; Finnish and Karelian: Sortavala; Swedish: Sordavala) is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga near the Finnish border. Population: 19,235 (2010 Census);[2] 21,131 (2002 Census);[7] 22,579 (1989 Census).[8]

Sortavala Сортавала
Town[1]
Coat of arms
Location of Sortavala
Sortavala Location of Sortavala Show map of Russia Sortavala Sortavala (Karelia) Show map of Karelia
Coordinates: 61°42′N 30°40′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Republic of Karelia[1]
First mentioned	1582
Elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[2]
• Total	19,235
• Estimate  (2018)[3]	18,801 (-2.3%)
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	town of republic significance of Sortavala[1]
• Capital of	town of republic significance of Sortavala[1]
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Sortavalsky Municipal District[4]
• Urban settlement	Sortavalskoye Urban Settlement[4]
• Capital of	Sortavalsky Municipal District[4], Sortavalskoye Urban Settlement
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK [5])
Postal code(s)[6]	186790
OKTMO ID	86610101001
Website	городсортавала.рф

History

The district of Sortavala was first recorded in Swedish documents dating to 1468. Russian documents first mention it as Serdovol or Serdobol in 1500. It was ceded to Sweden after the Ingrian War.

With the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, the settlement was joined to Russia along with the rest of Old Finland and was given the Russian name Serdobol. It became known for its marble and granite quarries which provided materials necessary for construction of imperial palaces in St. Petersburg and its neighborhood. In 1812, along with the rest of Viipuri Province, it was joined to the newly formed Grand Duchy of Finland.

In 1917, the town remained a part of independent Finland. It suffered extensively from mass Soviet bombardment during the Winter War,[9] and through the Moscow Peace Treaty Finland was forced to cede the town to the Soviet Union. All of the population of the town was evacuated for the first time. Like the rest of Finnish Karelia, Sortavala was retaken by Finland during 1941–1944 (the period of the Continuation War) and most evacuees returned to rebuild their homes. However, after the armistice of 1944, the Finns were evacuated again and the town was ceded back empty of population. After the war, the town was resettled by the Russian and Karelian population.

Until 1940, the Ladoga shore southwest of Sortavala had been one of the very few relatively densely populated areas north of the Karelian Isthmus populated by Karelians.

Geography

Climate

Climate data for Sortavala
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	6.4 (43.5)	8.8 (47.8)	15.0 (59.0)	22.0 (71.6)	27.5 (81.5)	32.0 (89.6)	35.4 (95.7)	29.9 (85.8)	24.5 (76.1)	18.4 (65.1)	11.4 (52.5)	9.4 (48.9)	35.4 (95.7)
Average high °C (°F)	−5.3 (22.5)	−4.6 (23.7)	0.6 (33.1)	7.0 (44.6)	14.2 (57.6)	18.8 (65.8)	21.9 (71.4)	19.6 (67.3)	13.9 (57.0)	7.2 (45.0)	1.1 (34.0)	−2.4 (27.7)	7.7 (45.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−8.4 (16.9)	−8.1 (17.4)	−3.4 (25.9)	2.6 (36.7)	9.0 (48.2)	13.9 (57.0)	17.2 (63.0)	15.3 (59.5)	10.2 (50.4)	4.6 (40.3)	−1.1 (30.0)	−5.3 (22.5)	3.9 (39.0)
Average low °C (°F)	−11.5 (11.3)	−11.6 (11.1)	−7.4 (18.7)	−1.7 (28.9)	3.7 (38.7)	9.0 (48.2)	12.5 (54.5)	10.9 (51.6)	6.5 (43.7)	2.0 (35.6)	−3.3 (26.1)	−8.1 (17.4)	0.1 (32.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−42.8 (−45.0)	−36.0 (−32.8)	−28.3 (−18.9)	−18.6 (−1.5)	−6.6 (20.1)	−0.8 (30.6)	3.5 (38.3)	0.8 (33.4)	−5.8 (21.6)	−12.3 (9.9)	−24.8 (−12.6)	−33.2 (−27.8)	−42.8 (−45.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	47.2 (1.86)	35.9 (1.41)	34.6 (1.36)	31.7 (1.25)	42.9 (1.69)	61.8 (2.43)	58.0 (2.28)	84.8 (3.34)	63.5 (2.50)	68.9 (2.71)	65.9 (2.59)	62.4 (2.46)	657.6 (25.89)
Source: Weather and climate in Sortavala

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with two urban-type settlements and forty-seven rural localities, incorporated as the town of republic significance of Sortavala—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, the town of republic significance of Sortavala is incorporated as Sortavalsky Municipal District; the town of Sortavala and ten rural localities are incorporated within it as Sortavalskoye Urban Settlement.[4] The remaining urban-type settlements and rural localities are incorporated within the municipal district into two urban settlements and two rural settlements.[10]

Transportation

Sortavala is a railway station on the Khiytola-Matkaselkä railway.

Industry

Urban development enterprise - Karelian Industrial Complex.

Twin towns and sister cities

• Joensuu, Finland
• Kitee, Finland
• Bogen, Germany
• Serdobsk, Russia

References

Notes

1. Law #871-ZRK
2. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
3. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
4. Law #825-ZRK
5. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
6. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
7. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
8. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
9. The Soviet bombing of Sortavala in pictures
10. Law #813-ZRK

Sources

• Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №871-ЗРК от 29 апреля 2005 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Карелия», в ред. Закона №1895-ЗРK от 2 июня 2015 г. «О внесении изменения статью 9 Закона Республики Карелия "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Карелия"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №48, 7 мая 2005 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #871-ZRK of April 29, 2005 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1895-ZRK of June 2, 2015 On Amending Article 9 of the Law of the Republic of Karelia "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Karelia". Effective as of the official publication date.).
• Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №825-ЗРК от 1 декабря 2004 г. «О муниципальных районах в Республике Карелия», в ред. Закона №1694-ЗРK от 2 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании муниципальных образований "Нюхчинское сельское поселение" и "Сумпосадское сельское поселение" Беломорского муниципального района и внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Республики Карелия». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №141, 16 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #825-ZRK of December 1, 2004 On the Municipal Districts in the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1694-ZRK of April 2, 2013 On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations of "Nyukhchinskoye Rural Settlement" and "Sumposadskoye Rural Settlement" of Belomorsky Municipal District of the Republic of Karelia and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of Karelia. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).
• Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №813-ЗРК от 1 ноября 2004 г. «О городских, сельских поселениях в Республике Карелия», в ред. Закона №1694-ЗРK от 2 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании муниципальных образований "Нюхчинское сельское поселение" и "Сумпосадское сельское поселение" Беломорского муниципального района и внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Республики Карелия». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №124, 126, 129, 132, 135, 136, 139, 4 ноября — 9 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #813-ZRK of November 1, 2004 On the Urban, Rural Settlements in the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1694-ZRK of April 2, 2013 On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations of "Nyukhchinskoye Rural Settlement" and "Sumposadskoye Rural Settlement" of Belomorsky Municipal District of the Republic of Karelia and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of Karelia. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).