Walking in suburb of Sammonlahti, in Lappeenranta, Finland

20 minutes of walking in "Bronx of Lappeenranta", Sammonlahti.

Sammonlahti is the biggest suburban area in Eastern Finland, with population of 16,000 inhabitants. Sammonlahti is located in West-Lappeenranta, 5 kilometers from the Lappeenranta city center. This suburban area has a bad reputation, and many people knows it only because it has a lots of criminality, poverty, foreigners and also a rat problem. Almost half of the population has a foreign background. I think all these things are true, because there is lot of cheap apartment in those hundreds "Soviet-block" designed apartment buildings. But I think nowadays the Sammonlahti is atleast a bit more calmer area. Also the city of Lappeenranta has started to renovate those apartment block, which is good, because they were in totally crappy condition. Also there is more polices in the area, so you feel safer there. Still, I think it maintains its reputation as a ghetto. Of course there much more worse suburban areas in Finland, like Kontula in Helsinki and Hervanta in Tampere. But they are way bigger than Sammonlahti and also Helsinki and Tampere are big cities, and Lappeenranta is only a normal mid-sized city in Finlands scale. But anyway, I hope you enjoy the walk! 😄

00:00 Sammonlahti shopping mall
01:25 Orioninkatu
02:10 Hietakallionkatu
04:45 Sammontori (shopping mall)
06:50 Skinnarilankatu
10:40 Path from crossings of Skinnarilankatu and Sammonlahdenkatu towards the apartment blocks
12:45 Ruotsalaisenraitti
14:45 Kierniemenraitti
16:40 Path from Kierniemenraitti to Orioninkatu
18:05 Orioninkatu
21:00 Sammonlahti shopping mall bus stop