Lehtovaara Village

Lehtovaara village.

Settlement occupied by Red Army in Winter War in 1939. Houses donated by Sweden

The Finns resorted to the scorched earth tactic. They attempted to destroy all buildings that the enemy could use for billeting and logistic purposes, but they did not have time to set every house on fire, and the enemy put the remaining buildings to good use. The Russians established a main billeting area at Parissavaara five kilometers away.

After the Winter War ended on March 13, 1940, evacuees returned to the destroyed settlement. Everyone who had lost his home began hastily to erect any kind of a weather shelter before a proper rebuilding effort could be started.

Sweden donated to Finland 20,000 small, prefabricated houses that were easy to assemble on-site.

The lack of accommodation was alleviated significantly when Sweden donated to Finland 20,000 small, prefabricated houses that were easy to assemble on-site. The project was financed by a nationwide collection. Twenty-five houses were shipped to Ilomantsi, and many ended up at Lehtovaara. They were commonly called “Swedish houses” or “emergency relief houses.”

They remain standing to this day, although most have been expanded over the decades, so their external appearance has changed. However, they may be recognized by looking at their foundations. Cement and chalk, which are needed to make concrete, were extremely hard to come by in the summer of 1940, and erecting houses on concrete blocks instead of solid foundations was a solution to the problem. Consequently, a house that stands on blocks on the roadside is definitely of Swedish origin.

Lehtovaara was also a scene of the Continuation War.

Lehtovaara was a scene of hustle and bustle during the late summer of the Continuation War and early fall of 1944 as troops marched through the settlement to and from the short but fierce battles that were fought in the vicinity of Hattuvaara and Ilaja. The road was continuously choked by supply traffic.

The Frontier Guard brigade, which was one of the two core elements of Group Raappana, set up its headquarters at Lehtovaara during the initial phase of the battles. Major General Erkki Raappana himself was a frequent visitor to Lehtovaara where he had his forward command post.