The 10 Best Budget-friendly Things to do in Southern Savonia, Finland

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The building of Olavinlinna, castle of St. Olaf, began in 1475. The Danish-born founder of the castle, knight Erik Axelsson Tott, decided that a powerful fortification should be build to protect the strategically important Savo region. The castle was supposed to repel Russian attacks from the east and to guarantee the control of the Savo region for the Swedish Crown. The history of Olavinlinna is a mixture of medieval arms clashing, cannons roaring and every-day chores inside the security of the castle's thick walls. The changes in the ownership of the castle left their mark on Olavinlinna: this can be seen in the varied architecture of the castle. These days the castle's halls and rooms can be rented and used for all kinds of events.

Lusto – The Finnish Forest Museum focuses on Finnish forest culture and illustrates the interaction between man and the forest from the past to the future. The national museum responsible for forest culture is located in Punkaharju, in the most beautiful landscape of ridges and lakes in eastern Finland. Lusto’s exhibitions, events, work demonstrations and theme days provide a diverse and illustrative insight into the significance of forests in the life of Finns. Lusto is sure to appeal to visitors of all ages.

The communication centre of the Finnish army's headquarters, which was located in Mikkeli, was known by the code name, Lokki, which means "seagull" in Finnish. During the Continuation War of 1941-1944, the Lokki Communication Centre was based in a cave blasted into the side of Naisvuori hill. It handled the headquarters' telephone and telex traffic. The adjacent cave housed the regional air surveillance centre, the signalling station for the German link-up garrison and the sleeping quarters for the communication centre's staff. In addition, the cave contained working premises for Commander-in-Chief Mannerheim and his immediate subordinates. In the early 1990s, the Lokki Communication Centre's premises were skillfully restored to their appearance during the Continuation War.