The Swastikas on the Floor of Iisalmi Lyceum

Kaisa Yliperttula 2026

The swastikas embedded on the floor of Iisalmi Lyceum often surprise visitors. At the lyceum, the swastika also appears in carvings above the main entrance. These swastikas date back to the building’s construction year, 1931, and are part of the school’s original floor and wall structures. The building is now protected, so they cannot simply be removed. According to the Finnish Heritage Agency’s website: “The aim of the Act on the Protection of the Built Heritage is to safeguard the temporal and regional diversity of the built cultural environment, to preserve its characteristic nature and special features, and to promote its culturally sustainable care and use.” When the removal of the symbols is discussed, the question also arises whether decorative symbols connected to difficult history can be removed or covered, or whether doing so would amount to erasing and concealing history.

This text examines possible reasons why the swastika was chosen as a decorative element in Iisalmi Lyceum, what meanings it holds in the context of the school and what other meanings the symbol has had historically, how it came into use in Europe and Finland, and what is meant by difficult history.

The Swastikas of Iisalmi Lyceum

Iisalmi Lyceum was founded in 1896, and the current building with its decorations was completed in 1931. The building represents 1920s classicism and is protected. Typical of the period, its façade and corridors were decorated with geometric patterns. Among these decorations, the swastika motifs stand out most clearly due to their difficult history.

Above the main entrance there is a Latin motto Labor improbus omnia vincit. It originates from the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro. In English, it means: “Persistent work conquers all.” This was one of the ideals of Finnish grammar schools in the early 20th century. At that time, diligence, perseverance, self-discipline, and success achieved through education were emphasized. Placed above the entrance, the motto functioned as a symbolic gateway to the school’s values. Alongside it, there is a swastika symbol carved in stone. Swastikas are also placed on the floor of the second-floor corridor, where they stand out clearly in black against the white stone.

There is no exact information about the designers of the school building and its decorative patterns. The building plans were drafted by architect Selim Savonius, but the design work was largely carried out by architect Atte Willberg (Setälä, 1973, 37–39). The Latin motto above the entrance was designed by architect Salme Setälä, who worked at the time as a consulting draughtsperson at the National Board of Public Building (ibid.).

The swastika patterns in the entrance and corridors were most likely made as detail drawings, as the marble mosaic floor is professionally executed, but no information about these drawings or their creators exists in the city archives. It is possible that the detail designs were made by Atte Willberg and Salme Setälä. This is supported by the fact that both Willberg and Setälä had strong bourgeois backgrounds, and the lyceum, for which the building was constructed, was a bourgeois school. The connection between the swastika symbol and bourgeois values is further discussed in the section “The Use of the Swastika in Finland.” When completed, Iisalmi Lyceum was a state-owned school. The construction was carried out by the Vyborg-based company Pyramid Oy.

The placement of the swastika decorations in the building corresponds to the typical positioning of symbols believed to bring good fortune and protection in architecture. Before the popularity of the swastika in Finland, symbols such as the pentagram or “hannunvaakuna” were used in similar ways. In rural areas, such symbols might be painted on the gable of a barn or carved into objects such as milk containers. The swastikas at the lyceum are placed according to similar logic. At the ends of corridors, they function as protective or guarding symbols. Positioned at the entrance, the symbol served as a sign wishing good luck and success.

This decorative ensemble formed a coherent educational message. The Latin motto at the entrance proclaimed the institution’s values and encouraged diligent work, which was seen as leading to success in life. The swastikas in the corridors symbolized success, protection, and continuity. Such symbolic ensembles were typical of monumental school buildings of the 1920s and 1930s. The building was seen in a way as a temple of education. It was a source of pride for the town and a transmitter of bourgeois values. The symbols were part of students’ everyday school life, conveying their silent message day after day.

In 1931, when the building was completed, the swastika was widely used in Finland as a symbol of good fortune, protection, and continuity in architecture and decorative arts. Although its use in Europe already had antisemitic associations in the 19th century, in Finland it symbolized more the separation from the ruling power, Russia. Following the Bolshevik Revolution and the Finnish Civil War, the swastika in Finland also gained meanings related to opposition to communism and socialism, which from the early 1920s were also part of German Nazi ideology (Teivainen, 2025, 16).

