The LRE Foundation is pleased to welcome the Ilomantsi Tourist Association, custodian of the Ilomantsi Battlegrounds Trail, as a new member in Finland. With its remarkable concentration of wartime sites and landscapes, Ilomantsi offers one of the most extensive and immersive historical environments in Northern Europe, which now becomes an essential part of the LRE Foundation’s growing international network.
A Region Marked by Two Wars
Ilomantsi holds a unique place in Finnish and European wartime history. It is the only municipality within Finland’s current borders that witnessed major division-level battles during both the Winter War (1939–40) and the Continuation War (1941–44). In total, an estimated 50,000 men fought in the area, leaving a dense constellation of sites that together tell the story of Finland’s eastern front.
A 150-Kilometre Open-Air Archive
The Ilomantsi Battlegrounds Trail, a 150-kilometre network of roads, connects dozens of historical touchpoints: memorials, restored fighting positions, museums, information boards, wartime buildings, and other preserved locations. With every site situated by the roadside or close to it, visitors can explore Ilomantsi’s wartime legacy with exceptional ease and depth.
This comprehensive approach to preservation and interpretation makes Ilomantsi a model for how rural wartime landscapes can be activated to support remembrance, education, and sustainable tourism.
Why Ilomantsi Matters to the LRE Network
Strengthening our presence in Finland has been a long-standing goal for the LRE Foundation. Ilomantsi brings to the network:
- A uniquely well-preserved and accessible wartime landscape, rare in its scale and continuity.
- A strong local commitment to remembrance, demonstrated by decades of research, reconstruction, and educational work.
- A strategic location, linking the Nordic region more closely to Liberation Route Europe’s multi-perspective narrative of the war.
By bringing Ilomantsi into the network, we not only expand the geographical reach of the Liberation Route but also enrich the diversity of stories and perspectives represented across Europe.
“Although the Winter War and the Continuation War have been regarded as separate wars between Finland and the Soviet Union, it is important to view them in a European context.” says Eero Tuomisto, Executive Director of Ilomantsi Tourism Association. “Ilomantsi has always been between East and West, and this has shaped our lives. The Battlegrounds Trail is a good reminder of how superpower politics can affect even the most remote areas.”
“Having visited Ilomantsi last May, I saw how the Battlegrounds Trail offers an educational journey amongst the area’s atmospheric natural landscape” adds Emme Johnson, LREF Project Manager. “ We’re proud to collaborate with the Ilomantsi Tourist Association and connect this remarkable region to our wider European narrative. I look forward to bringing the sites and stories of Ilomantsi’s Battlegrounds Trail into the Liberation Route trails network”
