Kotka miniguide
Kotka, which is Finland's second busiest port, located in the Gulf of Finland - at the mouth of the river Kymmene.The city, which has had town rights since 1879, has 55,694 inhabitants (2008). Where today's Kotka is located, was at the end of the 1700s built a large fortress - Swedish Sund. Today there are remnants of the fortress of Kotka ö outside the city.
Among the sights in Kotka, there are quite a special aquarium, which only includes fish that live in Finnish freshwater - Kotka Maretarium. Otherwise, the city has several beautiful parks - and here the Sapokka Vatten Park specifically mentioned.
The proximity to the sea means that more of the city's attractions have a maritime connection. The foremost of these is the Maritime Center Vellamo - a huge museum complex that includes Finland sjøhistoriske Museum and Kymmene Valley Museum. The buildings, covering an area of 15,000 km2, is the sign of the experimental Finnish architects Ilmari Lahdelma.
A very popular summer event is the festival "Kotka Sea Days" - with concerts, regattas and a host of other cultural events.
Nearest major airport is Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport outside the capital, Helsinki, about 130 km west of Kotka.
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