Artworks rescued from Viipuri before wartime destruction now on display in Lappeenranta

A new exhibition in Lappeenranta showcases over 200 artworks saved from Viipuri just before the Winter War, including pieces by Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Hugo Simberg, reports Finnish broadcaster Yle.

The collection, now displayed at the South Karelia Museum, was evacuated in 1939 as war loomed, sparing the works from destruction. The exhibition, titled “Save the Art! The Journey from Viipuri to Lappeenranta,” traces the artworks’ secret relocation to Rautalampi in Northern Savo, where they remained hidden until the 1950s.

Curator and art historian Anna Kortelainen highlights the urgency of the evacuation, driven by Lieutenant General Harald Öhquist—a military officer and art activist—who initiated the rescue effort in August 1939. The exhibition features the artworks in their original transport crates, alongside shipping documents and photographs, evoking the haste of the operation.

Kortelainen notes the eerie relevance of the display amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, just beyond Finland’s border. “War has come very close,” she said, drawing parallels to the tensions of 1939. While the art survived, Viipuri itself was lost to Finland forever.

The exhibition runs until early October, with some rescued works now part of the Lappeenranta Art Museum’s permanent collection. Others are held in museums in Lahti and Hämeenlinna.