Kyläniemi hasn’t always been an island – it was a peninsula until the Russians came up with the idea to shorten their waterway to Savonlinna. Although it is cut off from the mainland now, about ten families live on the island permanently. The rest of the houses sparesly distributed are summer residences or Mökkis.

A postal service is in existence, but letters aren’t dropped at doorsteps. With delivery stopping at the main roads, there are assemblys of various postboxes at many crossroads. If you live or stay further out, you are required to go there yourself and collect your mail.

Another interesting thing is how the houses are numbered in the small roads like Pieniniementie: We are number 40, which means our territory is about 400 meters away from the crossing to the next bigger road. Our neighbours got 26 and 76…