Keitele is a relatively large lake in central Finland. With an area of 493.59 km², it is the ninth largest lake in the country. The lake is divided into three areas, Ylä-, Keski- and Ala-Keitel, of which Keski-Keitel is the largest. Where the water in the lake is clean and in excellent condition, and the towns of Äänekoski and Viitasaari are located on the shores of the lake.
The northernmost part of the lake is called Ylä-Keitel. A large part of Ylä-Keitel belongs to the Natura 2000 protection programme due to its clean water and natural state.
The leading representative of modern Finnish painting, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, first worked at Lake Keitele in the summer of 1904. This landscape of Lake Keitele is his third and most elaborate depiction of the lake and was exhibited in Helsinki the same year. The painting is signed with the Swedish form of the artist’s name; in later years he used the Finnish form above, by which he is best known today. This painting now hangs in the National Gallery in London.
The lake is prominently featured in James Church’s 2006 novel The Corpse at Corio.
Geography of Lake Keitele
Lake Keitele is located on the eastern border of central Finland and a small part of northern Savonia. With an area of 493.59 km², Lake Keitele is the second largest lake in central Finland and the ninth largest in Finland.
Keitele starts in the south at Äänekoski (Ala-Keitel) and stretches north to Viitasaari (Ylä-Keitel). The peninsulas and islands divide the Keitele into three basins: Ylä-Keitel (80 km²), Keski-Keitel (330 km²) and Ala-Keitel (88 km²).
Where the lake is about 85 kilometres long, has an area of just under 500 square kilometres and an elevation of 99.5 metres. The Keitele Canal connects the lake of the same name with Lake Päijänne.
Where the lake is part of the Kymijoki river system.
Cities
On the shores of the lake lie the towns of Äänekoski and Viitasaari and the municipalities of Konnevesi and Vesanto.
In contrast, the village of Keitele on the Rautalampi watercourse is not on the shore of the lake at all, but more than 10 kilometres away.
Islands
There are islands on the lake with a total area of 93 km². The largest are Pängätsalo, Jurvansalo and Luotolansaari.
