Sortavala (Сортавала) is a town in the Russian Republic of Karelia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga.
History
Sortavala was founded by Sweden in 1632. In 1721 it was ceded to Russia and given the Russian name Serdobol. In 1812 it was made part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. After 1917 it became part of independent Finland. After the Winter War and the Moscow Peace Treaty, Sortavala was ceded to the Soviet Union, after belonging to Finland for about 150 years. Like most of Karelia, Sortavala was re-conquered and occupied by Finland during 1941–44 (the period of the Continuation War). After the war, Finns were evacuated and the city was resettled by Russians.
Until 1940, the Ladoga shore southwest of Sortavala had been one of the very few areas north of the Karelian Isthmus that was relatively densely populated by Karelians.
