The presentation of Old Finland in the descriptions of Russian travellers and observers from the end of 18th to the beginning of the 20th century ALEXANDR M. PASHKOV Pashkov, Alexandr M. (2004). The presentation of Old Finland in the descrip- tions of Russian travellers and observers from the end of 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. Fennia 182: 1, pp. 13–22. Helsinki. ISSN 0015-0010. This paper deals with the origin and development of the Russian image of the Vyborg province or “Old Finland” (the Karelian Isthmus and Northern Ladoga region) from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. This region aroused the interest of Russia from three viewpoints. Firstly, the area had a developed economy and it was located not far from St. Petersburg. That was why its economic potential attracted Russian scientists. Secondly, the Vy- borg province was of interest due to its military-strategic position. The territo- ry was the most important bridgehead close to St. Petersburg. That was why the territory was subjected to close scrutiny by the Russian military officers. Thirdly, from the middle of the 19th century the Russian middle class citizens considered its area to be the part of Europe located nearest to Russia. The Ladoga region became an attraction for Russian tourists. Accordingly, the im- age of Vyborg province in 19th-century Russia was not homogeneous. The area aroused interest and was of importance for Russia due to various reasons and aspects. The formation of the image underwent considerable deformation af- ter 1917. Nonetheless, it should still be stated that the variety of images of Vyborg province, which were formed during 19th century, did not disappear but continue to develop even at present. Alexandr M. Pashkov, Department of History, Petrozavodsk State University, Lenin Prospekt 33, 185640 Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia. E-mail: pashkov@ mainpgu.karelia.ru. Early travel descriptions Northern Ladoga region’s Swedish centre. There appeared during the same period further Swed- The history of the Karelian Isthmus and the North- ish settlements, Salmis (the present-day Salmi) and ern Ladoga region has passed through an excess Kronoborg (the present-day Kurkijoki). After the of tragic upheavals. In 1617 right after the Treaty Great Northern War (1700–1721), the Northern of Stolbovo was signed, the territory was detached Ladoga region and Karelian Isthmus were brought from Russia to profit from the dominance of Swe- back under the rule of Russia. However, part of den. The local population – mainly Orthodox the Finnish and Swedish population chose to re- Karelians – moved back to Russia and the aban- main (Swedish people were scarce because they doned lands were gradually populated by Finns preferred to live in towns) and the Russian tsar, and Swedes. The ancient Russian-moulded cen- as a result, gained new subjects. tre of the Korela region was given the new name The policy implemented by the Russian govern- of Kexholm, which later turned into the Finnish ment in the newly won territories was quite gen- Käkisalmi, present-day Priozersk. The year 1643, tle and resulted in the preservation of Swedish leg- as well, saw the rise of the Swedish-minted set- islation, the Lutheran church and a system of lo- tlement Sordwalla, which later became officially cal self-government. However, legislation could Sortavala in Finnish. In 1646 the settlement ac- be changed in the case of a local inhabitant be- quired an urban status. Sordwalla became the ing sentenced to death by hanging. Under the cir- 14 Alexandr M. Pashkov FENNIA 182:1 (2004) cumstances, Russian laws would come into force towns of Kexholm and Sortavala (Serdobol). and the criminal was first whipped and subse- Closely researched were the stone quarries of quently sent to Siberia. Ruskeala and those on the islands of Yven and The next war between Russia and Sweden took Tulola, the village of Pitkäranta, and Varashev’s place during 1741–1743 and resulted in another great stone which served as a border marker be- three towns, Fredrikshamn (Hamina), Villman- tween Russia and Sweden. Moreover, there were strand (Lappeenranta) and Nyslott (Savonlinna) brief reports on the numerous villages and church- and their environs falling under the authority of yards of the Northern Ladoga region. Russia. The necessity of governing the newly won The description of his travels was published in Finnish territories brought about the establishment the Russian language in 1792 (Ozeretskovskii of the Viborg (Vyborg, in Finnish Viipuri) province. 