Pioneeripuisto

Pioneeripuisto in Koria is a historic garrison area in Kouvola, right next to the Kymi River.

In the summer of 1910, Russian villa shoppers arrived in the Kouvola-Koria area. It was soon revealed that the men were planning garrisons to protect the Helsinki-Pietari railway line. A natural place for the garrison was found on the banks of the Kymijoki River near the Koria bridge. The actual construction work began in the summer of 1911. By 1915, 12 red-brick buildings were completed.

The Pioneers took over the garrison when the 1st Engineer Battalion moved from Vyborg to Koria in December 1920. The current name of the battalion was adopted in 1927. The garrison was expanded to its final size in the 1930s. The Engineer Regiment operated in the area until 1967, when the regiment was split into two and the Kymi Engineer Battalion continued to operate in Koriia.

The Kymi Engineer Battalion was transferred from Koria to Vekaranjärvi as part of the Karelian Brigade in 1994. At that time, the area became the property of the then municipality of Elimäki and enabled the opening of the park for public use.