Kalevala's tradition villages left behind new Iron Curtain

Markku Nieminen, founder of the Juminkeko Foundation, has dedicated four decades to preserving the cultural heritage of Viena Karelia. His life's work, focused on reviving Kalevala villages across the Russian border, faces unprecedented challenges.

Nieminen's foundation has worked for forty years to maintain these traditional villages. A new chapel was built in 2013 to replace the destroyed Vuonninen chapel, a testament to their ongoing efforts. However, the current geopolitical climate has rendered the preservation work more difficult than it was during the Soviet era.

Writer Markku Nieminen is trying to reach his friend and colleague Miihkali Stepanov, who safeguards Viena Karelia's cultural heritage on the Russian side. The distance from Kuhmo to Stepanov's home in Haikola is only about 150 kilometers as the crow flies. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, however, this distance is no longer measured in kilometers but in insurmountable barriers.

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The distance is no longer measured in kilometers.