We are pleased to announce the expansion of the LRE Foundation network in Finland with the addition of a new member: the Riisa Orthodox Church Museum. This new entry further strengthens our presence across Northern Europe and broadens the range of perspectives through which the history and legacy of the Second World War can be explored.
Based in Kuopio, Riisa is a museum of national and international significance. Founded in 1957, it continues the traditions of the Museum of Antiquities established at the old Monastery of Valamo in 1912. The name Riisa in Finnish refers to a metallic cover placed over an icon to protect and embellish it, an apt metaphor for the museum’s mission to preserve and highlight cultural heritage.
Riisa offers a unique and deeply compelling lens on wartime history. A large part of its collection consists of objects evacuated during World War II from territories later ceded to the Soviet Union. These artefacts not only represent religious and cultural heritage, but also tell powerful stories of displacement, loss, and resilience.
Riisa’s inclusion in the LRE Foundation network and, consequently, in the Liberation Route Europe – one of the 49 Cultural Routes certified by the Council of Europe – also complements the existing Finnish sites within the network, including the Muisti Centre for War and Peace, the Ilomantsi Battlegrounds Trail, the Kuhmo Museum of the Winter War, and the Salpa Line Museum, creating a richer and more connected narrative of Finland’s wartime experience within a broader European context.
“Membership will provide Riisa with a new path to visibility on an international scale, especially among people with an interest in war history. Few such people have a knowledge of the fascinating and quite unique angle on history that our reorganised exhibition offers,” said Anne Laiti, Director of the Orthodox Church Museum Riisa.
“Through initiatives like Liberation Route Europe, the LRE Foundation works to make history accessible, relevant, and meaningful today, promoting shared European values, encouraging cultural dialogue, and supporting more sustainable ways of exploring heritage. Riisa’s membership contributes to this mission by bringing forward a lesser-known yet significant chapter of Europe’s wartime story,” added Emme Johnson, Project Manager LRE Foundation.
