‘This is Where They Fought'

The historical landscapes of war are fundamental parts of the national iconography of modern states. They stand there not just for their own sake but to evince a nationalistic narrative of a unified history and culture from the past up to the present day. Externally, these landscapes and the monuments erected upon them (usually little more than engraved or cut stones) may not be striking to look at, but through state rituals they are invested with national soul and memory. ¹ This is very true in the case of Finland, the contemporary territory of which is literally covered with battle sites, monuments, remains of defence structures, boundary-stones, trenches, pits, graves and landmarks of previous wars. Especially important are the sites in memory of the Second World War. It has been said that the story of this war – a story of the defence of Finland's independence, to which the nation was driven against its own will and which it survived only by its own will-power – was, and remains, the great national narrative of the Finns. ²