The town of Kotka is quite modest by today's standards. The sights of this place from the first minutes fascinate literally everyone. Why? Experienced travelers claim that there are actually quite a few prerequisites for this, because in the modern world it is quite difficult to find settlements in which history and modernity, fishing and numerous recreation areas are so successfully intertwined.
City of Kotka (Finland). General Description
Historians claim that its foundation dates back to 1878. It was in this year that a decision was made on the need to create a reliable and superbly equipped seaport for the entire state.
Linguists, in turn, will help to deal with such a rather unusual name for the Russian ear. In Russian, the city of Kotka means "the city of the Eagle." A very symbolic and, one might say, even majestic name, which traces the love and pride of the founders for their small homeland.
Today, 55 thousand people permanently live in Kotka. And a town was built not far from Russia - only 279 km to the border.
Prerequisites for building a city
Kotka shows its sights very willingly, however, all of them are due either to the location or the glory of the working village, which has been engaged in its special craft for centuries.
This Finnish town is located on the shores of the bay of the same name. Its construction was due to the need to build a port, which would play an important role in organizing the supply of timber from Finland. In order to provide access to sailing ships carrying timber, as well as to sawmills, it was decided to lay the port city of Kotka.
From the central regions, logs were floated along the Kumiyoki River to the Kotka region, where there were many sawmills. After sawing, the wood material was exported.
What is modern Kotka
Today, Kotka is of great importance in creating the conditions necessary for the export of wood materials abroad. But that's not all.
Now it is also one of the largest Finnish cargo ports, occupying a leading position in the field of transit transportation in the country. It is known far beyond the borders of Finland, because ships are sent all over the world, and the quality of local wood is appreciated even on the other side of the ocean.
Towards loneliness and peace
It is believed that only the most tired travelers or complete romantics go on vacation to Kotka. Especially a lot of visitors come here at the very end of summer. Why? The point is that at this timeIn the vicinity of Kotka there is a huge amount of mushrooms and berries. You can wander around among the golden, yellow and crimson trees, admire the breathtaking seascapes, marvel at the huge ships and daydream with a cup of tea in some local cafe.
There are many hotels in the city. There are city hotels and guest villas. All this at very reasonable prices. Free parking is usually provided as well.
Fisherman's house
It should be noted that if there is still a place in Finland that can amaze the imagination of even the most sophisticated traveler, it is Kotka. The sights of this city are mainly aimed at getting acquainted with the history, culture and traditions of the population living in it. For example, here you can see a real fisherman's house, which today is a museum with unique exhibits.
The history of its construction is known for certain. The amazing nature of these places fascinated the Russian Emperor Alexander III, who decided to build a house here that could accommodate the royal family.
The interior of this house has been carefully preserved for a long time. Study, kitchen, living room, wardrobe - all rooms look the same as they did a hundred years ago! There is a magnificent park near the house.
The river that flows near the city is rich in salmon. A log house is maintained in proper condition, and fisheries are maintained. Everything, like many, many years ago.
Visiting this fisherman's house allows you to get brightthe feeling of touching the beautiful nature of Finland.
Real Maritime Museum
There is a huge maretarium in Kotka. This building is the pride of the inhabitants of the city. Many marine life live here in their natural environment. It is hard to imagine that today there are already more than 50 species of fish in the maretarium. And this, of course, is not the limit.
Indoors there are two aquariums at once. The depth of the large one is 7 m. However, there are no coral fish familiar to such establishments, and you should not even look closely. But there are individuals that are found in the B altic Sea.
Pike perch, whitefish, pike, roach, tench - this is not a complete list of the inhabitants of these wonderful aquariums. Water for filling them is taken in the Gulf of Finland.
By the way, you can feed large carps and perches right out of your hands, diving into the depths with special equipment. Not only fish live in the maretarium. You can also watch frogs, newts and water snakes here, which fall asleep in winter. There is a sea shop here, if you wish, you can buy souvenirs.
Vellamo Modern Exhibition Center
The Vellamo Maritime Center, opened in 2008, hosts many exhibitions. In the kiosk located here, you can buy souvenirs, and in the restaurant and cafe - it's great to relax.
The center has its own pier, which houses the Tarmo Icebreaker Museum, built back in 1907. This is one of the oldest icebreakers on our planet. By the way, to the delight of both small andand adult visitors, you can climb it and stand on the captain's bridge. It is also recommended to go down to the interior to fully familiarize yourself with the arrangement of the engine room.
In the nearby hangar, visitors enjoy viewing the patrol boat, lifeboat and boat engine collection.
Kotka. Attractions from the natural world
The wonderful nature of Finland attracts many travelers. At any time of the year, Sapokka Water Park is amazingly beautiful. This eco-friendly site is recognized around the world as a wonderful piece of stone.
Many are interested in why the park has such a name, and what attracts a huge number of tourists here. The fact is that Sapokka Park is surrounded by bays. In shape, they resemble a boot, in fact, that's why the place got its name - Sapokka, which in Russian means "boot".
And people come here to enjoy the unique nature. For example, there is a waterfall here, the height of which is 12 m.
Not everyone knows that there is an exhibition in the park, which presents a variety of natural stones. The Finns are very fond of Sapokka and believe that this place is beautiful at any time of the year. In summer, the air in the park is surprisingly fragrant. In autumn, visitors find themselves as if in a fairy tale - the plants are so beautiful, acquiring a typically bright color for this time of year.coloring. In winter, tourists admire the silence of nature here.
When you go for a walk in the park, don't forget to take your camera with you. Sapokka. Kotka. Finland” - a photo that should definitely decorate your family archive.
Section 9. Wooden Architecture Center
There is also a unique center in Finland where you can get acquainted with wooden boats in detail. The purpose of creating this center is to popularize the culture of making wooden swimming facilities.
This center not only restores, but also makes boats. The training of future masters is also carried out here. It should be noted that everyone is allowed to watch their work.
Kotka on the map of Finland is quite fast, which, however, is not surprising, the country is small. The city is positioned and promoted at various tourism exhibitions, because the preservation of traditions is very important for Finns, who are extremely proud of their crafts.
