Alvar Aalto started working on the Vuoksenniska church plan in 1955 as a side project of the Imatra town plan. The constructions of the church were completed in 1958 and inaugurated on September 28, 1958. The Vuoksenniska Church is the most original of all Aalto's church designs; the synthesis of his approach combines both practical and aesthetic needs in his architecture.

The church is characterised by a trinity theme which can be seen in several places. The division of the church hall into three smaller halls emmphasizes the Trinity in a wider, theological context. The 34-metre-high sculptural concrete campanile has a triple motif, its upper part is tripartite and widens upwards. With this form, the author has sought an architectural image that would be as distinct as possible from the factory chimneys that dominate the surroundings. The tripartite motif continues inside the church, in the form of vaults covering the three chancels. On the altar, this tripartite motif is centred around three modest white crosses whose shadows deliberately fall on the white wall just during the service.

The church has five entrances to allow uninterrupted access to each of the three sections. The altar can also be used as a blessing chapel, so there is a ceremonial exit out into the pine-shaded cemetery. The church building as a whole is of brick and iron concrete with a copper roof.

The only real work of art in the church is a stained glass window, a stylised crown of thorns, designed by Alvar Aalto and made by S. Wuorio.

The Geopark Visitor Centre is one of the cultural attractions of Saimaa Geopark. The Saimaa Geopark visitor centre is located in Imatra’s culture centre Virta, right after the main entrance. The visitor centre offers a wealth of information on geology and the development history of the Saimaa region. By exploring the diverse rock samples in the geo-exhibition, you can take a deep look into the history of the area, dating back almost two billion years. A timeline and a collection of specimens covering the last 13 000 years illustrate the evolution of the Saimaa region after the ice age and early human life in the area. There are also numerous maps showing the local geology. There is also a model of the formation and structure of the Salpausselkä, which gives a comprehensive picture of the forces that shaped the landscape during the Ice Age. There is also information on UNESCO Global Geoparks and on Geopark sites at home and abroad. The visitor centre is a great place to start your geo-tour in the Saimaa region.

Imatra Art Museum was founded in 1951 on the initiative of engineer and art collector Jalo Sihtola (1882-1969).

The Art Museum moved to Culture House Virta in 1998. The museum has a total of 600 m² of exhibition space, which is divided into collections and changing exhibition spaces. The museum focuses on Finnish visual arts and hosts around ten exhibitions a year.

The museum’s collection consists of 1600 artworks that are owned by Imatra Town and the Imatra Art Society.

Sihtola's Imatra collection is part of Imatra Town’s collection and is of national cultural significance. This collection of nearly 400 artworks includes modernist art of the 20th century from Finland and other parts of Europe.

Nearly all the artworks in Sihtola’s Imatra collection were either donated or sold by Jalo Sihtola, or donated by the Ester and Jalo Sihtola Art foundation and by private individuals.

In addition to the artworks by distinguished Finnish painters Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Hugo Simberg, the Art Museum’s collection includes works by various artists of the early 1900s: Magnus Enckell, Verner Thomé, A. W. Finch, Yrjö Ollila, Mikko Oinonen, Juho Mäkelä, Tyko Sallinen, Eero Nelimarkka, Väinö Kamppuri, Uuno Alanko, and Wäinö Aaltonen.

The 1950s, known as the decade of Modernism, is well represented by the comprehensive collection of artworks by Tuomas von Boehm. Also included are works by Otto Mäkilä, Ole Kandelin, Tapani Raittila, Helge Dahlman, Anitra Lucander, Ina Colliander, Aimo Kanerva, Per Stenius, Olli Miettinen, Unto Pusa, Unto Koistinen, and Sam Vanni.

The collection also includes a selection of Central European artworks from the 1900s.

Imatra Town Museum was founded in 1981. It is located on the 1st floor of the Culture House Virta next to Imatra Art Museum. The Town Museum also includes the Industrial Workers’ Housing Museum, which is open during the summer months.

The museum exhibitions present the various phases of the Imatra region and Jääski district including the industrialization phase and its effects on the area. The museum also introduces the history of tourism in Imatra, which has been greatly influenced by the town’s proximity to the Finnish-Russian border and to the River Vuoksi.

