National park ”Koli”

Koli is one of 41 national parks in Finland. Located in Eastern Finland in the province of Eastern Karelia, on the western shore of Lake Pielinen, in the municipality of Joensuu. The area of ​​the park is 45 km².

Koli National Park is considered one of the most picturesque places in Finland. Mount Ukko-Koli is the highest in the country (347 m). It offers a breathtaking view of Lake Pielinen, which tourists come to see. The park is also have the famous Pirunkirkko Gorge (“Church of the Devil”). This is the longest natural cave in Finland. Legends connect it with the shamans and sorcerers of Koli, but inside you will not find traces of ancient cults. A poem by the famous Finnish artist Eero Järnefelt is engraved on the wall.

There is a legend about the Pirinkirkko Gorge:

“A long time ago, there lived a girl at the foot of the mountain. Her lover, leaving to the war, put a ring on her finger with the words: “If the ring will be on your finger when I return, I will marry you.” A girl, once walking along the gorge, dropped her ring. She decided that since Koli’s perfume had taken the gift, she needed to order another, thinking that her lover would not notice the substitution. But when he returned, he found out about everything and left his native land: he was angry that his bride was wearing a ring from another men. Then the girl, mad with grief, went to the gorge every day and threw everything she had there. Locals found her dead on the edge of the gorge, exhausted, but the original ring shone on her finger: the spirits took pity on her and returned it.”

When you came to Koli, you need to throw something into that gorge to not anger the spirits.

What you should see:

Uhrihalkeama

There is a crevice in the rock where people can throw a coin for good luck. You can also see cave paintings from a hundred years ago on the rock.

Mount Rylajus

From the observation point on Mount Rylajus there are beautiful views of the mountains of the national park and Lake Pielinen. The walk to Mount Rylajus from the nearest parking lot, in Jero, is about 2.4 km.

Räsävaara observation tower

The observation tower is only 18 meters high, but location on the top of the mountain raises the observation point to more than 300 meters above sea level. Walk along the path from the parking lot to the foot of the observation tower is several hundred meters.

Personally, I recommend to visit this park. In it, all problems fade into the background and only you and nature remain in the world.