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/ 

A great day for conflict archaeology reserch in Finland. Thank you Svenska kulturfonden for believing in this unique research project.

"Conflict Archaeology Research of events and Cultural Heritage Sites from the Finnish Civil War in the Swedish Speaking Regions of Mainland Finland  and on the Åland Islands".

Upcoming Finnish Civil War, Second World War and Cold War Conflict Archaeology projects in Hanko and Western Uusimaa

Spring is coming and with it some very interesting old and new modern conflict archaeology projects.

Already in late April we will kick off the 2025 field season with field surveys and trial excavations of Finnish Civil War (1918) sites in Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Inkoo.

German field artillery in Espoo (Kilo) in April 1918. Photo Espoo City Museum.

In May we will continue our excavations in the area of the Soviet Cold War era tank training gounds in Kirkkonummi. We will also do some field surveys in the larger Kirkkonummi area.

A Soviet Cold War period (tank) traffic sign. Photographer unknown.

In late May we will continue ou research of the battlefields of the Hanko front in co-operation with Thure Galléns stiftelse, Hanko Front Museum, SFV:s somaruni and students from Swedish speaking highschools in the Uusimaa region. 

A Finnish MG post in the archipelago during the battles of the Hanko front (1941). Photo SA-kuva.

Making plans for future conflict archaeology research on the Åland Islands 2025-2026

Today we applied for funding for a unique Modern Conflict Archaeology project on the Åland Islands. If all goes well some 200 schoolchildren from local schools will be able to participate in excavations of First World War sites on Åland in 2026.

German troops landed on the Åland Islands in 1918.

Needless to say I´m extremely proud of all of you who contributed to the application process.

Lecturing about the Modern Conflict Archaeology research of the Finnish Civil War and the Cold War period

On April 23rd 2025 I will lecture about the ongoing modern conflict archaeology research projects in Kirkkonummi and SW Uusimaa. The lecture starts at 6 PM at Kirkkonummen kunnantalo (Ervastintie 2, Kirkkonummi).

During the lecture I will mostly speak about the fieldwork related to the Porkkala 1941-1944 project (2022-2025) but I will also touch briefly on my upcoming post doc project "1918" which studies the conflict archaeology cultural landscapes, events and materiality of the Finnish Civil War.

National publicity for my doctoral thesis "Deutsches Lager Hanko 1942-1944"

It´s New Years Eve and time to get back to my most memorable event of 2024, namely my doctoral thesis and public defence at the University of Helsinki. What could have been a better way to celebrate this than todays front page article in the leading Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The newspaper has some 700 000 daily readers.

The front page of the printed edition of Helsingin Sanomat 31.12.2024.

The article is also available for subscribers on the internet  https://www.hs.fi/suomi/art-2000010782364.html 

  

A few of the over 10 000 finds found during the excavations of the German camp 2014-2014 and 2024. Photo Japo Knuutila.

During the following years my Modern Conflict Archaeology research will focus on the cultural heritage and landscapes of the Finnish Civil War. Here too German armed forces played a significant role.

German infantrymen from the Ostsee-Division in Helsinki in April 1918. Photo Finna archives.

Community Archaeology excavations again in Helsinki in June 2025!

Today I received some excellent news from Helsingin Seudun Kesäyliopisto who informed me that they will arrange an archaeology field school 23.6. - 27.6.2025. The excavation site dates to the Neolithic Stone-age (Comb Ceramic Culture ca 3 500 BC). It is rich in finds and located in Pitäjänmäki just 15 minutes from Helsinki city centre!