Vekaransalmi bridge

Vekaransalmi has served as an important waterway for as long as people have traveled by water, as it has long provided passage from southern Saimaa to the north. Today, the Saimaa Deep Water Route passes through the strait, running from Savonlinna via Puumala to southern Saimaa and onward through the Saimaa Canal to the Gulf of Finland.

Ferry traffic in Vekaransalmi began in 1894, though the strait’s history stretches much further back. Between 1743 and 1809, the border between Sweden and Russia ran through the strait, cutting off a vital water route to Savonlinna and Lappeenranta.

After the Winter War, construction of the Salpa Line defensive fortifications began. On nearby Vekaransaari Island, there remains an anti-tank barrier that was part of the Salpa Line. In 1941, the Finnish Army built a temporary pontoon bridge made from barges across the Vekaransalmi Strait, which was also used by local residents. The bridge mainly served for the transport of soldiers, evacuees, and their livestock.

In 2019, the ferry was replaced by a bridge measuring 639 meters in length upon completion. It is the fifth longest bridge in Finland, and due to the deep-water route beneath it, the bridge stands 24.5 meters high.