Kallavesi (Finnish: Kallavesi) is the largest lake in the province of North Savo in Finland. The lake is of glacial origin, has a water surface of 478 km² and is ranked tenth in the list of Finland’s largest lakes. The lake is relatively narrow, stretching from northwest to southeast, and has a very rugged shoreline. Together with five other lakes it forms the Iso-Kalla system. The largest settlement on the shores of the lake is Kuopio.
Etymology of Lake Kallavesi
There are two lakes in Finland that bear the name Kallavesi. The second lake, Kallavesi, is located in the basin of the Kymi River in Mäntyuharju. The word vesi (‚water‘) is found in the names of many large lakes in the province of Savo. Due to the abundance of place names in southern Savo and the western part of the Karelian Isthmus with the base kalla- (Kallavuori, Kallamäki, Kallavieru), it is assumed that the first part of the toponym kalla- comes from the base kalta- / kallas „river bank, slope“. Both lakes, named Kallavesi, have numerous steep slopes. The word kalla has long since separated from the original kalta- and become a separate lexeme.
Tourism
Lake Kallavesi is an important recreational and tourist destination in northern Savoy. The jewel of the lake is the 40 km² of water in the southern part of Kallavesi and its undeveloped islands. In the 18th century, the Swedish king gave a large part of the archipelago to the city of Kuopio. The central islands of the archipelago, such as Iivarinsalo and Vatanen, are popular with hikers, mushroom pickers, berry pickers, hunters and fishermen. There are six fishing huts, three cooking huts, seven shelters and 23 rain shelters with fireplaces. All of these sites are equipped with wood shelters, toilets and trash cans and are open to the public. There are good sandy beaches in Hietasalo and Iivarisalo.
