Pia sent me this card from Loviisa, which is a municipality and town of around 16000 inhabitants (31 January 2012) on the southern coast of Finland. The town centre is located about 87 km east of Helsinki, along the road to St. Petersburg. The new City of Loviisa (Lovisa in Swedish) was born on January 1st 2010 when former municipalities of Loviisa, Liljendal, Pernaja and Ruotsinpyhtää were merged together. Loviisa is best known for its fortifications, the wooden houses in its Old Town and the Strömfors Iron Works. Both Finnish and Swedish (the two official languages of Finland) are traditionally spoken in the Loviisa area.
Loviisa was founded in 1745, as a border fortress against Russia. Most of the fortifications have been preserved. It is named after Lovisa Ulrika, the Swedish Queen consort of Adolf Frederick of Sweden. Loviisa is the site of one of Finland's two nuclear power stations, the other being at Olkiluoto.
