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Mikkeli (; ; ; ) is a city in, and the regional capital of, South Savo, Finland, located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population is approximately , while the Mikkeli sub-region of South Savo has a population of approximately . Mikkeli is the most-populous municipality of Finland and the 19th most-populous urban area in the country.
Mikkeli is located on the shores of Saimaa, the largest lake in the country, and Europe's fourth largest. Prior to being located within South Savo, the city was in Mikkeli Province (until 1997), before becoming part of Eastern Finland Province (1997-2009). The city covers an area of , of which is water. Mikkeli is one of the largest towns in the South Savo region, and one of the main hubs in the region's hospital districts, along with Savonlinna.
During World War II, Mikkeli served as the headquarters for the Finnish Defence Forces, thus the town's coat of arms features a pair of crossed Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim batons in honour of the armed forces. The town was awarded the Cross of Liberty, Class, which is displayed alongside the coat of arms.
The peace treaty of Nöteborg in 1323, with which the pogost (church parish) of Savilahti was transferred from the control of Novgorod to Sweden, is the oldest written record of the settlement in the present region of Mikkeli. The locality received its present name Mikkeli after Archangel Michael by the early 16th century at the latest.
On 23 January 1597, more than 200 peasant rebels were killed in the parsonage of Kenkävero in part of the larger Cudgel War. In the war waged by King Gustav III of Sweden against Russia, the Battle of Porrassalmi took place a few miles south of Mikkeli on 13 June 1789. In the battle the Swedes (Finns) victoriously defended their positions against superior numbers of Russians.
Mikkeli was granted town rights in 1838. The provincial government of the province of Mikkeli that had been established in 1831, moved from Heinola to Mikkeli in 1843. In 1918, during the Civil War, the headquarters of the White Army were established in Mikkeli. Mikkeli was located in a conservative farming area and it was a White stronghold, but elements of the Russian Army garrison in the area supported the Reds. A major engagement was fought around the railway station at Mäntyharju, about to the south of Mikkeli, when the Whites blocked a Red thrust coming north out of Kouvola. During the Winter War and Continuation War, the headquarters of the Finnish Army was located in Mikkeli. The Army staff made their base in a local secondary school. At the site of that school is the small containing photographs and memorabilia of the era. As a result of serving as the headquarters of the army that was based there, Mikkeli was bombed heavily, but since there was almost no high-rise development at the time the damage was quickly repaired. Architecturally, most of pre-war Mikkeli doesn't exist anymore. Wartime Mikkeli is identified with Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim, the supreme commander of the Finnish Defence Forces and later President of Finland. His personal railway carriage, which he used as a command post during the war, is parked in a siding at Mikkeli Station. It is possible to look inside the carriage through its windows at any time, but public entry to the carriage is permitted only once a year, on Mannerheim's birthday (4 June). The carriage was the venue of Mannerheim's famous 1942 meeting with Adolf Hitler near Immola Airfield, during which their private conversation was secretly recorded; photographs of this meeting are on display in the carriage. Mannerheim was a regular diner at the Mikkelin Klubi, where his favourite drink was Marskin ryyppy.
One of the main museums in the town is the , located in one of the former army barracks, close to the University of Applied Sciences. It contains exhibits from the four wars in Finland's modern history – the Civil, Winter, Continuation and . The museum also contains an exhibit dedicated to Finnish war hero Lauri Törni.Dominik George, Lt. Col., USMC (Ret.) Nargele (2026). 9781467837439, AuthorHouse. . ISBN 9781467837439
In 1986, there was a hostage crisis in Mikkeli when a bank robber drove from Helsinki with three hostages and parked there. When the police shot at the hostage taker's car he detonated explosives contained inside, killing himself and one hostage.
In 1997, there was a province reform, which made Mikkeli the capital of the new province of Eastern Finland. In a separate reform, the rural municipality of Mikkeli which had surrounded the town and the municipality of Anttola were consolidated into Mikkeli in early 2001. The municipality of Haukivuori was consolidated with Mikkeli on 1 January 2007, and likewise with Ristiina and Suomenniemi in 2013.
In 2024, there were plans to establish a sub-staff of Finnish Army working under the military alliance in Mikkeli following Finland's admission into NATO. NATO's Multi-Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC) began operations on 1 September 2025 and its official opening ceremony was held on 3 October 2025.
The city also operates the (ELKA).
At least 30 different languages are spoken in Mikkeli. The most common foreign languages are Russian language (1.4%), Ukrainian (1.1%), Arabic (0.4%) and Estonian (0.3%).
| Population by country of birth (2024) | ||
| 93.8 | ||
| 1.4 | ||
| 0.6 | ||
| 0.5 | ||
| 0.3 | ||
| 0.3 | ||
| 0.2 | ||
| 0.2 | ||
| 0.2 | ||
| 0.2 | ||
| 0.2 | ||
| 2.3 | ||
The relative share of immigrants in Mikkeli's population is below to the national average. However, the city's new residents are increasingly of foreign origin. This will increase the proportion of foreign residents in the coming years.
! # !! Urban area !! Population | |
| 36,807 | |
| 2,030 | |
| 1,413 | |
| 767 | |
| 678 | |
| 234 |
Several other universities also have operations in Mikkeli. The Mikkeli University Consortium includes units from University of Helsinki, Aalto University (formerly Helsinki School of Economics), University of Eastern Finland and Lappeenranta University of Technology. Aalto offers a highly ranked Bachelor of Science degree in international business, taught in English, which draws students and faculty from around the world.
Due to Mikkeli's role as the headquarter city in World War II, the town has several museums dedicated to that period of time. These museums include the Infantry museum, the Lokki Communications Center, and the Headquarters museum.
The annual trotting event St Michel ravit is Mikkeli's largest event with approximately 20 000 spectators.
Hotels are concentrated in the center of Mikkeli. In other areas, there are rental cottages scattered in the smaller villages and countryside.
Mikkelin Kampparit plays in the highest bandy division. In 2012, they became Finnish champions for the first time. Kampparit new Finnish Champions in bandy
Mikkeli has two major football teams, Mikkelin Palloilijat (MP) and Mikkelin Kissat (MiPK). Both of them have played in the Finnish premier league, currently MP is playing on the second highest level and MiPK on the third highest. The former EU commissioner Olli Rehn used to play for MP for 13 years (youth teams 1968–78, first team 1979–82).
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