Imatra Rapids
Once Finland'S Most Famous Natural Sight, The Vuoksi Rapids Are Now Harnessed For Power And Released For A Summer Rapids Show · Imatra, South Karelia
Imatrankoski is a gorge on the Vuoksi river in South Karelia, where the water of Lake Saimaa once poured through a narrow granite channel on its way to Lake Ladoga. For two centuries it was often called Finland's first tourist attraction: Catherine the Great is said to have come to see it, and later visitors from St Petersburg filled the grand Valtionhotelli, the castle-like Art Nouveau hotel that still stands above the gorge. In the late 1920s a hydroelectric power plant and dam were built upstream and the rapids fell silent. Today the gates are opened on a schedule in summer for the rapids show, when a torrent roars through the gorge for roughly twenty minutes, set to music. People come for that show, for the hotel, for Crown Park, one of Finland's oldest nature parks, and for walks along the river. The honest caveat: the riverbed is dry and rocky most of the time, so if you arrive outside the show schedule you will see a gorge of stones, not rapids, and the show is short.
Imatrankoski, central Imatra, beside the Valtionhotelli, Imatra, South Karelia, Finland
The gorge, bridge, riverside paths and Crown Park are open all year, day and night, and free. The rapids show runs on a schedule, typically daily in summer from about mid-June to late August, usually in the early evening, with occasional extra shows on holidays or special dates - check the current schedule before travelling. Imatra is roughly two and a half to three hours by train from Helsinki; the rapids are a short bus ride or a walk of a few kilometres from the station. Book the Valtionhotelli ahead in summer.