This document discusses efforts to promote cultural heritage in Savonlinna, Finland through various initiatives and partnerships. It describes Savonlinna's rich cultural attractions including Olavinlinna Castle, several museums, and natural areas. Projects are underway to develop cultural tourism and apply for the European Capital of Culture designation in 2026. These involve grassroots initiatives, an EU-funded cultural routes project, and plans to enhance heritage sites and interpretation digitally. The goal is to increase tourism and economic benefits by better showcasing Savonlinna's unique cultural and natural heritage.

1. Valorizing cultural
heritage in Savonlinna
– European context
28.04.2022
Pellervo Kokkonen
Senior Advisor, Ph.D.
Savonlinna Development Services Ltd
Nikke Kaartinen,
Director, M.A
Riihisaari Museum, Savonlinna.

2. Savonlinna
Business Services
• Local development agency – city level.
• Responsible for the implementation of city economic
development strategy
• Services for SMEs and start-ups: Business incubation,
consultation with financing, invest-in activities
• Savonlinna Development Services Ltd. –
implementation of international, regional and local
projects – facilitating project proposal development
with stakeholders
• Developing the strategic partnerships in the cultural
tourism sector
 Savonlinna Opera Festival
 National Museum – Olavinlinna historic castle
 Metsähallitus parks and wildlife (national parks
and recreation areas)
 Riihisaari Museum
 National Forest Museum Lusto
• Bringing the right people
together
• Building trust
• Catalyzing initiative building
• Supporting and enabling the
implementation of projects

3. Where are we?
Finland
Sweden
Estonia
Russia
Latvia
Norway
Gulf of
Bothnia
Gulf of Finland
Lake
Ladoga
Lake
Saimaa
Baltic Sea
Savonlinna

4. Savonlinnan kaupunki
• Olavinlinna Castle (90 000 visits)
• Forest Museum Lusto (29 000 visits)
• Riihisaari Lake Heritage Museum
(33 000 visits).
• Punkaharju national landscape.
• Kerimäki church – biggest wooden church in
the world.
• World’s largest fleet of steam ships harbored
in Savonlinna.
• Savonlinna Opera Festival, since 1912
www.operafestival.fi
• Rich season of summer events
July-September
Between East and West
– rich cultural heritage

5. At the heart of
Lake Saimaa
• Linnansaari and Kolovesi
national parks
• National landscape,
arboretum and recreation
area of Punkaharju esker.
• 192 000 visits p.a.
• Culinary heritage with
wildlife, vendace
(Coregonus albula), wild
mushrooms and berries
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7. Saimaa Phenomenon ECoC
Saimaa European Region of Gastronomy
• Prepation for the European
Capital of Culture bid 2026.
• Activation of local level
actions and support for
cultural heritage valorization
• Support action: Saimaa
Cultural Heritage
Development Programme
• Saimaa Day – networking
platform for cultural heritage
stakeholders – tying together
local initiatives.
• Creative Savonlinna Action
plan: CCIs development
concept  spin-off MoE-
funded project

8. From the bottom up – grass-roots initiatives
supporting strategic goals
• Participatory planning: Local
democracy fora –
• 5 sub-regions, local level
• Meeting twice per year
• Influencing the implementation of
city strategy:
• dedicated budget to implement
initiatives from in Savonlinna
Village to village
• heritage interpretation
and signage project
carried out by Village’s
association – village
volunteers
• 800 signposts to guide the
local residents and
tourists on hiking routes
and sights around
Savonlinna area.
• Implementation of
regional/city strategy for
developing attractions.
• Dissemination on Visit
Savonlinna website
• LEADER

9. Reviving the tradition of rowing
• ”Sääminki” association – revival of achipelago
traditions
• Free rowing boats for use by visitors
From the bottom up
Stories of the archipelago
• Vesj’kansa – the ”boat
people” of Lake Saimaa
• Audio stories route –
signposting and qr code-
activated content

10. St. Olav ways –
Council of Europe
cultural route
• Finland joins the CoE agreement on cultural
routes 2018
• 2019-2020 activation project, grant for
Savonlinna Development Services from the
Ministry of Education to develop St. Olav Ways
and Rock Art Trails
• Joining of forces in Finland for development of
land routes
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
activation: Pilgrimage Finland network.
• 2019, 2020 local grass-roots level activation:
history association. Promotion of theme, local
congregation joining, summer events, St. Olav’s
Day 29.7. celebration
• Ready to apply for St. Olav Ways status as
thematic site, in 2022 to join international
association.

