Karelian stone to honor President Ahtisaari
For Palin Granit, it was a great honor to supply the stone material for the memorial to Finnish President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari, which was unveiled November 10. The memorial’s material, Baltic Green from Ylämaa in South Karelia was chosen based on a design by an esteemed Finnish artist and architect Harri Pakarinen. Pakarinen’s award-winning work, which emulates the shape of an olive leaf—a universal symbol of peace—was ultimately crafted into its final form by skilled stone sculptor Kari Laine from Loimaan Kivi.
Photo: © Fanni Uusitalo, Prime Minister’s Office
Photo: © Fanni Uusitalo, Prime Minister’s Office
The "Autuas" (blessed) monument, over four meters in length, has a profound connection to Martti Ahtisaari's legacy: the green granite for the monument was quarried just 50 kilometers from Ahtisaari's birthplace, Vyborg. According to Heikki Palin, Managing Director of Palin Granit, the choice of stone is a tribute to Karelian born Ahtisaari.
The original stone block, a remarkable 5 x 2 x 1.5 meters in size, was extracted as a single flawless piece after a month-long process—without compromises. "To ensure the stone’s integrity, we avoided using explosives, carefully extracting the block by sawing it," explains Pauli Salmela, Technical Director at Palin Granit. “Our skilled stonemasons worked on it piece by piece, patiently and alongside their other tasks.”
Photo: Pauli Salmela
Finding a fully intact, uniformly colored Baltic Green block of this size is extraordinary—and incredibly fortunate. Natural stone does not typically exhibit such uniformity in color or structure at this scale; generally, usable stone blocks are much smaller and may contain natural variations or flaws. Technical Director Salmela notes, “The stars truly had to align for the perfect stone to be extracted with such careful, deliberate work.”
Photo: © Fanni Uusitalo, Prime Minister’s Office
Every detail, from selecting the stone to the meticulous craftsmanship, was approached with patience and respect for the memorial—qualities that also reflect Ahtisaari’s enduring dedication to peace. We are proud to be part of this invaluable project, bringing the beautiful and durable granite of South Karelia into history.