Online camera Sortavala. Karelskaya Street, Lenina Street (Karelia)
Sortavala is a small town on the shore of the Ladoga River. It is one of the oldest cities in Karelia, and the sights of Sortavala are of great value and are included in the list of historical and cultural heritage of all-Russian level.
The city attracts with its architecture, which absorbed features of cozy European cities, northern Ladoga landscapes and the proximity of Valaam Island. This is the second most popular tourist destination in Karelia after Petrozavodsk - it attracts both outdoor enthusiasts and pilgrims on their way to the Valaam Monastery.
The lands where today Sortavala is located, were inhabited by ancestors of modern Karelians more than 8 thousand years ago.
The historical name of the town is Serdovolie. During the centuries before Peter the Great times it was constantly conquered by both Russian and Swedish warriors. Regular change of hands and the outflow of the local population turned the town into a run-down and poverty-stricken village Serdobol - the local name for the briar. Only Empress Catherine II managed to give the settlement a second life, returning it to the status of a city.
