Fall in Love with the Glistening Natural Waters and Strong Ice Cover of Lake Kallavesi Waterways have been an essential part of life in Kuopio throughout history. Locals have always headed out on the lake, whether to go boating or fishing, or to ski. What is it that makes these lakes so fascinating?
T E X T R I I T TA J U S S I L A P H OTO S W I L L E M A R K K A N E N A N D V I C E N T E S E R R A
ISLAND HOPPING IS EASY IN A CITY DOTTED WITH LAKES “Kuopio is known for its extensive network of lakes. You can see it clearly from a plane: Kuopio stands out as a city surrounded by lakes,” describes COO at Peeässä Ville Puustinen who enjoys boating and fishing in his free time. A quarter of the total area of Kuopio is water, and the city has a coastline of more than 6 000 kilometres. There are a whopping two thousand islands or so in Lake Kallavesi – with several districts in the city located entirely on islands. “Getting to a lake in Kuopio is exceptionally easy,” says Seppo Jauhiainen, Forest Administrator at the City of Kuopio.
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KUOPIO BY NATURE 2022 / NATURE
In addition to recreation, the lakes also provide livelihood to fishers and tourism service providers. For example, Soisalo – the largest inner island in Europe – is still home to professional fishers.
EXCURSION HARBOURS MAKE INDEPENDENT ISLAND HOPPING POSSIBLE In the summertime, Lake Kallavesi is frequented by swimmers, rowers, canoeists, paddle boarders and geocachers. There are also numerous boaters, because Kallavesi has the largest network of excursion harbours in Finland. “There are about forty city-operated excursion harbours in the Kuopio region that are all natural
