Imatrankoski Rapids

The rapids at Imatra on the Vuoksi river were the great natural spectacle of the region for centuries, drawing travellers from as far as the Russian court, and a hotel was built beside them in 1903 in stone and turrets to house the visitors. In 1929 the river was dammed for hydroelectric power and the rapids went dry, and since then they have been an event rather than a place: on a published summer schedule the gates are opened and the water is released through the gorge for a set number of minutes, accompanied by music, with crowds along the railings. Outside the release the channel is a dry rock gorge that can be walked.

What you actually see

• The scheduled water release - the gorge filled on a timetable, with music.
• The dry rock channel - the gorge walkable when the gates are shut.
• The 1903 hotel - the stone building put up for early visitors.
• The crowd along the railings - the shared occasion of the release.

When to go

June to August, on the published release schedule, usually daily in high summer with fewer dates outside it. Two hours. Check the timetable; missing it means a dry gorge.

Honest expectations

It runs for about twenty minutes on a schedule and there is nothing to see at other times. The release is a managed show, not a natural rapid. Crowds along the rails are dense. The schedule changes year to year.

Nearby

Lappeenranta is west; the Russian border lies east.