Joensuu, Finland

Joensuu is a charming city and municipality located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä in North Karelia, Finland. Founded in 1848, Joensuu has a rich history and is the regional center and the capital of North Karelia. With a population of 77,480 (February 28, 2023), Joensuu is the 12th largest city in Finland and one of the major urban, economic, and cultural hubs of Eastern Finland. It is a student city with a subsidiary of the University of Eastern Finland and the Karelia University of Applied Sciences. Joensuu offers a variety of cultural activities, including the Ilosaarirock festival, Joensuu Music Winter, Festival of Visual Culture Viscult, Gospel festivals, and more. The city is sometimes referred to as the Forest Capital of Europe, mainly because the European Forest Institute is based there. As a growing provincial center with a service-oriented business life, Joensuu is home to information and communication technology companies, lock manufacturer Abloy Oy, and forest machine manufacturer John Deere. Joensuu has a subarctic climate due to its high latitude and inland position, which makes it prone to temperature extremes both in winter and summer. Winters are long, cold, and snowy, while summers bring frequent temperatures above 20.0 °C. Joensuu is easily accessible by rail, bus, and air, and is located along the Blue Highway, an international tourist route from Mo i Rana, Norway to Pudozh, Russia via Sweden. Sports are an integral part of the city’s culture, with championship level clubs including the basketball club Kataja, floorball club Josba, volleyball club Mutalan Riento, orienteering club Kalevan Rasti, women’s volleyball club Joensuun Prihat, ice hockey team Jokipojat, and the local baseball team, Joensuun Maila. Come and discover the hidden treasures of Joensuu, a city that should definitely be on every traveler’s bucket list!