11. S-creatives
• C. 300 skilled individuals and artists working in Savonlinna
• Bringing people together, facilitating cooperation
• Culture Forum – regular meetings
• Promoting the city as a creative hub
• Musical networks promotion – different genres

12. Macro <<- ->> Micro – policy vs. grassroots development
Lake
archipelago
heritage
storytelling
Jouhikko
playing
Boat and
navigational
traditions
Lake Saimaa
archipelago
lifestyles
Local food
production and
tradition
Local lifestyle –
relationship
with lake nature
History of
borders
Military history
Hunting
Lake fisheries
Wild nature
resources
gathering:
berries,
mushroom
COE
cultural
routes
UNESCO
natural
heritage
2024
ECoC bid
(2020-
2021)
ERG bid
2022
Regional
sustainable
tourism
strategy
Creative
Saimaa (2022)
CCI & tourism
cluster
initiative
ESIF instruments
Cultural
events
Horizon Europe Creative
Europe
LIFE
INTERREG
LEADER
RURAL
FINLAND
Local
microfinancing
ENI CBC

13. Heritage for ”you”

14. Telling about Lake Saimaa heritage
• 3d model of Olavinlinna castle
• Telling stories about history, nature, local lifestyle through personas
• Offering experiences all year round: support

15. Themes
• Olavinlinna castle
• UNESCO WH site
• Riihisaari and Savonlinna urban national park
• Eastern Finland museum collaboration: heritage platform – open data
• Punkaharju national landscape – Forest museum Lusto & forest
education

16. Saimaa Ringed
Seal Archipelagoes
UNESCO World Heritage Site based on natural heritage 2024
• The unique and outstanding value is the unique species of
Saimaa ringed seal and its habitat.
• Endemic, endangered species living as ice age relic species in the lake.
Adapted to the lake environment. Thoroughly researched 1970 to
present.
• Limitation based on Natura 2000 –network c. 1890 km²
contains the living and nesting areas.
• Protection:
• Natura 2000 + national and EU regulations, protection plan, water
regulation and fishing restrictions.
• Lisätietoa: https://www.metsa.fi/projekti/saimaan-
maailmanperintohanke/
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17. Saimaannorppa
(pusa hispida saimensis)
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Kuvat: Visit Saimaa

18. Heritage interpretation
- Visitor centre(s)
- Unified content production – 16 municipalities in the area
- Digitally accessible 365/24/7

19. UNESCO world heritage opportunities
• Touristic productization
• Development of museums and national urban
park as natural and cultural heritage attraction
easily accessible from city centre
• Using heritage interpretation to offer different
layers of the story: Lenghtening the stay,
inducing repeat visits.
• Building the visitor centre as a HUB of
activities and for advanced digital exhibition.
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Potentially 150 000 – 200 000 new visitors (measured in bednights) in Savonlinna.
 15-20 mEUR tourism revenue

20. Digital heritage destination
 easily accessible also digitally,
 is based on researched understanding of visitor/user needs and motivations,
 engages users through different approaches and methodologies
 is capable of providing fulfilling experience for different user segments, including children, youth, adults,
elderly people, people with disabilities
 provides diverse and renewable content and activities offer for different user segment, seasons and
based on inherent a thematic variety of the destination
 is capable of offering content prior to visit (motivation to travel), on site and after the visit (sharing
experiences, post-marketing and engagement of users)
 Offering participatory experiences for visitor to support learning and bonding to the sites
 enhancing heritage interpretation through the application of phenomenon based learning approach as
basic philosophy (phenomenon based learning has been introduced in Finland in the National
Curriculum Framework of schools in 2016).
 Improved visitor management through digital guidance

21. New user segments and user-oriented design
• Example of different user groups benefitting from digitally enhanced visitor experience include
- children and youth, schools – in authentic environments
- people with disabilities
- engaging the youth and young adults through gamification
Project content
State of the art platform
- Content development
- User interface
- Technological implementation
-
- custom analysis of target user profiles
- content creation and management plan
- marketing and distribution plan
- pilot and evaluation study.

22. Thank you!
Pellervo Kokkonen pellervo.kokkonen@savonlinna.fi
Nikke Kaartinen nikke.kaartinen@savonlinna.fi