The meeting between Adolf Hitler and the then recently-anointed Marshall of Finland, Carl Gustav Mannerheim, took place on June 4, 1942.
According to historians, Mannerheim felt it would be awkward to receive the leader of Nazi Germany in Helsinki or at military headquarters in Mikkeli, so the two met near Imatra, southeast Finland.
A memorial plaque commemorating the unusual event now lies at Saimaanhovintie in Imatra, where it was moved from its original location about 400 metres away in 1994.
“The stone was moved to a quieter location because it was in an industrial area,” said local historian Sakari Tossavainen.
The stone itself was discovered in 1983. For 50 years the matter of Hitler’s visit remained a taboo subject of which no one spoke. Neither were any decisions made about the memorial stone.
“A local cadet group wanted to have the stone. However it took 50 years because Mannerheim’s birthday was also linked to Adolf Hitler’s visit to the place, so the matter was taboo for a long time,” Tossavainen explained.
Hitler’s visit was historically significant, since it was his only sojourn outside the Third Reich during the summer of 1942. According to Tossavainen, the matter is now a matter of history and should remain that way.
Memorial stone still largely unknown
A local stonemason refurbished the memorial and donated it to war veterans only in 1983.
“The designers, makers and customers attended the ceremony, but even then not very many people knew about it. Up to today not all Imatrans know about this stone,” the historian lamented.
Locals now organise an official ceremony every year, when the story of the memorial is told.
“People come to lay flowers for Mannerheim’s birthday on June 4,” Tossavainen said.
