Place:Karelia, Severo-zapadny, Russia

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source: Family History Library Catalog

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The Republic of Karelia (; ; ; ; , Ludic: Kard’alan tazavald), or Karelia, is a republic of Russia situated in Northern Europe. The republic is a part of the Northwestern Federal District, and covers an area of , with a population of roughly 650,000 residents. Its capital is Petrozavodsk.

The modern Karelian Republic was founded as an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR by the Resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) of 27 June 1923, and by the Decree of the VTsIK and the Council of People's Commissars of 25 July 1923, from the Karelian Labour Commune. From 1940 to 1956, it was known as the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the union republics in the Soviet Union. In 1956, it was once again made an autonomous republic and remained part of Russia following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

History

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The Karelian people and culture developed during the Viking Age in the region to the west of Lake Ladoga. The Karelians' alliance with Novgorod developed into domination by the latter in the 13th century. Around this time, Sweden's interest in Karelia began a centuries-long struggle with Novgorod (later Russia) that resulted in numerous border changes following the many wars fought between the two.

In 1920, the province became the Karelian Labour Commune. In 1923, the province became the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelian ASSR).

From 1940, it was made into the Karelo-Finnish SSR, incorporating the Finnish Democratic Republic which nominally operated in those parts of Finnish Karelia that the Soviet Union occupied during the Winter War. Annexed territories were incorporated into Karelo-Finnish SSR, but after World War II, the Karelian Isthmus was incorporated into the Leningrad Oblast. The status of Karelo-Finnish SSR was changed back to the Karelian ASSR in 1956.

In 1941, Finland occupied large parts of the area but was forced to withdraw in 1944. Though Finland is not currently pursuing any measures to reclaim Karelian lands ceded to Russia, the "Karelian question" remains a topic present in Finnish politics. The autonomous Republic of Karelia in its present form was formed on 13 November 1991.

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