The Lappeenranta Heroes Cemetery was established in 1939, and is the second-largest war cemetery in Finland. The cemetery is located in the city center of Lappeenranta, near the Maria Church and contains more than 2,000 fallen soldiers and civilians.
Monuments
On and around the cemetery many memorials can be found commemorating the fallen of the wars of 1939-1940 and 1941-1944.
Monument for the deceased left in Karelia
This monument was erected by the Southeast Karelian Association in 1955. It was moved to the cemetery from the Lappeenranta Fortress in the 1980s.
Sorrow and Faith in the Future
This monument named Sorrow and Faith in the Future is placed at the cemetery to honor those who lost their lives during 1939–1940 and 1941–44. It was made by sculptor Väinö Aaltonen and unveiled in 1951.
Mother Karelia Monument
The Mother Karelia Monument is located on the eastern side of the Heroes Cemetery. It commemorates the Karelian fallen heroes who were buried or missing in action in their ceded homeland between 1939 and 1944.
The monument depicting a mother holding her dead son was designed by architect Jaakko Merenmies, and the masonry was done by Vientikivi Oy. The monument was erected in 1993 on the initiative of the evacuated Karelians by the Association for the Memorial to the Fallen Heroes Who Remained in Karelia (Karjalaan Jääneiden Sankarivainajien Muistomerkkiliitto).
The monument is surrounded by an impressive 70 meters long black granite wall, which is engraved with the names, birth places and dates of birth and death of around 5,500 soldiers buried or missing in the parts of Karelia ceded to Russia.
Visit
You can visit the cemetery freely during the daytime.
Sources
- visitlappeenranta.fi
- lappeenrannanseurakunnat.fi
- sotasampo.fi
