Parikkala

Parikkala [ˈpɑrikːɑlɑ] is a municipality in eastern Finland with 4655 inhabitants as of 31 December 2020. It is the northernmost municipality in the South Karelia landscape. Parikkala is bordered by Kitee to the north, Savonlinna to the west and Rautjärvi to the south. To the east lies the state border with Russia. Geographically and climatically, Parikkala belongs to the catchment area of Lake Ladoga, 35 km away in the Russian part of Karelia. The present municipality was formed in early 2005 by the merger of the municipalities of Parikkala, Saari and Uukuniemi.

The centre of the municipality is the village of Kangaskylä with about 2000 inhabitants. Other villages are Kirjavala-Kesusmaa (500 inhabitants), Koitsanlahti (230 inhabitants), Kummunkylä, Melkoniemi (250 inhabitants), Mikkolanniemi (100 inhabitants), Saarenkylä (110 inhabitants), Savikumpu (200 inhabitants), Tarnala (200 inhabitants) and Kannas (200 inhabitants). Parikkala's sights include the wooden churches of Parikkala (1817) and Uukuniemi (1797) and the brick church of Saari (1934). The Orthodox heritage of the area is commemorated by a chapel (tsasouna) and the archaeological excavations of a 15th-17th century Orthodox village in Papinniemi.

Throughout its history, Parikkala has always been in the borderland between the West and the East. In the Middle Ages, the area of Parikkala belonged to the sphere of influence of Novgorod, and the inhabitants were Orthodox. The border between Sweden and Novgorod, established in the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323, ran nearby. In 1617 Parikkala came under Swedish rule in the Peace of Stolbovo. The new rulers established a Lutheran parish. Subsequently the Orthodox population was subjected to reprisals; some converted to the Lutheran faith, and some emigrated to Tver and Olonez. In the Peace of Nystad, Parikkala rejoined Russia in 1721. When all of Finland came under Russian rule in 1809, Parikkala, along with the rest of Old Finland, was annexed to the newly established Grand Duchy of Finland. Thus it also became part of the independent Republic of Finland in 1917. When Finland had to cede East Karelia to the Soviet Union after the Second World War, about a third of the municipality's territory was separated by the new border demarcation.

Sons and daughters

• Hannu Siitonen (* 1949), javelin thrower and European champion
• Sirpa Pietikäinen (* 1959), politician of the Rally Party, minister
• Kirsi Boström (née Tiira; * 1968), orienteer and world champion
• Lisa Sounio-Ahtisaari (* 1970), politician of the Rally Party, entrepreneur, brand expert