town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia
Sortavala (Russian: Со́ртавала) is a small town along the northern shores of Lake Ladoga in Karelia. It is a popular starting point for those heading out into the Karelian wilderness. This article also covers the neighbouring municipality of Ruskeala (Russian: Рускеала).
Stolbovo belonged to Sweden 1617–1721 and became a charted town in 1632. It was devastated in the war in the early 18th century, was ceded to Russia and lost its importance. It was united with the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812, and thus became part of independent Finland in 1917. From the late 19th century Sortavala developed as the cultural centre of Ladogan Karelia. It was the seat of the orthodox arch bishop from 1925. It also had significant industry for such a small town.
The area was evacuated and ceded to the Soviet Union after the Winter War 1940 and again after the Continuation War 1944. Until 1940, the Ladoga shore southwest of Sortavala had been one of the very few relatively densely populated areas north of the Karelian Isthmus populated by Karelians.
The road A129 along Ladoga's western shore leads to the town. The road from Petrozavodsk and Olonets towards the Vyartsilya/Niirala border checkpoint to Finland (in Tohmajärvi) passes north of the town.
The town is on the railway between Saint Petersburg and Kostomuksha.
| Routes through Sortavala |
| Joensuu ← Tohmajärvi ← customs ← Vyartsilya ← | NW  SE |
→ Pitkyaranta → Pryazha → Petrozavodsk |