Kollaa river

Kollaa River (Kollasjoki)
Колласйоки, Kollaanjoki
Country	Russia
Region	Republic of Karelia
Source	Lake Kollasjärvi
- elevation	117 m (384 ft)
Mouth	Lake Tulmozero
Length	76 km (47 mi)

The Kollaa River (Russian: Колласйоки, Finnish: Kollaanjoki or Kollasjoki) is a 76-kilometre (47 mi) long river in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It starts from Lake Kollasjärvi in the Suoyarvsky District and flows to Lake Tulmozero (Finnish: Tulemajärvi) in the Pryazhinsky District.

Before World War II, the source of the river was a part of the Finnish municipality Suistamo and it flowed further through Suojärvi to Tulemajärvi on the Russian side.

During the Winter War in 1939, the area was a scene of the Battle of Kollaa. The river became part of Finnish history, as the Red Army failed to break through there. A memorable quote, "Kollaa holds" (Kollaa kestää), became a legendary motto for the Finns. The river and area are associated with the exploits of the Finnish marksman Simo Häyhä, the gunman with the highest number of confirmed kills in any major war. The battle areas around the river are a preserved monument and tourist site.

The asteroid 1929 Kollaa is named after the river.

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Wikipedia