Joensuu Sights

  1. Carelicum

    The Carelicum is a fine conceptual museum focusing on Karelia - its history, people and customs. This is an excellent place to get acquainted with Karelia before heading further east or north. There's one main floor of photographic exhibits and static displays, an interactive area for kids modelled on part of old Joensuu, and a miniature model of Sortavala (now in Russia) upstairs. There is also a gift shop and a good café on the ground floor.

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  2. Joensuu Art Museum

    Near the kauppatori, Joensuu Art Museum is a good display, with a diverse range of both Finnish and foreign pieces, including a good selection of Orthodox icons salvaged from the Soviets.

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  3. Orthodox Church of St Nicholas

    The most interesting church in Joensuu is the wooden Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, built in 1887. The icons were painted in St Petersburg in the late 1880s. There are services at on Saturday and on Sunday; worth a visit.

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  4. Town Hall

    The unusual Town Hall dominates the town centre, between the kauppatori and the river. It was designed by Eliel Saarinen, who also designed Helsinki's train station, and was built in 1914. Part of the building now houses the local theatre and a restaurant.

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