​​Headquarters Museum​

On display are Marshal Mannerheim’s study and the Operations Department’s Army Office, both preserved in their authentic form. You can also learn about the organisation of the Headquarters, the aid Finland received from different countries during the Winter War and the Continuation War (two Finnish-Soviet Union conflicts during the Second World War), and the bombings experienced by the Headquarters city of Mikkeli.

The exhibition section titled ‘Mannerheim as Commander-in-Chief' examines Mannerheim from the perspective of military leadership and describes his everyday life at the Headquarters during the years of the Continuation War (1941 to 1944). Gustaf Mannerheim was a professional soldier who reached the highest possible positions in a military career. He led the Finnish Defence Forces in four wars and was elected President of the Republic of Finland.

The military skill of a commander-in-chief is political and strategic in nature. The exhibition explores Mannerheim’s actions in the 1918 war, the Winter War (1939 to 1940) and the Continuation War, and finally as President of the Republic and during the Lapland War. What did he emphasise, what did he avoid, and how did he act in relation to Finland’s political and military leadership? What was his relationship with foreign powers? What kind of peacemaker was Mannerheim? Initiative and drive, resources, the power of praise, but also war-weariness, impatience and caution characterised Mannerheim’s actions during the war years.

The Headquarters Museum was founded in 1974 and has since expanded and been renewed. Since 2021, the Headquarters Museum has been part of the exhibition route of Muisti, Centre for War and Peace, and the two share a joint admission ticket.