Monument to Mannerheim - a memorial sign, the installation of which caused great controversy in St. Petersburg. It appeared in 2016, but was dismantled after a few months. The Finnish military leader and politician is still a controversial figure, historians cannot give an unambiguous assessment of his activities even today. In this article, we will talk about the twists and turns around the veneration of his memory in our country and the figure of the field marshal himself.
Controversy over the identity of the general
The installation of the monument to Mannerheim in 2016 in St. Petersburg took place in a solemn atmosphere. It was decided to dedicate a memorial plaque to the Finnish field marshal, which appeared on house number 22 on Zakharyevskaya Street in the Northern capital. The ceremony was attended by Sergei Ivanov, who at that time served as the head of the presidential administration of Russia.
At the same time, the installation of the monument to Mannerheim in St. Petersburg immediately raised questions for many. His figure remains todaycontradictory and complex for national history. This is a Russian general of Finnish origin, a successful intelligence officer and cavalryman, an adherent of the monarchy. His fate changed dramatically after the October Revolution.
The civil war that followed the coming to power of the Bolsheviks actually split the empire into two opposing sides. Some began to support the Reds, others - the Whites. Among the opponents of Lenin and his party, there were many who retained their hatred for the communist regime they had built until the end of their lives. Others in the 20-40s of the twentieth century changed their attitude towards the Bolsheviks, some devoted their later lives to the construction of new states that formed on the outskirts of the Russian Empire. Carl Mannerheim belongs to the latter category.
Short biography
To understand what events led to the installation of the monument to Mannerheim in St. Petersburg, you need to imagine what his biography was like.
Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim was born in 1867 on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire.
When the boy was 13 years old, his father left the family. Frustrated, he left for Paris. A year later, his mother died. A military career seemed to Gustav the most promising. At the age of 15, he entered the cadet corps, from which he was expelled in 1886, going AWOL.
The next year, Mannerheim enters the cavalry school in St. Petersburg. To do this, he intensively studies the Russian language, severalmonths studying with private teachers in Kharkov. At the age of 22, he graduated with honors, receiving an officer's rank.
In Japan and China
Mannerheim served in the Russian army from 1887 to 1917. In 1904 he was sent to the Russo-Japanese War. At first, the officer's units are left in reserve. Then Commander-in-Chief Kuropatkin nevertheless decides to use them in a cavalry raid on Yingkou in order to capture the Japanese port with ships, blow up the railway bridge in order to interrupt communication between Mukden and Port Arthur, which had already been captured by that time.
Due to various adverse factors, the attack on Yingkou was unsuccessful, the Russian army was defeated. At the same time, the Mannerheim division was never involved.
In February 1905, the general's life was in danger. His squad came under heavy fire. The orderly was killed, and Mannerheim himself was carried from the battlefield by the wounded stallion Talisman, who died soon after.
From 1906 to 1908 the general spent on a research expedition in China. As a result, he was accepted as an honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society.
Mannerheim commanded a cavalry brigade in World War I. For the battle at Krasnik, he was awarded the St. George weapon.
Distinguished himself when crossing the San River, took part in the Warsaw-Ivangorod operation, as a result of which the Austrian-German army was seriously defeated.
After the collapse of the empire
The news of the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II found him in Moscow. To the revolutionMannerheim had a negative attitude, remaining a staunch monarchist until the end of his life.
The general himself was increasingly thinking about dismissal from military service due to the progressive collapse of the army. He repeatedly appealed to the Provisional Government to take more radical measures to combat this.
After the October Revolution, he called for organizing resistance, but to his surprise he was faced with complaints from representatives of high Russian society that they were not able to resist the Bolsheviks.
After that, he went to Finland to support her newly gained independence. Mannerheim was appointed commander in chief. He managed to quickly form a 70,000-strong army, which won the Civil War on the territory of this country. The Red Guard retreated to Russia.
After the surrender of Germany, he was appointed interim head of state. He sought international recognition of Finland's independence. Mannerheim also supported the White movement in Russia, hatched plans for a campaign against Petrograd, but this did not lead to anything. In 1919, he lost the presidential election, left the country.
Soviet-Finnish wars
He returned to his homeland in the 30s, heading the defense committee. Under his leadership, the Finnish troops withstood the first blow of the Red Army in the war with the Soviet Union in 1939-1940. As a result, a peace agreement was signed, according to which Finland lost 12% of its territory.
