Grave memorial for Ahtisaari to unveil on Nov 10

The grave memorial for former President Martti Ahtisaari will be unveiled on November 10 at Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki, said a government press release on Thursday.

November 10, St. Martin’s Day, will mark one year since Ahtisaari’s funeral. With the grave memorial, the Government honours former President Ahtisaari’s memory and important life’s work.

The grave memorial, called Blessed, was designed and created by artist and architect Harri Pakarinen, the winner of an open design competition organised by the Prime Minister’s Office at the beginning of this year.

Finland’s highest state representatives will attend the unveiling ceremony.

President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will speak at the event, which will feature musical performances by the YL Male Voice Choir and the Guards Band, along with saxophonist Jukka Perko and guitarist Marzi Nyman.

The unveiling ceremony will be broadcast live starting at 12 noon on channel TV1 of the Finnish Broadcasting Company and on the online service YLE Areena.

The public will be able to take a closer look at the memorial from around 13.30 onwards.

Former President Ahtisaari’s grave and grave memorial are located near the New Chapel at Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki. The graves and grave memorials of former presidents Ryti, Kekkonen and Koivisto are also located in the same area.

Harri Pakarinen, who designed the grave memorial, says the title of the work comes from a verse in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).

“The leaf-shaped memorial calls to mind an olive branch. It honours Martti Ahtisaari’s impressive and exceptional work as a mediator,” said Pakarinen.

The use of the olive branch as a symbol for peace dates back to antiquity. The symbol features in the emblem of the United Nations and in the beak of the peace dove.

Pakarinen’s work, which is 4.5 metres long, is made of green granite from Ylämaa. The rock was extracted from the village of Ylämaa, which is part of the Vyborg rapakivi granite area extending from the Karelian Isthmus to Eastern Finland.

The design competition was of high artistic standard and received 171 entries. The winner of was selected by an awards committee consisting of the former President Ahtisaari grave memorial committee and two artists appointed by the Artists’ Association of Finland. The value of the contract for the work was EUR 175,000.

Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (b. 23 June 1937) was the tenth President of the Republic of Finland and the first to be elected by direct popular vote.

He served as president from 1994 to 2000. Former President Ahtisaari is remembered for his long and exceptionally wide-ranging international work for peace and reconciliation that spanned over three decades.

Ahtisaari passed away in Helsinki on October 16, 2023 after a long illness at the age of 86.

His state funeral was held in Helsinki on 10 November 2023.