Equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim

Statue Helsinki, Finland

A bronze equestrian statue of Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, by Aimo Tukiainen, stands in central Helsinki, Finland. It was erected in 1960. Mannerheim was a symbolic figure ever since the end of the Finnish Civil War in 1918, and his position grew stronger during the 1930s and World War II. The first plans and fundraising for an equestrian statue began as early as 1937. After his death in 1951, plans were revived on the initiative of the Helsinki University Student Union. During the fundraising campaign 737 503 members of the public donated over 78 million marks in 1952. The funds were sufficient not only for the statue, but also for the purchase of the Louhisaari villa in Askainen, Mannerheim's birthplace, which it was transformed into a museum.