This route from Mäntyharju to Puumala through a forest and more rich environment, this is another day you will not soon forget. Almost alone in the world, all kinds of road surfaces, what more could you want as a motorcyclist?
This route also includes a few stops to do some shopping, so that you always have something to eat and / or drink with you along the way, to refuel, certainly fill up your tank because the possibilities are few. The highlight of this route is a visit to Fort Kärnäkoski.
Fort Kärnäkoski was part of the fortification system of Southeast Finland. Kärnäkoski Fortress was part of a larger fortification system in Southeast Finland built to protect Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire. After the Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790), and especially in light of the Swedish victories in the Battle of Porrassalmi and the Battle of Svensksund, the Russian Empress Catherine II decided to strengthen the defenses on the northwestern border of the empire. The construction of a large fortification system in southeastern Finland was entrusted to General Alexander Suvorov. To protect the capital, three concentric fortress chains were built, with the Kärnäkoski fortress belonging to the outer chain very close to the border. The Kärnäkoski Fortress was built both to defend against a possible attack from the isthmus between Lake Saimaa in the Gulf of Finland, and to provide a base for the newly formed Russian Saimaa fleet.

Kärnäkoski fortress guarded Russia's northwest border for only 15 years. At the time, the fortress was also one of the bases for the Russian Saimaa fleet. Other bases included Lappeenranta Fortress and Olavinlinna Castle in Savonlinna. After the Russo-Swedish border was moved westward to the Tornionjoki River in 1809 after the Finnish War, the forts in southeastern Finland lost their military value, including the Kärnäkoski Fortress. Tsar Nicholas I closed the now unnecessary inland fortresses in 1835. As a result, the forts were disarmed, the buildings and remaining equipment auctioned, and the walls and fortifications left unattended. Kärnäkoski Fortress was built to protect against the Swedish threat, but never saw action against the intended enemy. During the Finnish War, the only war between Sweden and Russia when the fortress was in use, the battles took place far from the fortress after the Swedish army retreated from the border before the Russian advance to avoid the battle. A century later, during Finland's civil war, the nearby area saw several battles.

Today, Kärnäkoski Fortress is a tourist attraction, although there are no guided tours or other tourist or travel services inside the fort, just route signs. The Finnish National Council for Antiquities and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment have designated the fortress area as a National Important Cultural Historic Landmark. The Finnish National Council of Antiquities has restored the Kärnäkoski Fortress to its former form, along with other fortresses in southeast Finland. Walls were repaired and the fort area was repaired and cleared.

So much history is definitely worth a visit!

Soon after the fort, a lunch stop is planned at Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland. After lunch it goes to Mikkeli, which is located on a northern spur of Lake Saimaa. The municipality has 54,734 inhabitants. Mikkeli is the capital of the Etelä-Savo landscape. You can refuel here again, do some shopping and possibly have a drink. After this stop you can stop at Mörkinahon kahvila on the way, this is on the route about 30 KM before the end point. You can also spend the night at Lake Saimaa, at Mannilanniemi, where you can rent a cabin (with sauna) or reserve a room in the main building.

This 4-star rated route through Finland's unspoiled nature lets you enjoy every bend and countless lakes.

General information:
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a state in Northern Europe with a population of 5,571,665. Finland borders Russia to the east, Norway to the north and Sweden to the northwest. To the south it is separated from Estonia by the Gulf of Finland.
The capital is Helsinki, and the second largest city and metropolitan area is Tampere, which is about 180 kilometers north of Helsinki. Finland has been called 'the land of a thousand lakes'; in reality there are about 168,000 lakes. The largest lake is Lake Saimaa. In the southeast, the country is dotted with innumerable lakes and ponds.

Finland has a humid continental climate with short, warm summers and long, cold winters. Precipitation falls in the form of rain, hail and snow in all months of the year. In the south, the summers are warmer than can be expected at this high latitude. The temperature can reach more than 30 ° C. This is due to high-pressure areas that migrate from the Russian steppe to Scandinavia during the summer. In the rest of Finland, the summers are cool with long dry spells. This is mainly due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean with its warm Gulf Stream.
In the far north, summer lasts 73 days and the midnight sun can be seen. Lapland is covered with a thick layer of snow for a large part of the winter months. Much of Finland is covered with snow for more than half of the year. The amount of rainfall in the northern part of Lapland varies from less than 400 millimeters in the southwest to more than 600 millimeters in the southeast. In Lapland, 1 to 2 meters of snow can fall annually.
Because there is so little sunlight during the winter months, it cools down considerably. In the polar nights the temperature can drop to -35 ° C.