Paper short abstract:

This paper maps diverse attitudes towards the German material heritage in the northern wilderness of Finland, and touches upon the role the German-inflicted destruction of material culture as an agent of memory.

Paper long abstract:

Finland had close ties with Germany during the Second World War, and German troops were stationed in northern Finland as part of Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union forced Finland to turn against Germany in 1944, which resulted in the so-called Lapland War and the German retreat from Finland. The German troops destroyed not only their own military sites upon their retreat but, disappointed with their former brothers-in-arms, engaged in massive destruction of northern Finnish towns, villages, infrastructure and private property as well. The Germans, in the Finnish perspective, were friends and enemies who provided much needed support in the war but also 'burned down Lapland'.

Small wonder, then, that the Finnish-German relations during WWII have remained a tender subject in Finland until recently. This paper maps diverse attitudes towards the German material heritage in the northern wilderness of Finland, and touches upon the role the German-inflicted destruction of material culture as an agent of memory. The remains of German military sites and materiel, abundant as they are in certain areas of Lapland, lack 'official' status as cultural heritage and are neglected, overlooked, looted and generally regarded in rather negative terms. This material heritage, however, has also a potential to be put into positive uses.