Equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim

A bronze equestrian statue of Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, by Aimo Tukiainen, stands in centre of Helsinki, Finland. It was erected 1960.

Mannerheim Square in Helsinki, Finland

The bronze statue is 5.4 m tall. It is raised on a granite podium, 6.3 m tall, 6.3 m long and 2.72 m wide.[1]

Mannerheim was a symbolic figure in Finland at since the Finnish Civil War 1918, and his position grew stronger during 1930s and the second world war. The first plans and fundraising for an equestrian statue started already in 1937. After his death in 1951 the plans were relaunched by initiative of the Helsinki University Students' Union.[2] During the fundraising campaign 737 503 members of public donated over 78 million marks in 1952.[3] The funds were sufficient for not only the statue but also for purchasing the Louhisaari mansion in Askainen, Mannerheim's place of birth, which was turned into a museum.[4]

The statue was commissioned from Aimo Tukiainen after a competition. Tukiainen made a realistic and detailed statue of the horse-riding Mannerheim. At its unveiling in 1960 the art world considered it out-dated. In his contemporary works Tukiainen himself had already moved on from realism.[4]

The features of the horse, its gait and which of the Marshal's horses it actually represents have been discussed a lot. During his life Mannerheim owned several horses. Tukiainen studied Mannerheim's last horse Käthy when working on the statue, but it is not a portrait of her as such.[4]

The construction of the Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art next to the statue was debated during the time of construction of the museum.[5]