The National Centre RUSSIA congratulates the Republic of Karelia on its 105th anniversary

On June 8, the Republic of Karelia celebrates its 105th anniversary. The National Centre RUSSIA congratulates the people of the region on this significant occasion.

The national identity of the future republic was first reflected in the name of the autonomous regional entity within the RSFSR. On this day in 1920, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee established the Karelian Labour Commune by decree.

The 20th century brought difficult times for Karelia — during the Great Patriotic War, the longest front line, the Karelian Front, passed through the region. It managed to hold back the invaders, preventing the encirclement of Leningrad and the enemy's advance deep into the country. After the war, a period of rapid development and large-scale construction followed.

Today, Karelia continues to grow and modernise. Last year, the region achieved record-breaking figures in housing construction. New state-of-the-art enterprises are launched annually, unique investment projects are implemented, and the number of small and medium-sized businesses is steadily increasing.

"We conducted a survey among visitors to our republic to find out what word or epithet they associate with Karelia. The majority chose 'Legendary.' Karelia truly embodies legends: here, among the unique and austere northern nature, in a land of thousands of rivers and lakes, live hardworking and immensely talented people. It was on Karelian soil that our storytellers preserved the world-renowned bylinas and the epic 'Kalevala.' The region is home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites — the wooden architecture of Kizhi Island and the ancient rock carvings of the Belomorsk and Onega petroglyphs. Thanks to the hospitality of our residents and the consistent efforts of the Government, Karelia has been ranked among the top tourist destinations in Russia for many years, and we continue to invest significantly in developing modern and comfortable infrastructure," said the Head of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov.

He also noted that the Republic of Karelia has tremendous social and economic potential and continues to attract investors thanks to the ongoing improvement of support measures for the economy.

"Today, Karelia is not only about tourism. It is also home to new factories and high-tech industries — we are building Russia's first digital shipyard, the region manufactures equipment for nuclear power plants, our firefighting robots are supplied across the country and abroad, Karelian stone-processing products are used in construction and urban development projects worldwide, and the region is one of the leaders in aquaculture production. We invite everyone to visit Karelia — beautiful at any time of the year! We are certain it will remain in your heart forever," added Artur Parfenchikov.

The cultural and industrial achievements, landmarks, and natural beauty of the Republic of Karelia can be seen as part of the exposition of the Northwestern Federal District at the "Journey Across Russia" exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA. The exposition is open daily, except Mondays, from 10:00 to 20:00.