1792) and in 1796 the academician H. Storch The present article offers an attempt to restore published in German certain extracts from Oz- the perception of the Viborg province as viewed eretskovskiy’s book in his work Materialien zur by Russian public opinion. In doing this greater Kenntniss des Russischen Reichs (Storch 1796). consideration will essentially be given in the arti- Ozeretskovskiy’s book appeared for the second cle to the perception of the Northern Ladoga re- time in an edition published in 1812. Ozeretsko- gion as inhabited by Finns and Karelians. The pro- vskiy’s work contains such valuable general infor- file of Valamo (Valaam) Monastery as seen by Rus- mation about the nature, population and econo- sian people appears to be a separate and unique my of the shoreline region of the Ladoga and On- subject of research and for this reason it will not ega lakes that it has been for many years a source be treated in the present article. of variegated knowledge on Karelia without hav- ing once lost its value for a host of researchers up to our own days because it emerges as a para- St. Petersburg and scholarly interest digm for all scientific descriptions of the region in Karelia (see Ozeretskovskii 1989). The Enlightenment was marked by the emer- The year of 1725 saw the rise the Academy of Sci- gence of local amateur historians. In the North- ences in St. Petersburg; since the middle of 18th ern Ladoga region the most notable representa- century the era of the Enlightenment in Russia had tive of these local researchers was Samuel Alo- come into being. The essence of the Enlighten- paeus, a pastor from Sortavala, who was a de- ment entailed the pre-eminent superiority of sci- scendant of a Finnish bond farmhand, Thomas entific knowledge, and for this reason government Kettunen by name. His descendants were given policy in Russia, beginning approximately from the name from the Greek “Alopaeus”, meaning the middle of 18th century had been encourag- “fox”. Samuel Alopaeus finished school in Turku ing the development of science and education. and served as a preacher for the Finnish Luther- In the second half of 18th century, the St. Peters- ans in St. Petersburg between 1751 and 1755. burg Academy of Sciences, influenced by the ide- Later he was transferred to Sortavala where he was as of the Enlightenment, showed great enthusiasm promoted to dean (prost). He lived in Sortavala in the study of Russian countryside. until his death in 1794 (Bojarinskaja 1997). The first Russian scholar to visit the Northern Samuel Alopaeus is primarily known for his re- Ladoga region was the academician N. Ozeret- search in geology and the mining industry. He is skovskiy from the Academy of St. Petersburg. His credited as a pioneer in uncovering the marble visit took place in the summer of 1785 and its aim deposits at Ruskeala. His book A brief description was to collect general information about the nu- of the marble deposits and the other stone quar- merical strength and pursuits of the local popula- ries located in Russian Karelia (1787) which was tion, their economy and their degree of produc- published in German (see Alopaeus 1787) and tivity. The natural resources of the region and that Russian and enjoyed phenomenal popularity, still of the shoreline of Russia’s northern lakes were remains a well-known source for researchers. It examined with a view to exporting on a wider is for the publication of this book that he was scale products from the region to the city of St. elected a member of the Free Economic Society Petersburg. Ozeretskovskiy visited and described in 1789. the chukhon village of Taibola, the Konevitsa One of the Enlightenment’s manifestations in (Konevets) and Valamo monasteries, and the Russia was the encouragement of current and in- FENNIA 182: 1(2004) The presentation of Old Finland in the descriptions of… 15 cipient research institutions. The year 1765 saw ince in northern Kexholm district”, and “The Joen- the rise of the Free Economic Society (FES) that suu marble quarries in the Finnish province, united researchers and specialists in their agricul- northern Kexholm district on the Island of Ambar- ture and peasant-related pursuits. The FES had a saari on Lake Ladoga”. The fifth volume includes wide network of contributors in various parts of the article “Serdobol, a town newly established the country and was busy issuing its own period- in the Finnish province” while in the sixth vol- ical The works of the FES. As soon as Samuel Alo- ume are the articles “Finland, former Swedish paeus was given membership in the FES he be- lands”, “The Finnish province”, “Finns or came deeply involved in it by publishing several Chukhons”, and “The Finnish people or ancient profound works and a number of essays in The Russes”. Finally, the seventh volume includes the works of the FES (see Pashkov 1997) among which articles “Chukhons or Finns properly so-called”. one can highlight the monograph A description It is evident from this short list of articles that of the location of Kexholm province, also known by the beginning of the 19th century, the Viborg as Karelia (Trudy… 1792, 185–202) and Karelia’s province had been investigated by Russian re- waterways (Trudy… 1793, 268–286).