FI23 INF Front museum in Lappohja

Lappohja is located exactly where the front line crossed Hanko’s peninsula during the second world war, in the summer of 1941. In 1981, they founded a museum exactly in this area. The front line was called: « the hill of death » and this war was called « the winter war », due to very low temperatures.

Hanko was invaded by the soviet union. Our guide explained that the soviet union was affraid of being invaded by Germany, sothey decided to invade the Hanko’s peninsula, to have a  strategic military position with this peninsula. As a result, the population had only 3 days to evacuate the area. That was very tough situation because none of them had planned an evacuation. They finallyevacuated in 10 days, with horses and sleds. 

This museum showcases life during that war with a lot of original utensils, machine guns and battle tanks they used.

We learned about the Lotta organisation, which was only made up of volunteer females : they were around 240 000 women. Theyhad a lot of different tasks: they made food for soldiers, they baked bread, they brought some equipment to the soldiers, they sendmessages, they took care of injured soldiers (doctors, nurse,  medical staff…), they draw some maps with the position of the ennemies, they stand guard.  Their role was crucial during this war, and during every war.

They were all dressed in the same uniform: a white blouse, a grey dress and a grey apron.