Rautalampi

Rautalampi is in North Savonia. Its vast forests and numerous lakes make it a very beautiful area.

Understand

Rautalampi is the west-most village in Eastern Finland. It has about 3,500 inhabitans. In the summer there is a significant increase in the population as people come to their summer cottages. The whole municipality can be travelled around by water and also the town centre is surrounded by lakes.

Rautalampi has a rich cultural history; many authors, musicians and artists, such as the Finlandia Prize awarded author Kari Hotakainen, have their roots in Rautalampi.

Get in

By train

The nearest railway station is in Suonenjoki about 20 km east of Rautalampi. There is a bus connection from there.

By plane

The nearest airports are Rissala in Kuopio, 70 km north-east of Rautalampi and Tikkakoski (near Jyväskylä) 90 km south-west of Rautalampi.

By car

National road 9 between Jyväskylä and Kuopio passes near the town.

By boat

The Rautalampi waterway (draught 2.4 m, height 5.5 m) from Pielavesi to Laukaa, connected to Päijänne, passes through the municipality, at Kiesimä, Kerkonkoski and Vaajasalmi. Konnekoski is reachable from it by an official boating route (1.8 m).

The parish village is surrounded by lakes of the Rautalampi route, but the navigable waterway bypasses it by the Kiesimä Canal by the village Kiesimä, also part of the municipality. The parish village is still reachable by canoe from Konnekoski and Vaajasalmi.

The Rautalampi route is suggested as a national water route because of its beauty and the combination of wilderness-like landscapes with old parish villages and cultural landscapes. Because of this (and the popularity of boating overall), there are significant services for boaters and canoeists along the route, including on side trips.

Konnekoski lies on southern Konnevesi, 7 km from the parish village by road or by canoe, over 🌍 Hankavesi. Most islands in southern Konnevesi (south of the bridges of road 69) belong to Southern Konnevesi National Park (see Do below).

Kerkonkoski and Vaajasalmi lie on Niinivesi, 18 and 11 km from the parish village by road

Get around

Public transportation is only available on the main roads. To get around and see something else than the main village, a car or bike is strongly recommended.

By taxi
  • Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

See
  • 🌍 Rautalampi Lutheran Church, Kirkkotie 4. The church of Rautalampi is one of the biggest wooden churches in northern Europe. It was designed by C.A. Engel, who also designed the cathedral and many other buildings in Helsinki. (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Rautalampi Museum, Kuopiontie 26. The Rautalampi Museum hosts an extraordinarily wide collection – over 50,000 objects and recordings – giving a good overview of local history. There are also changing exhibitions. (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Orthodox Church, Nikolaoksentie 1. After World War II, a lot of Karelian evacuees have treasured the Orthodox tradition in Rautalampi. The church building, sacralized to honour Saint Nicholas the Worker, is near the library. (updated Feb 2022)
  • Mansions. There are expectionally many old mansions in Rautalampi. Most of them are now privately owned, but you can find a restaurant on reservation in both the Ropola Mansion and the Korhola Mansion. Korhola also offers B & B. (updated Aug 2015)
  • Liimattanharju Esker. Road number 543 winds from the town centre of Rautalampi all the way to Kerkonkoski. This beautiful scenic route runs between four lakes on Liimattalanharju esker. (updated Aug 2015)

Do
  • 🌍 Riding school, Palolahdentie 25, ☏ +358 40 0507189. Rautalampi has a riding high-school, the only one in Finland. (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 The library, Rautalammintie 4. Rautalampi Library serves tourists and local residents. Besides normal library services there are WiFi and computers with free internet connection available. A local speciality is the Finnskog collection of Forest Finns (the king had Finns from the Finnish forests move across the Gulf of Bothnia to put those forests to use). (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Sahala Health Manor (Elämysten ja Ystävyyden kartano), Sahalantie 41, ☏ +358 40 838 5599, . (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Kalakuja Beach, Kalakuja 10. (updated Feb 2022)

Southern Konnevesi National Park

🌍 Southern Konnevesi National Park (Etelä-Konneveden kansallispuisto), ☏ +358 20-639-5270 (M–F 09:00–15:00), . The park covers most of southern Konnevesi, which is shared with Rautalampi's neighbour to the west, Konnevesi. Part of the park is on the large islands between Hankavesi and Konnevesi, reachable by car via Konnekoski. 

The park features open waters and labyrinths of rugged islands and offers possibilities for canoeing and boating as well as hiking. The trails are often steep and rugged, but a not-so-smooth 300-m trail is accessible by assisted wheelchair in season (ask for the lock code to access the parking) and there is an accessible jetty on Lapinsalo far out in Konnevesi.

Suggested canoeing routes range from 3 to 20 km, hiking trails likewise.

The information boards at the parking lots are in Finnish and English.

Camping is allowed according to the Right to access in the Nordic countries, but camping by infrastructure, such as cooking shelters, is recommended. Some of the shelters are suitable for overnight stay. Bring your own toilet paper. Water from lakes and rivers should be boiled before consumption.

There is firewood at the rest spots of the park. At most of them it needs to be chopped (saw and axe provided). There are also rest spots on adjacent protected private or municipal land, where you mostly should bring your own. Carry out your waste (small amounts of clean paper can be burnt, food scraps can be put in the composing toilets).

Events
  • Runon ja laulun Rautalampi. Culture event in June. 
  • Pestuumarkkinat. Pestuumarkkinat market fair is Rautalampi's biggest annual event. It is held during the second weekend of September. 

Buy

Eat

During the summer only

Drink

Cafés

Bars and nightclubs

There are at least three pubs in Rautalampi.

Sleep

There is a youth hostel in Rautalampi and a camping site. Also available are a few mansions.

Go next
  • Kuopio – the region's biggest city
  • Pieksämäki – major train junction in South Savonia, with a railway museum
  • Varkaus – closest town to the Linnansaari National Park in an archipelago of Saimaa
  • Jyväskylä – the main city of Central Finland
  • Suonenjoki – the strawberry capital of Finland
Routes through Rautalampi
Jyväskylä ← Hankasalmi ←  SW  E  → Suonenjoki → Kuopio


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