Savonlinna (Nyslott in Swedish, literally Newcastle) is a municipality of about 28,000 inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region.
The city was founded in the 17th century based around St. Olaf's Castle. The castle was founded by Erik Axelsson Tott in 1475 in an effort to protect Savonia and to control the unstable border between the Kingdom of Sweden and its Russian adversary.
The city hosts the famous annual Savonlinna opera festival . The operas are performed on a stage built within the castle.
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