Kitee

Kitee [ kitɛ ː ] ( swedish Kides ) is a city in the Finnish North Karelia landscape with 11,355 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012).

Geography

Kitee is located 68 km south of Joensuu in eastern Finland landscape of North Karelia, on the border with Russia. Kitee is the southernmost municipality of North Karelia. Neighboring cities and municipalities are Parikkala in the south, Savonlinna in the West, Rääkkylä in the northwest and the north Tohmajärvi. In the east the state border with Russia (Republic of Karelia ).

The administrative city of Kitee covers an area of ​​1724.4 square kilometers. More than a quarter of the metropolitan area consists of inland waters. The largest lakes are the Orivesi the west, the southwest and the Puruvesi Pyhajarvi in the southeast. The core city Kitee located on the banks of the smaller Kiteenjärvi Lake.

The town of Kitee except the urban core are two other centers of settlement ( taajama; Population figures as at 31 December 2011):

  • Core city ( 4,948 inhabitants)
  • Kesalahti ( 1,037 inhabitants)
  • Puhos (231 inhabitants)

History

The area of Kitee belonged from the 15th century, the influence area of Novgorod and was orthodox. In 1617 it was in the Peace of Stolbovo under Swedish rule. The Lutheran church was founded in 1630 Kitee. When in 1656 a war broke out between Sweden and Russia, the Orthodox population rose against the Swedish rule. The uprising was depressed, and many Orthodox fled to Russia. After the Second World War, the eastern part of Kitee to the Soviet Union had to be delivered. Since 1992 Kitee is a city. At the beginning of 2013, the neighboring community Kesalahti was incorporated.

Economy and infrastructure

The largest employer of Kitee is a sawmill of the timber company Stora Enso. A further known company that is based in Kitee, the textile manufacturer Marimekko. In agriculture Kitee is an important center of milk production. Until the 19th century ships were built in Kitee. The first steamboat was built in Finland in 1833 in the shipyard of Puhos.

Kitee is connected by the state highway 6 and the railway line Helsinki - Joensuu to the south of Finland. From Puhos is a waterway in the Saimaa Lake District and on the Saimaa Canal to the Baltic Sea.

Sports

One of the top teams in the pesäpallo, the Finnish variant of baseball, is the three-time Finnish champion Kiteen Pallo from Kitee.

Sons and daughters

Central Karelia List of municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language Municipalities of Finland Lake Orivesi Treaty of Stolbovo Juuka Kontiolahti Lieksa Liperi Nurmes Outokumpu, Finland Valtimo
477912
de