Ida-Maria Pajari Karoliina Niinikoski. Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences

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1 Ida-Maria Pajari Karoliina Niinikoski Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences

2 Introduction Location of Tornio, Finland Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences THE LAPLAND WAR When, Who&Where? - Conflicts - Result Evacuations of Civils Real-life Story about Evacuation Time Dark Tourism in Tornio (Ideas) Conclusion

3 Location of Tornio

4 Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences Kauppakatu Tornio Finland

5 The Lapland War When, Who&Where? Was fought between Finland and Nazi Germany from September 1944 to April 1945 in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. Why? Both Finland and Germany (assisting Finland) were in war against the Soviet Union. After Finland and Soviet Union made an agreement of peace, one of the terms of the agreement was that Finland needs to send all German soldiers away from the country.

6 The Lapland War Conflicts When the Continuation War ended, according to armistice, the Germans should dispel from Finland by date 15 th of September in 1944 The Lapland War started. Some German soldiers have settled down already in Finland and even having families there. Also relationship between Finland and German have been stable. Now Soviet Union wanted Germans to leave the country. The Germans wanted to themselves at least a few places, like a mine of Petsamo.

7 The Lapland War Results: The Finnish pushed Germans upper and upper to Finnish Lapland. While the Germans backed up, they burned almost the whole Lapland: Lots of bridges, roads, buildings and railways were destroyed. They also hide and planted mines everywhere. They burned the city of Rovaniemi almost complitely. War activity and battles in Tornio (Germans landing to Röyttä harbor, Tornio) Last place for war was in arm of Finland where the Germans packed down to Norway. Different kind of buildings and even some (war) items can still be found in different parts of Lapland. The war left enormous marks in Lapland.

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10 Evacuations of the civils people was evacuated before the war. Most of the citizens were evacuated to Ostrobothnia and elsewhere of Finland. Because there were other evacuated people from other part of Finland (Karelia), the help was asked from Sweden. In the end Sweden accepted evacuees From Lapland was evacuated 75% of all, people and cows.

11 Real-life Story about Evacuations Hilma Hepola, ikä: 75, nainen Koulu olis alkanu mutta sitte se sota alako. Tuli evakkovarotus, nii kouluun emmä päässeet.. Yhtenä pyhäaamuma laitoimma aamupallaa (korvikeesta) ja kylässä oli vieraitaki, mutta pari tiimaa siittä nii sitte rupes tulehman kranaatteja liiterin seihnään. Lähimmä Pirkkiön koulule venheelä ja olimma sielä yön. Aamula met menthin rautatiesiltaa Ruottiin, sielä ruottalaiset sotihlaat tuliva vasthan ja kantoivat meät Haaparanthaan Ruottiin. Aluksi olimma teltoissa. Sitte liikuima Haaparannalta 10 km mettään ja asuima sotilasparakeissa parisen viikkoa. Kotia palatessa näky saksalaisten ruumiita. Meän talole ei tehty pirruutta mutta joen toisela puolen palo pirttejä. Ensimmäisenä ruumiit kerättiin pois ja jälleenrakennus alkoi. Heille ei tullut tuhoja. Toisella puolen jokea talo paloi ja kilometrin päässä josta kylätie alkaa, paloi kiinteistöjä. Elämä jatkui pikkuhiljaa normaalisti, köyhää sota-aikana kuitenkin oli. Saksalaisiin ei suhtauduttu jälkeenpäin vihamielisesti. Pikku Berliini = metsä, saksalaisten asuttama alue.

12 Real-life Story about Evacuations (Hilma Hepola, age:75, female, was 7 years during the war) It was something in the end of summer and school was about to begun. I was 7 years old back then. One Sunday morning we were making breakfast from nutrition substitute because food was really hard to get. We had also some guests with us. Then the alarm of evacuation came and grenades started to fly towards the warehouse of our home. We travelled with a small boat in the river towards the school of Pirkkiö in Tornio. We stayed over the night there. In the morning the walked on top of the railroad towards to Haparanda, Sweden. On the halfway Swedish soldiers came and they carried us childrens over the border to Sweden. During the trip there was some grenade attack and we went down and hide ourselves in to the closest trench next to the road. First we were accommodated in to tents and later on to containers in the woods, about 10 kilometres away. We stayed there couple of weeks and then returned back to our home. When we came back home we save bodies of the German soldiers. Parents told to their children that they were just sleeping. Our home didn t suffer any damages but across the river ( meters) house we burned down. People started to clean and re-build the places and bury the bodies. Life was continuing but of course it was very poor time because of the war. However, people didn t hate Germans afterwards and there was even some born or unborn children of the German soldiers excisting (soldiers might still have own family back in Germany). Also some Finnish women left to Germany.

13 Dark Tourism in Tornio Already excisting memorial statues (From The Lapland War and from the battlers in Tornio) Statues located around the Tornio. muistomerkit&sl=fi Information can be founded from the website of the municipality ( and from the local travelling agency s activity guide.

14 Dark Tourism in Tornio One area in Tornio was lived by German soldiers before the war called Pikku Berliini (The Little Berlin) because of that. There was some warehousing and accomodation facilities. Now in Tornio (and Ylläs, Lapland) there is a bar called Pikku Berliini.

15 Pub Pikku Berliini (The Little Berlin Bar) Hallituskatu 11, Tornio Bar has been decorated with a Nazi German War Style (miniature aeroplanes, 40 s style etc.)

16 Conclusion Finland and Lapland has a long and colorful history with war activities and it has been in a crucial position conserning the result of the wars (close to both borders). People might have lost their interest and knowledge towards the important history of their own region (Tornio and Lapland overall). The generation who experienced all this is getting quite old already. Solution: More marketing about the excisting memorial statues, travel package including important battle places and lecture about the history. Maybe also extreme style accomodation with evacuation style like tent, container etc. Also more historical events in The Little Berlin Bar.

17 Kiitos! Thank You! Aitäh!