Joensuu Attractions

Saarikatu leads over a bridge on to the islands of Niskasaari and Ilosaari. On the latter island are a swimming beach and the Karelian House, founded in 1954 to promote Karelian culture, with the interesting Museum of Northern Karelia. A festival of Karelian song is held annually in Joensuu.

17km/10.5mi west of Joensuu, near Liperi, is the holiday village of Harila, on the shores of the Orivesi.

Joensuu Karelian Folk Festival is in June.

The Museum of Art in Joensuu has a collection of Finnish art of the 19th and 20th centuries, Russian icons and an exhibition of holography. Also in this area is the Orthodox church of St Nicholas, a wooden church on a cruciform plan. At the mouth of the river is the Hasanniemi open-air theater, with a revolving stage; nearby are a camping site and a hostel for hikers.

Each year the museum hosts ten temporary exhibitions of Finnish or foreign art.

Joensuu Song Festival is in June.

The festival includes 100 events over the span of one week and is suitable for all ages.

There are dance and theatrical performances children's events, exhibitions and musical concerts.

The main venue for this open-air festival is the Festival stage which is Finland's largest open-air concert area. Some events also take place in local clubs, and concert halls.

The Town Hall of Joensuu (by Eliel Saarinen, 1914) is a red brick building with a massive tower which also houses the Municipal Theater.

Between the Town Hall and the market square lies the Freedom Park. Near the Town Hall, on the river, is the quay used by the boats to Savonlinna and Koli and by cruise ships.

The Tropical Butterfly Garden features free-flying butterflies, birds, pond with turtles and fish and boa constrictors in their own section. There are butterfly collections, a gallery of primitive art and a snake garden.