Surveying and mapping the dark heritage of the Finnish Civil War (1918) in Western Uusimaa.

The fieldwork of the "1918-The Modern Conflict Archaeology of the Finnish Civil War project" started yesterday with a field trip to Western Uusimaa were we documented different areas of relevance to the upcoming fieldwork in early May 2026. 

The weather was chilly and the skies partly cloudy, which was pitch perfect for drone documentation. Due to the sensitive nature of our research we will not reveal details or the exact locations of the sites in question. 

The research was made possible with funding from Svenska kulturfonden.

Exhibition planning for Hanko Museum

During the upcoming two weeks I will be busy with planning a new exhibition. The Conflict Archaeology exhibition "Fragments of War - Modern Conflict Archaeology Research of the Second World War Heritage in Hanko 2018-2025" opens at new Hanko Museum in the fall of 2025. 

Fragments of the battle of the Bengtskär lighthouse. Photos Marjo Karppanen.

The exhibition presents, among other things, our research of the Battle of Bengtskär, the battlefields in the archipelago North of Cape Hanko, General Sergei Kabanovs´underground command post, the German transit camp "Deutsches Lager Hanko", the military camps in Harparskog and Skogby and the serch for war dead on the Hanko front.

The conflict archaeology of the battle of the Bengtskär lighthouse. Map by Aleksi Rikkinen and photos Marjo Karppanen. Copyright Hanko 1941-1944 project https://hanko1941-1944.fi/