Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland: Three Crowns and a Republic - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 164

DURING WORLD WAR II, WHERE STOOD FINLAND?
Less than two decades later, at the start of World War II, the Russians returned to demand
more Finnish territory. The Winter War (1939-40) ended with Finland's surrender of a re-
gion adjacent to Russia and with further payment of a cash indemnity. When Germany
entered the war in 1941, Finland (led again by Marshall Mannerheim) allied itself with
Germany; but as the Nazis' eastern front weakened, Russia forced Finland to turn against
its sometime German ally. At war's end, Finland's independence was affirmed, along with
a sizeable reparation to Russia and confirmation of territories lost in the Winter War.
A glimpse of Finland's wartime sympathies crushed by the realities of politics can
be seen in an exchange between Winston Churchill and Mannerheim in 1941. In a letter,
Churchill writes, “I wish I could convince your excellency that we are going to defeat the
Nazis.... It would be most painful to the many friends of your country in England if Fin-
land found itself in the dock with the guilty and defeated Nazis.” Mannerheim replied to
Churchill: “It would be deplorable if these measures, undertaken for the security of Fin-
land, should bring my country into conflict with England, and it would deeply sadden me
if England were forced to declare war on Finland.” [141] Mannerheim's Helsinki home is
now a museum. Its curators work to give the impression that the Field Marshal might, at
any moment, step forward to greet his visitors.
HOW TO DESCRIBE HELSINKI?
Since the devastation of World War II, Finland has prospered culturally and economically.
Some of the most elegant cruise ships have slid down its shipyards' ways, and its electron-
ics nearly dominate the manufacture of cell phones. Helsinki, the capital city, contains over
600,000 people, 10 percent of the country's population (20 percent if the over one million
in the metropolitan area are included). The city is built on a peninsula, and shipboard trav-
elers can stroll from the dock directly into the city. A busy series of markets display fish,
fruits, and vegetables along with hats, furs, and handicrafts. Connected to the marketplace
is the Esplanade ( Esplanadi) , a park whose alle is filled with mothers, baby carriages, and
children at play. The Esplanade invites strollers to linger on benches and to take coffee
at one of its quiet, clean cafes across from the park near some of Finland's most famous
shops. Further on is the art deco entrance to Finland's oldest department store, Stockman's.
And adjacent to Stockman's is Finland's largest bookstore, The Academic (Akateeminen).
Churches, the Parliament, and other government buildings are built of light-colored
Finnish granite, giving the city its sobriquet, the white city. After Finland achieved in-
dependence, architects found inspiration by intertwining Finland's sagas with a distinctly
modernist style. Finlandia Hall combines strong vertical lines and a massive frontality. Per-
haps the most distinctive of Helsinki's architectural achievements are the railway station
(with massive figures holding great lamp globes) and the Rock Church (The Taivallahti),