The region of Lapland, in the Arctic Circle, has become a symbol of Christmas. The city of Rovaniemi, in northern Finland, attracts thousands of tourists every year to the famous Santa Claus Village complex.
But, whoever sees all this Christmas magic, doesn’t imagine that everything was created for forget a dark past and rebuild a city destroyed by Nazism in World War II.
Capital of Lapland, sleepy Rovaniemi had around 6000 inhabitants when it was invaded by the Soviet Union (USSR) on November 30, 1939, three months after the start of the conflict.
Despite being small, the city had strategic importance for the logistics of Stalin’s Army. From there it is possible to take a 500 km road to Petsamo, where the port of Liinahamari is located, once important for the river transport of Soviet goods. This territory is in what is now Russia.
The conflict, known as the Winter Warbegan after a major surprise attack by the Soviet Union on Finland. The Soviets’ objective was to conquer Rovaniemi and then move on to the Kemi-Tornio region, near the border with Sweden, where there were important railways.
The USSR’s plan never worked, because the Finnish Army resisted bravely with the help of Swedish volunteers, equipped with anti-aircraft weapons and planes, according to Finnish historian and writer Kalevi Mikkonen.
A few months later, on March 13, 1940, Finland and the Soviet Union signed the Moscow Peace Treaty and put an end to the Winter War. However, time passed and the USSR threatened to invade Finland again.
In order not to run this risk again, in the spring of 1941, the Finnish government authorized 200 thousand soldiers from the 20th German Army de Montanha, based in Norway, moved to Lapland to defend the border.
In return, the Germans would have an easier time invading the Soviet Union and, through Rovaniemi, reaching Petsamo to explore nickel mines and seize the port of Liinahamari.
This strategy by Adolf Hilter was part of Operation Barbarossaknown as the largest land offensive in human history, with the participation of around 4 million soldiers.
“Finland did not know the exact plans for Operation Barbarossa until a few weeks before the first German attack on the Soviet Union, on June 29, 1941. However, the Nordic country decided to ally itself in this first offensive, as Stalin’s Army had bombed several cities in Finlandincluding Rovaniemi, four days before the German attack”, explains Mikkonen.
During the next three years, this alliance between the two countries continued, but Adolf Hitler’s Army was weakening and losing strength. On September 19, 1944, Finland agreed to sign an armistice with the Soviet Union and expel German forces.
The Nazis ended up leaving Rovaniemi, but not before destroy practically the entire city. A truck full of explosives exploded at the central train station and other parts were set on fire — civilians had already fled and the city was empty. The historian estimates that almost 90% of Rovaniemi was destroyed before the evacuation of the Nazi Army.
On September 2, 1945, the Second World War ended. The official death toll is not certain, but history books estimate that up to 80 million people died between 1939 and 1945.
Reconstruction
Rebuilding Rovaniemi was not an easy mission. The city had no construction materials and much of that Arctic region did not produce enough food for its entire population in the 1940s.
That’s when the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) came into the picture.
Created on November 9, 1943, during a conference of 44 nations at the White House in the United States, its mission was provide economic assistance to European nations devastated after World War II.
The plan to put Rovaniemi back on the map fell to a famous architect of the time, called Alvar Aalto.
The Finn created a project known as Reindeer Horn Municipal Planso that the city’s roads formed a design of reindeer antlers, an animal symbol of the Lapland region.
Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States from 1933 to 1945, was considered the “soul” of UNRRA with its banner of humanitarian activism. To get to know Aalto’s project up close, he arranged a visit to Rovaniemi on June 11, 1950. And it was from there that the city’s history changed to become what it is today.
One of Eleanor’s wishes was cross the imaginary line from the Arctic Circle, which passes through Rovaniemi. Uuno Hannula, then governor of Lapland, did not know how to fulfill this wish, as the area where the line passes was nothing but forest, snow and wildlife.
Hannula then asked the mayor of Rovamiemi for help, and they found land about 100 meters from where the Arctic line passes.
Eemeli Karinen, owner of the site, authorized the construction of a cabin of wood that was made in less than two weeks.
“The history of the city began to change there. And nobody knew. The cabin opened on June 11, 1950 for receive an illustrious visit from Eleanor Roosevelt and marked the beginning of tourism in the Arctic Circle”, says Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi, the company that manages tourism in the city.
Due to Eleanor Roosevelt’s global representation at the time, the cabin itself began to become a tourist attraction, with other heads of state even staying there.
Little by little, the city created infrastructure to welcome more people, potentially increase investments and generate new jobs.
According to Finnish legend, Santa Claus lives inside a mountain in Lapland called Korvatunturi, which is on the border between Finland and Russia, 320 km away from Rovaniemi.
A part of this rock formation resembles that of a giant ear — legend has it that the ‘Good Old Man’ can hear the wishes of all the children in the world through her and prepare gifts in his secret workshop inside the mountain with the help of his elves.
And the region’s reindeer help push the sleigh on its mission to take gifts around the world during Christmas.
In 1969, a Rovaniemi resident named Olavi Pokka, who was selling reindeer skins to tourists near the Eleanor Roosevelt Hut during the harsh -20°C winter, came up with the idea of build Santa Claus Village.
Little by little, the place grew and gained souvenir shops, restaurants and accommodation. Sanna says that growth began in the 1980s and, mainly, from 1990 onwards.
Built from the Eleanor Roosevelt Cabin, Santa Claus Village is currently about 242 thousand square meterswith several restaurants, shops, tourist attractions and Santa Claus Village with accommodation. There is also SantaPark, a Christmas theme park.
To give you an idea, only the month of December accounts for 60% of total revenue. Around 100 companies operate and provide services in this area. And the Santa Claus Village accommodations are part of a cooperative of around 50 companies led by businessman Antti Nikander.
To visit Santa Claus Village you don’t have to pay anything, just what you consume. Accommodation prices range from 250 to 2000 euros. Guided tours start at 65 euros.
