Joensuu city, Eno, Kotiranta

Eno is located in the middle of North Karelia, and it has been part of the city of Joensuu since the beginning of 2009. It has two main population centres, the village of Eno and Uimaharju. Eno contains all the administrative services, while Uimaharju has the majority of the industrial jobs in the municipality. There are many additional villages in Eno, such as Ahveninen, Louhioja and Ukkola.

The Pielisjoki River has always been a crucial part of the people of Eno. It has been an important transport route and its plentiful catches of salmon have provided a livelihood to many locals. Industry located in Eno has been mainly based on the rapids of the Pielisjoki River and the good timber rafting routes. The whole municipality has been named after the river, since the word eno stands for large river, stream or main fairway.

The traditional trades in Eno have been mainly in the area of wood processing. At best there were several sawmills and various wood processing plants on the shores of the Pielisjoki River. The best known of these were the Kaltimon Puuhiomo (wood sanding) and Kaltimon Pahvitehdas (cardboard manufacturing) which operated after the turn of the century. Nowadays most of the industry is concentrated in Uimaharju, with over 500 jobs in wood processing. The largest private employer is the Enocell pulp factory owned by Stora Enso, which can be seen while travelling from Haapalahti to Eno.

The Enocell plant was opened in Uimaharju in the spring of 1967, and at the moment it employs 220 people. It uses birch, pine and fir trees as raw material, so for the time being at least, it is producing birch and coniferous pulp. However, Enocell is preparing to stop producing birch pulp if Russia’s import duties for wood come into effect in Finland. The production capacity of the plant is 655,000 tons of pulp per year.

The pulp is sold to customers worldwide for making high-quality paper and paperboard. Enocell was the first of the Finnish lumber industries to receive the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme Certificate. The plant has the lowest phosphorus emissions to water systems of all the pulp plants in the world.

The Karelia Rowing Tour has a stop-over at the Kotiranta sheltered home on the shore of Lake Pielinen. The cozy home offers accommodation and support services for the elderly, disabled and people with long term illnesses. Independence and individuality are encouraged in this home-like community, with the opportunity to receive round-the-clock care. The Kotiranta sheltered home offers a tasty lunch and a nice break for the rowers amid beautiful scenery. The journey continues from here towards the historical Canal of Kaltimo.