The Joensuu region has been inhabited since the Stone Age, but official history dates back to 1848, when Emperor Nicholas I confirmed Joensuu's status as a city. As its name implies ("river's mouth"), Joensuu was built on the Pielisjoki river estuary, and the stream that crosses the city has played an important role in the growth of the locality. With the Saimaa Canal, connections to St. Petersburg and Central Europe were opened, and at the end of the 19th century, Joensuu became one of Finland's most important port cities.

Since the Nikolai's time, Joensuu has grown from a small village of a few hundred inhabitants into a virile home for almost 80,000 people, the 12th largest city in Finland and the regional center of North Karelia. The pride and joy of Eastern Finland is a modern student city, whose attraction is constantly growing and the direction of development is eagerly upwards.

Karelian hospitality lives strong in Joensuu. Traditionally, the doors have always been open to guests and coffee has been brewed for the passers-by. For the people of Joensuu, the well-being of the guests is still a matter of pride and a self-evident approach. The cheerful reception is encountered in almost every service situation, from the checkouts of the shops to the taxi drivers