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The Vienan reitti, also known as the Vuokki route to Viena, is a 27 km long, maintained and guided hiking trail in Suomussalmi, Kainuu. Along the Vienan reitti you will find maintained rest and fire places and places to visit, such as the Rautiaisen mylly, the Vienan reitti marker tree, the Jumalanhyväahon laavu, the Satalatva marker tree and, in Särkänpolvi, the Matkamiehen risti and the river fords. Fishing opportunities in the area are plentiful in the middle of a wilderness recreational forest. The opportunities for hikers, canoeists, recreational fishermen and wilderness walkers are varied and available all year round. In the nearby villages you can visit the Partisan monuments, the Kainuu dune landscape and the Vienankarjala villages of Suomussalmi.
The fascinating history of the Vienan reitti stretches back to the distant past, to trade between Viena Karelia and Finland, to warfare, poetry collection and the journeys of cultural researchers. For thousands of years, the Vienan reitti has been a route between Finland and Viena Karelia used by hunters, soldiers, poetry collectors and bag-sellers. It is part of the ancient trade route from the Bothnian Sea to the White Sea. The Vuokki route was also used by Elias Lönnrot on his poetry collection trips to Viena Karelia. The Vienan reitti is a cultural and historical trail protected by the Antiquities Act and an archaeological site of national importance.
Guidance on the Vienan reitti
The signpost and departure point of the Vienan reitti are located at the junction of Kuhmontie and Hepola-Pehkolantie. Hepola-Pehkolantie 1, Suomussalmi. Coordinates: 64° 43.9154′, 29° 38.1787′
The stages of the Vienan reitti:
- Vängänvaara-Rautiaisen mylly 4 km
- Rautiaisen mylly-Jumalanhyväahon laavu, 9 km
- Jumalanhyväahon laavu-Malahviantie-Tornionsärkkä start (also called Hyry's Särkkä) approx. 3 km
- Tornionsärkkä-Särkänpolvi, 5 km
- Särkänpolvi-Malahviantie road approx. 0,5 km
- Malahviantie-Viiankijärvi beach approx. 2,5 km. (the stage goes back and forth)
- End of the route, Viianki village, about 5 km by car
Vienan reitti guide map, printable version (pdf)
Printable brochure Vienan reitti (pdf)
History of the Vienan reitti
For thousands of years, the Vienan reitti has been the route between Finland and Viena Karelia used by hunters, soldiers, poetry collectors and bag dealers. It is part of the ancient trade route from the Bothnian Sea to the White Sea. The Vuokki route was also used by Elias Lönnrot on his poetry collection trips to Viena Karelia. Lönnrot started his poetry collection from the village of Vänkä, which is defined as the official starting point of the Vuokki route to Viena. The writer Ilmari Kianto writes about the Vuokki route in his 1909 travelogue: ”These wildernesses bordering Viena have had their own history for centuries, and no scholar has ever written down the secrets of the former hideaways and refuges. In ancient times, distant strangers have wandered through the mountain, which is one of the Arkhangelsk side gates, a waterway to the heartlands of Viena.”
The Vienan reitti is a cultural and historical trail protected by the Antiquities Act and an archaeological site of national importance. The area also contains signs and sites from the period of independence, the Winter War and the Continuation War.
Villages Kuivajärvi and Hietajärvi
The route is also close to the unique Vienankarjala villages of Suomussalmi, Hietajärvi and Kuivajärvi, which date back to the 1700s, and the Murhisalo and Malahvia nature reserves.
Yli-vuokki fishing
The Yli-Vuokki wilderness recreational forest is home to the region's fishable and clean recreational and rapids fishing sites. The area forms a unique landscape complex that is part of the Kalevala Park, established in 2014.
