Vyartsilya is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of republic significance of Sortavala in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located near the border with Finland, 256 km west of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 3,080.

History

An ancient settlement existed in the area of the present settlement as early as the first millennium BC. Its traces were found in 1935 by the Finnish archaeologist Sakari Pälsi. Vyartsilya was first mentioned in the salary books for 1499–1500 years, the village then numbered three courtyards and was part of the Vodskaya Pyatina of Novgorod Land. In 1617, according to the Stolbovsky Treaty, the territory on which Vyartsilya was located was transferred by Russia to Sweden. Later, the settlement became part of the Grand Duchy of Finland of the Russian Empire. In 1834, a small sawmill was built. In 1851, a metallurgical plant was built in Vyartsilya on the site of a sawmill for melting lake and swamp iron ore (it works to this day, but cast iron and steel smelting is no longer produced). The Finnish engineering company Wärtsilä traces its history back to the creation of these enterprises. Since 1918, it has been part of independent Finland. During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, the village suffered greatly. Vyartsilya became part of the Karelo-Finnish SSR of the USSR under the terms of the Moscow Treaty of 1940. Urban-type settlement status was granted to it in 1946.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the urban-type settlement of Vyartsilya is subordinated to the town of republic significance of Sortavala. As a municipal division, Vyartsilya is incorporated within Sortavalsky Municipal District as Vyartsilskoye Urban Settlement.

Border crossing

Vyartsilya is a major border checkpoint on the Finnish–Russian border (to Niirala in Tohmajärvi), with about one million people crossing the border annually. It is said that during the Cold War, from time to time, exchanges of captured spies occurred there.

Economy

By the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 29.07.2014 No. 1398-r (ed. dated 24.11.2015) «On approval of the list of monotowns», it is included in the list of single-industry municipalities of the Russian Federation that have risks of deterioration of the socio-economic situation. The town—forming enterprise of the village is the Vyartsilsky hardware plant for the production of metal products (hardware): wire, nails, metal mesh. There is also a woodworking plant (sawmill) in the village. There is a hotel and a club hotel for tourists.

Attractions

Notable people

Sources