The museum’s photographic collection is especially remarkable. The oldest glass negatives date back to the late 19th century. In total, the collection includes 285 000 photographs. The town museum’s photo archive and information service are available to anyone who wants to access photographs and information relating to the history of Imatra.

Aune Paarma’s salt and pepper shaker collection

A part of Aune Paarma’s (1916-2013) extensive salt and pepper shaker collection is on display in the exhibition space in the downstairs lobby of the museum building. The collection includes nearly 4000 shakers from dozens of countries. Paarma compiled her unique collection, which is believed to be among the largest in the world, as a hobby between the early 1950s and 2000s.

An exhibition on the living conditions of industrial workers in the 1900s and 1960s. Furnished apartments in a residential building and social services presented in a sauna building. Industry started gathering in the Imatra region around the River Vuoksi with its many rapids towards the end of the 19th century. Large-scale industry started to form when the limited company Tornator began building industrial plants in 1895 after buying a farm along the river. The farmland included half of the waterfalls of the Niskakoski and Tainionkoski rapids. The area started to become an industrial region.

The company built approximately 20 residential buildings with multiple flats for its workforce, first in 1896, and then over the following years. The flats intended for families consisted of a bedroom, kitchen, and pantry, with a total surface area of 20-25 m2.

Now, the apartments of the Industrial Workers' Housing Museum are decorated in the style of housing of different decades from the early 20th century to the 1960s. The partly block-built sauna building has been restored to its original appearance.

Most of the artefacts in the Industrial Housing Museum have been donated by residents of the Tainionkoski area. This has made it possible to preserve for posterity the material culture associated with the everyday life and housing of industrial workers from the late 19th century to the post-mid 20th century.

Admission to the museum is free of charge.

For visitors arriving by car

If you arrive by car, please park in the car park to the south of the museum, accessed via Tainio Square.

An oasis in the heart of Imatra. The oldest nature reserve in Finland along the banks of the rapids. Historical pavilions, rock engravings, giant kettles and several other interesting places to visit.

The scenic value of the rapids was recognised early on and steps were taken to protect it. In 1842, Russian Tsar Nicholas I signed an order to establish the first Finnish nature reserve alog the banks of the rapids, Kruununpuisto Park. At first, an inn was built on the banks for people coming to see the rapids, followed by the first wooden hotel. After the hotel buildings were distroyed in several fires, the Valtionhotelli hotel was finally built of stone on the banks of the rapids in 1903. Designed by Usko Nyström, the Valtionhotelli is among Finland's most significant buildings built in the National Romantic style.

The Russian imperial family frequently visited Imatra. Other imperial admirers included Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil, whose signature is carved in the rock by the lower pavillion on the river banks. Imatra was also visited by many famous artists, such as composers Jean Sibelius, Alexander Scriabin, Igor Stravinsky ant Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and painters Albert Edelfelt, Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Ilya Repin. The rapids were depicted in a number of artworks.

The Border Guard Museum is a national museum that presents the history of the Finnish Border Guard. The museum focuses on operations by land and air. It documents and presents the history of land border surveillance by the

Border Guard, the history of air and rescue operations and the history of border troops during the wars. The exhibition premises of the Border Guard Museum are located next to Finland’s eastern border at the Immola barracks in Imatra.

The Border Guard Museum began operating in 1989 as an internal teaching museum of the Border Guard, but the attractiveness of the museum was soon seen to be so great that it was worth opening its doors to the general public. The exhibition of the Border Guard Museum has been open in summer and by appointment at other times.

Securing Finland's borders has remained the core task of the Border Guard since its beginning, but its operations have changed and developed considerably in the course of history. The Border Guard Museum provides a versatile overview of the different historical stages and duties of the organisation over a period of more than 100 years.

The war history of the National Wars and the Winter and Continuation Wars, as well as war memories in the spirit of the motherland in Imatra Finland. The museum was founded by war veteran lawyer and athlete Reino Ikävalko together with his wife Eila. Today, the Veterans Museum is a nearly 100-year-old building containing memories of the early days of our independence as well as war memories of both the German and Soviet armies. The museum is located in a well-known neoclassical building in Imatra, in the Piponius House, directly opposite the Imatran Valtionhotelli.