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In the Marshal’s Bootprints – a walking tour |
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In
the Marshal’s Bootprints – a walking tour
Mikkeli
has been a headquarters city in all wars during Finland’s independence.
The first time the city was the location of the headquarters was in the
spring of 1918 as the White Army established their HQ at the Seurahuone
Hotel near the railway station. Mikkeli
is better known as the headquarters city of the Winter and Continuation
Wars. Mikkeli was chosen for this purpose for its good locations and
communications as well as the possibility of quarrying the shelters
needed into the Naisvuori hill in the centre of town. Mikkeli’s
Central Elementary School was the focal point of the Headquarters’
Winter and Continuation War operations. Activities were also
decentralised to other public buildings in and outside the city. At its
largest the HQ emploed approx. 2 500 persons, directly or indirectly,
and therefore made a strong impact on the streets of Mikkeli, then a
city of 11 000 inhabitants. Most of the personnel lived in the city.
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Mikkeli:
The City of Headquarters