There is a Saimaa Canal museum near the Mälkiä lock. The museum is housed in the former official residence of the canal’s senior district manager. You can find more information about the museum on these links: Saimaa Canal museum, in Finnish (Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency) and Saimaa Canal museum (Visit Lappeenranta)

There is a Saimaa Geopark sign at the Saimaa Canal’s Mälkiä lock parking area: Contents of the Saimaa canal sign (pdf)

Three panels in the sign open up different contents on your mobile device (a series of panels beginning with the title “Discover the hidden treasures of Lake Saimaa”). You need the free Salmi AR app to view the content. Content includes pictures, videos, audio narration, and peepholes. You’ll find information about Suvorov’s time, wartime, and industrialization, and get to see what the area looked like 11,000 years ago and how the ancestors lived. The contents are currently available only in Finnish. Instructions for downloading the Salmi AR application (pdf)

The Saimaa Canal Cultural Trail (Saimaan kanavan kulttuuripolku) runs by the side of the canal, between the locks of Mustola and Mälkiä. The trail is mostly easy, but there are stairs along the way. More information about the trail (South Karelian Foundation for Recreation Areas)

Image: Kaisa-Maria Remes