Historical Meanings of the Swastika

The swastika (or Hakenkreuz in German, a “hooked cross”) is a geometric symbol that appears in slightly different forms. Generally, it is a cross with arms bent at right angles. Sometimes the arms may also be curved rather than angular. The orientation and direction of the symbol can vary. It may be displayed flat or rotated. For example, the Finnish Air Force used a flat swastika in its insignia, as does the Indian swastika. In the most famous Nazi flag,

the Hakenkreuz is tilted, but Nazi symbols have also included flat versions (Teivainen, 2025, 65). Therefore, the orientation of the symbol cannot be used to justify or deny a connection to Nazism.

The swastika is a symbol of good fortune that has been used for thousands of years in various cultures around the world. The name “swastika” originates from India. In Europe, there has been debate since the late 19th century about whether the term should be used for European versions of the symbol. Indian communities have expressed that the term should not be used unless referring specifically to the Indian religious symbol (ibid., 29). In this English text, the German name is used when referring to the Nazi symbol.

The history of the swastika therefore predates the Nazi Party, which adopted it in 1920. However, it is important to note that the Hakenkreuz did not enter Nazi use by chance, as it had already been used in Europe in the 19th century as part of racial nationalist and antisemitic ideologies. Racial nationalism was linked to the rise of general nationalism and the formation of nation-states. While nationalism itself is not inherently racist, racial nationalism distinguishes between ethnic groups and ranks them hierarchically. It has always been strongly associated with ideas of white supremacy. Nazi ideology was strongly based on the idea that Germans were ethnically pure Aryans, whose archetype was a tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed white person—even though Adolf Hitler himself did not represent this ideal. Thus, the Nazi use of the Hakenkreuz did not emerge from nothing, even though it later came to dominate the symbol’s meanings.

Symbolism

A symbol is a sign, image, object, or concept that represents something else, such as an idea, emotion, or institution. It functions as a metaphor that condenses often broad meanings into a form that is easy to understand. The meanings of symbols are based on shared conventions, and they facilitate communication within a culture. Symbols understood almost everywhere in the world include, for example, restroom and traffic signs. People develop symbols because our brains can process only a limited amount of information at once. Categorization and simplification are necessary to understand and make sense of the surrounding world (Kertzer, 1988, 4).

Politics is also expressed through symbols. A good example is political party logos, which become highly visible during elections. Campaign advertisements must convey a great deal of information in a small space and at a quick glance. A party’s logo communicates much about the candidate’s values and goals without needing to spell everything out.

Political and commercial actors can also manipulate symbols. The more emotions are attached to the symbols, the more powerful they become (Kertzer, 5). In Nazi Germany, a one-party system was established in the early 1930s, in which elections were no longer held and only the symbols of one party—primarily the Hakenkreuz—were visible everywhere. The Nazi

Party also strictly controlled the use of the Hakenkreuz and regulated it through laws. In this way, the meaning of the symbol was kept aligned with the party’s values. According to Kertzer (ibid.), identifying oneself with a popular symbol can be an effective way to gain and maintain power, since a key feature of power is the construction of reality. This refers to the ability of those in power to shape, for example, historical narratives and political discourse to suit their own interests.

A symbol is always a message. If a symbol is ambiguous, its interpretation depends on the individual’s own perspective and relationship to it. This is why the swastikas at Iisalmi Lyceum occasionally appear in news or social media discussions. While in Iisalmi it is understood that the lyceum does not foster Nazis, an outside visitor may interpret the Hakenkreuz seen at the school differently.

The Use of the Swastika in Finland

The swastika as a symbol rose to popularity in Europe in the late 19th century. One possible reason was the swastika motifs discovered during archaeological excavations of Troy. Because ancient Greece was admired as the cradle of European civilization, the swastikas found in Troy were perceived as symbols of a European ideal. Inspired by this, the swastika became fashionable as nationalism gained momentum in Europe at the end of the 19th century.

In Finland, during the decades preceding independence, the swastika was used as a symbol emphasizing Finnish identity. It was meant to demonstrate that Finland was part of Europe—a young nation capable of independence. At the same time, it served to distinguish Finland from its ruling power at the time, Russia, which was seen as part of the East and therefore outside Europe. In Finland, the swastika was also used to represent bourgeois values, which, in addition to European ideals, may explain why the symbol was chosen to be embedded on the floor of Iisalmi Lyceum. In early 20th-century Finland, bourgeois identity was connected to the estate society that was gradually fading, where emphasizing distinctions between social classes was important. The emphasis on class differences remained strong for a long time and is still visible to some extent today.

