Scenic sculpture walk across Rovaniemi's bridges

Waypoints

• Ensio Seppänen - Katkenneet kahleet (1981)

  There are three sculptures by artist Ensio Seppänen (b. 1924 in Kemi) in Rovaniemi. One of these is the monument to the Jäger Movement, completed in 1981 in Jääkäripuisto on Lapinkävijäntie. The sculpture is made of stone...
• Reutersvärd Oscar - Aseveliketju (1964)

  The Aseveliketju monument to Swedish, Norwegian and Danish volunteers who fought in the Finnish Winter War in 1939–40 is located in Keskuskoulu park. The chain symbolises Nordic co-operation, especially during wartime. The purpose of the statue is to remind current and future generations of Nordic unity. Oscar Reutersvärd is a Swedish sculptor, painter, draughtsman and graphic artist...
• Poskiparta Kari - Monument to the Lapland Border Guard (1979)

  The monument to the Lapland Border Guard was designed by architect Kari Poskiparta. It is located on the site of the old Border Guard headquarters, which was demolished in the 1960s. The monument consists of the posts of the main gate of the old headquarters, with a masonry pedestal made of stones collected from Lake Inari. The brass plaques, one of which depicts the bear emblem of the Finnish Border Guard and the other containing text, are the handwork of the now retired captain and sculptor Urpo Kärri and plant worker Kalevi Kuokkanen...
• Huhtamo Kari - Monument to the Reconstruction Era from 1944 to 1955 (1977)

  Completed in 1977, the piece is a model example of the constructive style of Kari Huhtamo. The sculpture literally springs up into the sky like a spiral. The motion starts slowly, but intensifies the higher it gets and ends with a bold upward-reaching triumph. At each end of the three-part triumph, Huhtamo has placed small steel balls that can be understood as full stops at the end of a sentence...
• Seppänen Ensio - Memorial of deceased war refugees in Sweden (1965)

  A memorial erected in 1965 in memory of members of the Rovaniemi parish who died in Sweden as refugees of war is located in Rovaniemi's second cemetery...
• Aaltonen Wäinö - Miehen kohtalo tunturin huipulla (1954)

  At Rovaniemi Cemetery, on top of a small hill, stands sculptor Wäinö Aaltonen's monument in red granite to those who have fallen in war. The sculpture depicts two standing soldiers with their heads bowed down, their dying comrade lying between them. The sculpture is monumental and exudes a sense of melancholy peace...
• Segerstråle Lennart - Elämän lähde (1951)

  This fresco in Rovaniemi Church depicts a cross-section of the hearts of every human as well as that of humanity, where the struggle between good and evil takes us either to the source of life to meet Christ or away from it, to walk our lives in our own direction. The backdrop to the human figures in the fresco is the rugged and majestic Lapland, from where the light of the world, Christ, emerges in his circle of light. The artist visited Switzerland, Germany and, of course, Lapland as part the design process of the fresco. After one trip, Segerstråle wrote: "Often the spark comes from the locality itself and the conditions from which the motifs of the piece are drawn." This local influence can be clearly seen in the landscapes, nature, people and situations depicted in the fresco...
• Porila Evert - Monument to the Heroes of the War of Independence (1922)

  The Monument to the Heroes of the War of Independence is located in Rovaniemi's first cemetery and is the oldest statue in Rovaniemi. Statues commissioned from the artist, Porila, include Myhrberg's statue in Raahe and Mannerheim's statue in Tampere in 1939 and some 30 monuments to war heroes, including Rovaniemi as well as Kemi, Jämsä, Korpilahti, Orivesi, Ruokolahti, Tampere and Terijoki, among others...
• Kärri Upi - Raivaten ja rakentaen (1990)

  The status Raivaten ja rakentaen by Kemijärvi-born Urpo Kärri is situated in Uitonpuisto, at the western end of the Ounaskoski bridge. The theme of the sculpture is the work of army engineers in the war and the rebuilding of Lapland. The statue is made of slate, stainless steel and mirror glass...
• Seppänen Ensio - Maidolla elämisen alku (1984)

  Located in Herva park, the sculpture Maidolla elämisen alku was completed in 1984 and commissioned by the Lapland provincial agriculture institute. The artist, Ensio Seppänen, is one of Finland's best-known realist sculptors. He has created more than a hundred works exhibited in public places. His works can be mainly found in Northern Finland, Sweden and Norway...
• Kallio Kalervo - Jätkä-patsas (1955)

  Located in Jätkänpuisto at the western end of the bridge, the Jätkä-patsas donated by the company Kemi Oy is one of Rovaniemi's best-known sculptures. The statue's lumberjack has symbolised Rovaniemi for decades and is rightfully situated on the shores of a river that is widely known for its traditions in log floating. Kalervo Kallio has turned the lumberjack into a hero of labour. The drawknife and log depict what a lumberjack's work was typically like in the 1950s...
• Tuomivaara Teuvo - Loikka (2008)

  The frame of the sculpture is formed by a massive steel plate, where two dimensions transform into three as the reindeer turns and "walks out" of the sculpture. In this way, both the positive and the negative of the reindeer can be seen in the same piece. The figures form a sculptural ensemble that changes when viewed from different angles. The material used in the piece is a massive steel plate weighing about 600 kilograms...
• Immonen Risto - Ulosmarssi (2008)

  The frame of the sculpture is formed by a massive steel plate, where two dimensions transform into three as the reindeer turns and "walks out" of the sculpture. In this way, both the positive and the negative of the reindeer can be seen in the same piece. The figures form a sculptural ensemble that changes when viewed from different angles. The material used in the piece is a massive steel plate weighing about 600 kilograms...
• Huhtamo Kari - Monument to M.A. Castrén (1986)

  The monument to M.A. Castrén is located on the outer wall next to the main entrance to the library. The work is based on a sketch by Alvar Aalto. The final implementation is by Kari Huhtamo, who added his signature clear steel arches and balls to the work...
• Tapper Kain - Vuorten synty (1988)

  In 1987, the City of Rovaniemi hosted a sculpture competition to obtain sketches of ideas for a sculpture for the new City Hall. The sculpture had to adapt to Alvar Aalto's architectural ensemble and symbolise the city of Rovaniemi. Kain Tapper won the contest with the sculpture Vuorten synty. According to Tapper, the sculpture depicts the rise of Rovaniemi after the war...
• Engblom Tom - Oonko mie tiellä? (2008)

  Tom Engblom explains: Reindeer can of course be found in the forests, provided one has the chance or time to venture into them. Most commonly, we encounter these creatures walking on the road, getting in the way of humans. This gave rise to the idea of creating a work asking just that, "Am I in your way". The concrete reindeer is inspired by the concrete barriers commonly found in cities, called 'concrete pigs' in Finnish...
• Miettunen Sauli - Luonnon osa (2008)

  The sculpture Luonnon osa is made of concrete and rocks over a welded iron frame. The concrete is tinted, and the rocks have been chosen according to the shapes of a reindeer. The antlers are welded from stainless iron and stand as large as trees over the pile of rocks. The posture of the statue is reminiscent of a bow-legged, silly-looking reindeer standing frozen on the road in front of a car, unable to understand the danger it is in...