Mikkeli

Sister cities

• Vejle
• Luga
• Ostholstein
• Saint Petersburg
• Mõisaküla City
• Borås Municipality
• Békéscsaba
• Molde Municipality

History

The earliest signs of human life in Mikkeli are the Astuvansalmi rock paintings in Ristiina, dating back to 4100-2000 BCE. The Astuvansalmi is the largest rock painting site in the Nordic countries. The peace treaty of Nöteborg in 1323, with which the pogost (church parish) of Savilahti was transferred from the control of Novgorod to Sweden, is the oldest written record of the settlement in the present region of Mikkeli. The locality received its present name Mikkeli after Archangel Michael by the early 16th century at the latest. On 23 January 1597, more than 200 peasant rebels were killed in the parsonage of Kenkävero in part of the larger Cudgel War. In the war waged by King Gustav III of Sweden against Russia, the Battle of Porrassalmi took place a few miles south of Mikkeli on 13 June 1789. In the battle the Swedes (Finns) victoriously defended their positions against superior numbers of Russians. Mikkeli was granted town rights in 1838. The provincial government of the province of Mikkeli that had been established in 1831, moved from Heinola to Mikkeli in 1843. In 1918, during the Civil War, the headquarters of the White Army were established in Mikkeli. Mikkeli was located in a conservative farming area and it was a White stronghold, but elements of the Russian Army garrison in the area supported the Reds. A major engagement was fought around the railway station at Mäntyharju, about to the south of Mikkeli, when the Whites blocked a Red thrust coming north out of Kouvola. During the Winter War and Continuation War, the headquarters of the Finnish Army was located in Mikkeli. The Army staff made their base in a local secondary school. At the site of that school is the small containing photographs and memorabilia of the era. As a result of serving as the…

Geography

The centre of Mikkeli is located on a low rise, near the shore of a bay of Lake Saimaa. There are several smaller lakes in and around the town; the lakes to the east of town belong to the River Vuoksi system, while to the west, the town reaches Lake Puula, which belongs to the system of the River Kymijoki. Mikkeli has a subarctic climate (Dfc), bordering on humid continental (Dfb), as May and September average just slightly below 10˚C (50˚F).

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  798
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  568
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  469
• Garden Lupin

  Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. · Magnoliopsida
  426
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  386
• Brimstone

  Gonepteryx rhamni (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  374
• Norway Spruce

  Picea abies (L.) H.Karst. · Pinopsida
  349
• Scots Pine

  Pinus sylvestris L. · Pinopsida
  322

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2008-07-02
  9 km NW of Joutseno, Finland