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. Seen from the opposite direction, it describes the gradual decomposition of people and buildings.
The piece consists of six parts, the first of which is a depression in the grass, the next two consist of elevations rising from the grass from which small boulders peek. The final three parts are structures made up of boulders. The materials used in the work are red granite, earth and grass.
The sculpture is about 120 metres long and its tallest point stands at 2.3 metres.