Imatra is a city in the province of South Karelia in southeastern
Finland. The city is home to 26,361 people (June 30, 2020), and
Imatra's neighboring municipalities are Lappeenranta and Ruokolahti.
Imatra is best known for Imatrankoski and Vuoksi, which flows
through the city. Imatra State Hotel, as well as the Three Crosses
Church designed by Alvar Aalto, are also well-known attractions. The
largest employers are Stora Enso's Imatra mills, the City of Imatra
and Ovako's steel mills. VR and the Finnish Border Guard's School of
Border and Coast Guard and the Border Guard of South-Eastern Finland
are also significant employers. The population growth of Imatra is
negative.
In addition to the river, the cityscape of Imatra
is characterized by fragmentation and detachment. Imatra has three
centers, Imatrankoski, Mansikkala and Vuoksenniska. The Mansikkala
district was once designed as the administrative center of Imatra,
but today Imatrankoski has become the city center. Most of the
specialty shops, restaurants and bars as well as the Koskenparta
pedestrian street and the Koskentori shopping center are located in
Imatrankoski. Agencies, the largest educational institutions, the
Cultural Center, the Sports Center, the Travel Center and large
supermarkets are located in Mansikkala. Recently, the construction
of the Pässiniemi area between Imatrankoski and Mansikkala has
begun. Vuoksenniska, located in the northeastern part of the city,
also has a service center. In addition to these, basic services such
as schools, grocery stores and kindergartens are also available in
other major residential areas. In terms of population density,
Imatra is the most densely populated municipality in South Karelia.
97 percent of the population lives in the Imatra city center, which
is the only city in the city and also extends to the neighboring
municipalities.
Finland's largest lake, Lake Saimaa, is a few
kilometers from the city center. The guest marina and Imatra Spa are
located on the shores of Lake Saimaa.
Imatra's location right
on the Russian border gives the city an international stamp. The
town of Svetogorsk (formerly Enso Finland) on the Russian side is
about seven kilometers from the center of Imatra. Russian tourists
are a common sight in the city and Russian tourism greatly benefits
the local business community. Most of them go shopping in Imatra,
and Imatra's tax-free sales are the third largest in Finland (only
Helsinki and Lappeenranta are ahead). Many tourists also stay in the
city overnight, which is reflected in higher hotel occupancy rates
than the national average. In addition, in recent years, more and
more Russians have bought an apartment for themselves in Imatra and
the surrounding area.