Memorial unveiled at Lappeenranta War Cemetery honoring 800 unknown soldiers

The bells of Lappeen Marian Church ring to signify the end of a mass as hundreds gather near the yellow church, adjacent to Finland’s second-largest war cemetery. A new nearly two-meter tall monument, currently draped, has been erected at the cemetery. This memorial will honor 800 unknown soldiers who rest in the Lappeenranta War Cemetery.

The cemetery is the final resting place for 2,117 fallen heroes, of which approximately 800 remain unidentified. The new monument pays tribute to these unknown soldiers from the wars fought between 1939 and 1945. Jukka Kopra, a member of parliament and chair of the Defense Committee, will deliver the opening speech.

“This site will now have a permanent memorial for the soldiers who fell on the battlefields, brought home as unknown heroes, yet never forgotten in our hearts,” said Kopra. The event will feature music from a military band, followed by the unveiling of the monument by Keijo Martikainen, the vice chairman of the cemetery’s care committee.

The monument, created by Taipalsaari-based artist Antti Nieminen, stands at approximately 180 centimeters tall. Atop a granite base lies a battered copper and bronze soldier’s helmet, designed to convey the pain, horror, and uncertainty experienced by families of those affected by war. “I wanted to incorporate the agony of war; hence I intentionally distressed the materials,” Nieminen explains.

This piece was a commissioned work by the city of Lappeenranta. While he appreciated the opportunity, Nieminen expressed a hope that no more such memorials would be needed. “Throughout this process, I wished there would be no reason to create another memorial like this, as there is nothing beautiful about war,” he stated. The statue is crafted from recycled granite sourced from Lappeenranta’s Rapasaari pier.