Our peaceful surroundings have witnessed the conflicts between Finland and the Soviet Union during the Second World War.
Rukajärvi Road is a historical war road in North Karelia. It relates to the stages of the Continuation War. The last battle of the continuation war between Finnish and Soviet troops took place in Rukajärvi. The logistics of the Finnish troops took place via the Rukajärvi road, which is the road where we are located, nowadays named Kivivaarantie.
The length of the Rukajärvi road on the Finnish side in the Lieksa area is 44 kilometers.
The starting point of the road is in the center of Lieksa, where is located the Rukajärventie visitors center. It continues through the villages of Pankajärvi and Nurmijärvi, crossing the Finnish-Russian border in Kivivaara. Along the road, there are information boards, photography exhibitions, and other memorabilia.
The road has been made famous by Antti Tuuri’s novel “Rukajärventie”, and there is a film about it made in the year 1999.