After that, the general began to build a new line of fortifications,that went down in history as the Mannerheim Line. In July 1941, Finland went on the offensive against the USSR in alliance with Germany. Advancing to Petrozavodsk, he ordered troops to take up defensive positions on the historic Russian-Finnish border on the Karelian Isthmus.
As part of the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation in 1944, Finnish troops were driven back. Mannerheim became president in place of the resigned Ryti. After that, he decided to withdraw from the war, signing a peace treaty with the USSR.
In March 46, he resigned for he alth reasons. Avoided prosecution for association with the Nazis. In 1951, he died after surgery for a stomach ulcer.
Reasons for installing the plaque
The reasons for erecting the monument to Mannerheim in Russia at its opening ceremony in 2016 on the facade of the building of the Military Academy of Logistics tried to explain Sergei Ivanov. According to him, this is an attempt to overcome the split that has emerged in Russian society. The split associated with different interpretations of the events of the October Revolution.
Ivanov stressed that until 1918 the general served faithfully in Russia, so he considers the appearance of a monument to Mannerheim justified.
We know what happened next, and no one is going to dispute the subsequent Finnish period of history and Mannerheim's actions, no one intends to whitewash this period of history. In general, everything that happened is another proof of how the lives of many people have dramatically changedThe October Revolution, whose centenary we will celebrate in a year. But at the same time, we must not forget the worthy service of General Mannerheim, which he served in Russia and in the interests of Russia, Ivanov emphasized.
Acts of vandals
At the same time, the appearance of the monument to Mannerheim in St. Petersburg was regarded by many as extremely negative. A few days later, the memorial plaque was attacked by vandals. The board was covered in paint. The board was washed, removing the polyethylene covering it.
However, a few years later, the act of vandalism was repeated. The monument to Mannerheim was again doused with paint.
It is noteworthy that at the same time, the Military Engineering University and the State Museum of Urban Sculpture officially stated that the commemorative sign had nothing to do with them.
Dismantling
This story ended in October. The memorial plaque was dismantled from the building of the Military Academy. Representatives of the Russian Military Historical Society, who initiated the installation, said that it would be transferred to the World War I Museum located in Tsarskoye Selo.
Opponents of perpetuating the memory of the military leader of the times of the Russian Empire and a prominent Finnish statesman not only repeatedly poured paint on her, but also went to court.
Monument in the Finnish capital
In Finland, the attitude towards the field marshal is mostly positive. The Mannerheim monument in Helsinki is oneof the main attractions of the city. This is a monumental equestrian statue, installed on the avenue named after him.
Tourists can see the Mannerheim monument in Helsinki in many photos. It is a bronze statue of a field marshal on a horse almost 5.5 meters high. It is set on a granite rectangular pedestal.
Installation history
The emergence of a monument to an outstanding military leader began to be discussed back in the 30s, but then this idea was never put into practice. They returned to the project only after the death of the field marshal.
According to the results of the competition, the well-known Finnish sculptor Aimo Tukiainen became the author of the project. The grand opening took place in 1960 on the 93rd anniversary of the marshal's birth.
Since 1998, another landmark of today's Helsinki, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, has been built next to the monument.
Monument in Tampere
The marshal was also honored in the second most important city in Finland. The Mannerheim monument in Tampere was erected in 1956. Its author was the Finnish sculptor Evert Porila. It is noteworthy that the project was prepared during the life of the military leader in 1939. The work was timed to coincide with the liberation of the city during the Civil War of 1918.
However, at that time, due to the difficult situation in the country caused by the unstable political and economic situation, it was not possible to implement the installation of the monument. That was donefive years after the marshal's death.
The location of the Mannerheim monument in Tampere is well known to all tourists. This is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. At the same time, she also has a very ambiguous history.
It turns out that in Finland itself, the attitude towards the figure of Mannerheim is ambiguous. The monument in this city is regularly attacked by vandals. As in St. Petersburg, it is splashed with paint from time to time.
At the end of 2004, as a result of another attack by vandals, the monument was not only damaged, but the inscription "The Butcher" appeared on it. It is known that this word was used as a derogatory name for the Finnish White Guards. After the victory in the Civil War, they launched the White Terror, which surpassed the Red Terror, which the Bolsheviks carried out in Finland in scale and cruelty.
By the way, the monument appeared in Tampere not by chance. It was in the vicinity of this city in 1918 that fierce battles were fought between whites and reds during the Civil War. It is believed that Mannerheim gave orders for the mass destruction of civilians and prisoners of war. In Finland, this topic is still very painful.
