Forest road near Russian border officially renamed to reflect local history

A forest road located near the Russian border, between the municipalities of Miehikkälä and Virolahti, has been officially renamed Hevonperseentie, with a smaller side road branching off as Perskalliontie. The shared naming committee of Virolahti and Miehikkälä confirmed these changes in their meeting held in June. The name alterations were proposed by the local road committee, Hevonperseen.

Seppo Ylä-Kotola, the chairperson of the Hevonperseen private road committee, emphasized that these names are not meant to be humorous or mocking; rather, they are well-known to locals and are rooted in the area’s history. He noted that the municipality previously unilaterally decided to name the road Soukkiontie, despite local preference for Hevonperseentie. “Apparently, Soukkiontie sounded more aesthetically pleasing and less crude to the municipality,” he remarked.

The committee had aimed since 2017 to rename the road as Hevonperseentie, and the municipal approval marks the fulfillment of this long-standing aspiration. Ylä-Kotola expressed satisfaction with the outcome: “We are now happy, and everything is back in order. We can drive on the road and enjoy the new signs.”

During the June meeting, the naming committee carefully evaluated the new names based on guidelines from the Research Institute of the Languages of Finland, which states that a good road name should reflect the local traditional nomenclature. The committee recognized that the new names highlight local history effectively, as there is indeed a notable hill called Hevonperseenmäki nearby.

With new signs already installed, the address for three vacation homes along the road will soon change to Hevonperseentie.