The swastika became the symbol of the Finnish Air Force during the Civil War, when Swedish baron Eric von Rosen donated an aircraft to the White forces in 1918. A swastika, which was von Rosen’s favourite symbol, had been painted on the aircraft. From there, it remained as the insignia of the Finnish Air Force until it was abandoned at the request of the Allied Control Commission during the Lapland War in April 1945. However, the swastika returned as a unit insignia of the Air Force in 1958 and remained in use in various forms into the 21st century. Following Finland’s accession to NATO in 2023, the Air Force has gradually phased out the swastika insignia (Teivainen, 2025, 189).

Dealing with Difficult History

Although the early history of the swastika is well known, it is important to recognize that the meanings of symbols change over time and across contexts. By the early 20th century, the Hakenkreuz had become established as a symbol of several antisemitic movements, and even after the fall of Nazi Germany, it has been used by various racist groups. For this reason, the symbol cannot be examined solely through its earlier meanings. Due to its negative associations, the use of the Hakenkreuz is nowadays prohibited in many European countries, except in historical or educational contexts (Moilanen, 2017).

“Difficult history” refers to past events that are ethically, emotionally, or politically challenging, traumatic, or controversial. The concept is often connected to topics that provoke public debate or polarization. The Holocaust can be considered a prime example of difficult history, and for this reason, questions related to the swastika are complex. According to Historians without Borders, difficult history often involves dealing with human suffering or politically sensitive interpretations of the past (Tummavuori and Hedman, 2025). Addressing difficult history divides opinions and evokes strong emotions, which can lead to attempts to impose one’s preferred interpretation of history as the dominant one. According to a study by Historians without Borders and the Finnish Union of Museum and Cultural Heritage Professionals MAL ry (2025), museum workers dealing with difficult history have experienced pressure and even threats, including in Finland.

There has been discussion in Finland about banning the Hakenkreuz by law. Teivainen (2025, 14), who has studied the symbol, argues that banning it would infringe on freedom of expression. There has also been debate about “cleansing” the swastika of its Nazi associations and “reclaiming” it for Finland. However, this is extremely difficult. The Holocaust has left a profound mark on history, and attempts to erase that legacy is problematic, as it risks enabling Holocaust denial. Arguments that the swastika could be considered as “property of the Finnish nation” due to archaeological findings or historical use, such as in Air Force insignia, are also weak. According to Henriksson (2020, 159), what is presented in the spirit of national romanticism as national property is “top-down in nature, a kind of an upper-class project.”

The Finnish national movement emerged in the 19th century, although the idea of Finland and Finnish identity had already begun to take shape a century earlier. During the period of autonomy in the early 19th century, a national movement known as Fennomania or Finnish-mindedness arose. It advocated for the status of the Finnish language and sought to establish Finland as a nation. In this effort, the then-fashionable national romanticism played a major role. This included, for example, Elias Lönnrot’s collection of folk poetry from across present-day Finland and Karelia, which he compiled and edited into Finland’s national epic, the Kalevala.

Nationalism and Fennomania were primarily movements of the young, educated elite. The idea of national property is closely linked to how national identity has been constructed, cultural heritage defined, and self-determination pursued. According to Henriksson (ibid.), the concept of national property in the Finnish context relates to how efforts have been made to define and shape the nation. It is therefore not something that naturally arises from the people themselves, but rather something that has been moulded according to the ideals of the upper classes, including late 19th-century racial theories.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the swastikas of Iisalmi Lyceum encapsulate well the multilayered nature of the symbol and the challenges of difficult history. The swastikas originate from a time when their meaning was different from today, but later historical events have significantly altered their interpretation. For this reason, examining them requires historical understanding, but also sensitivity to contemporary values and experiences.

The question of whether such symbols should be preserved, removed, or covered is not straightforward. It is connected more broadly to how we relate to the past: whether we seek to conceal it or to confront and understand it. The swastikas at Iisalmi Lyceum serve as an example of how history is present in everyday life and how its meanings are continuously debated and reshaped over time.