Repola

Repola, called Reboly in Russian, lies in western Karelia near the Finnish border. First mentioned in 1555, it was by 1679 the centre of a district containing 23 villages and 220 households. Its position on the frontier between Russia and Sweden exposed it to raids, and Swedish detachments destroyed the village on several occasions. The surrounding lakes and forests formed part of the Karelian interior through which people and goods travelled between the two realms.