Svetogorsk

History

Originally called Enso, it was founded in 1887 to serve a paper mill. At the time, it was a part of Vyborg Governorate in the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1919, Finland became independent and the governorate was transformed into Viipuri Province. Enso became a part of the Jääski Municipality, with the seat in Jääski.

The territory was ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union by the Moscow Peace Treaty as a result of the Winter War. After the Winter War, the Finns and the Soviets disagreed on the interpretation of the peace treaty regarding Enso. The former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Väinö Tanner wrote in his memoirs: "Already now a dispute about the district of Enso developed. According to the map attached to the peace treaty Enso was clearly intended to belong to Finland but the Russians claimed that it should belong to them. Later the map was redrawn according to the interests of the Russians so that the border bends at Enso."

In March 1940, Enso became a part of Yaskinsky District with the administrative center in the work settlement of Yaski. It was a part of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, after March 31, 1940 of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic.

Enso was recaptured by Finns between 1941 and 1944 during the Continuation War but was again ceded to Soviets by the Moscow Armistice. This secession was formalized after signing the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947. The Finnish population was resettled to Finland, while migrants from Central Russia resettled the Karelian Isthmus.

On November 24, 1944, Yaskinsky District was transferred from Karelo-Finnish SSR to Leningrad Oblast. On October 1, 1948, the district was renamed Lesogorsky and on January 13, 1949, all Finnish names of the localities were replaced with Russian names. In particular, Enso was renamed Svetogorsk. On December 9, 1960, Lesogorsky District was abolished and merged into Vyborgsky District.

In 1972, the Soviet Union awarded Finland a construction project for a large new cellulose and paper mill in Svetogorsk. The project was paid with Soviet crude oil. The project also gave a start to cross-border relations. Notably, the construction workers in Svetogorsk were called "builders", and the project also had intent to "build friendship between peoples".

On April 18, 2008, about five hundred inhabitants of Svetogorsk participated in a protest which included a road barricade on the Finnish–Russian border as a protest against poor road conditions and lack of investment in road improvement at both federal and municipal level. According to the Finnish public service broadcaster Yle, the militia participated in effectively cutting off through traffic. The main issue of discontent was the lack of a bypass, which, according to reports, should have already been built.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with the urban-type settlement of Lesogorsky and two rural localities, incorporated within Vyborgsky District as Svetogorskoye Settlement Municipal Formation. As a municipal division, Svetogorskoye Settlement Municipal Formation is incorporated within Vyborgsky Municipal District as Svetogorskoye Urban Settlement.

Industry

Before the Winter War, the town was a major factory site for Enso-Gutzeit Oy, the Finnish pulp and paper company (now Stora Enso). In the 1940 Moscow Peace Treaty, the new Finnish-Soviet border was deliberately drawn to leave the factory complex on the Soviet side. The town's major industry is still pulp and paper.

OAO Svetogorsk, one of the biggest paper mills in Russia, is the major employer. Covering 2 square kilometers (0.77 sq mi), OAO Svetogorsk produces pulp, printing paper, and packaging board. Its brands include Svetocopy and Ballet office paper. Since December 1998, OAO Svetogorsk has been majority owned by International Paper. At end of 2001, the plant employed 3,000 people; by 2008 this had fallen to 2,200.

Immediately adjacent to OAO Svetogorsk is a tissue mill. This formed part of the original mill complex but was split-away and resold by International Paper to SCA during the acquisition of OAO Svetogorsk from Tetra Laval, which controlled the plant since 1995. Svetogorsk Tissue, as the separate entity was to be called, became fully integrated into SCA Hygiene Products Division in 2003. It employs around four hundred people. Its products include Zewa and Tork brands of paper towels and toilet paper.

Border crossing

The Imatra–Svetogorsk border crossing plays a key role in the transportation of timber between Russia and Finland. Also, around 150 employees commute daily from Imatra to the paper mills. The border crossing, which had temporary status, was a frequent cause of bottlenecks due to lengthy customs checks and inadequate facilities. A Russia-Finland agreement in 1997 allowed the development and eventual permanence of the border crossing. This €7 million European Union TACIS-funded project ran from 1999 and the new international frontier, capable of handling 1,300 cars per day, opened on July 3, 2002.

Transportation

Svetogorsk is connected by railway with Kamennogorsk, where it has connection to the old Vyborg–Joensuu railroad. There is suburban traffic to Vyborg. The continuation of the railroad beyond Svetogorsk to the Finnish–Russian border is disused.

Svetogorsk is connected by roads with Kamennogorsk and Vyborg, as well as with Imatra across the border.

Sister city

Svetogorsk has one sister city: