- Collections
- Conference rooms
- Lotta Svärd
Birth of the organization - Activities and
development - Lotta insignia
- Equipment and
Collection Section - Catering Section
- Medical Section
- Office and
Communications Section - Searchlight Lottas
- Junior Lottas
- Lotta uniform
- The Syväranta estate
- The Lotta Svärd Foundation
The activities and development
of the Lotta Svärd organization
According to its principles, the Lotta Svärd organization was to act for the advancement of the people's morals and will to defend the home country and to assist the Civil Guard organization. The organization grew strongly throughout the 1920s, and by 1930 it had 60 000 members already. The organization gained on the average a 6 % annual increase in memberships. It finally grew into the largest unarmed civil defence organization in the world. In 1944 there were approximately 240 000 voluntary members in the Lotta-organization (including about 50 000 Junior Lottas). Political orientation or marital status wasn't an obstacle in joining the organization. The above-mentioned figures are remarkable considering that Finland had less than four million inhabitants at the time. It was an early notion that at the outbreak of war, it would take the entire population to defend the country – men only weren't enough. The Lottas took up the challenge and did manage to release almost 100 000 men to defend the country during the war years. 50 000 of these were sent to the front in arms. The Lottas, however, did not bear arms. The Finnish Lotta Svärd organization has been a model for similar Scandinavian organizations. Sweden has a still active Lotta organization of its own called Svenska Lottakåren. Finland's example has also been used first in Estonia, and then in Norway and Denmark.
Lotta courses in Tuusula at the Civil Guard
Officer School on July 2nd, 1933.
The activities of the Lotta Svärd organization were divided into several sections, and each section included various work tasks. Besides assisting the Civil Guards, the organization worked in co-operation with other charitable organizations. During the depression, the organization donated clothes and food to the needy in addition to giving financial aid. It was already customary for the Lotta Svärd organization to give aid to disabled war veterans, war orphans and war widows.
Fanni Luukkonen (1882-1947), chairwoman of the organization
from 1929 to 1944.
of the Lotta Svärd organization
According to its principles, the Lotta Svärd organization was to act for the advancement of the people's morals and will to defend the home country and to assist the Civil Guard organization. The organization grew strongly throughout the 1920s, and by 1930 it had 60 000 members already. The organization gained on the average a 6 % annual increase in memberships. It finally grew into the largest unarmed civil defence organization in the world. In 1944 there were approximately 240 000 voluntary members in the Lotta-organization (including about 50 000 Junior Lottas). Political orientation or marital status wasn't an obstacle in joining the organization. The above-mentioned figures are remarkable considering that Finland had less than four million inhabitants at the time. It was an early notion that at the outbreak of war, it would take the entire population to defend the country – men only weren't enough. The Lottas took up the challenge and did manage to release almost 100 000 men to defend the country during the war years. 50 000 of these were sent to the front in arms. The Lottas, however, did not bear arms. The Finnish Lotta Svärd organization has been a model for similar Scandinavian organizations. Sweden has a still active Lotta organization of its own called Svenska Lottakåren. Finland's example has also been used first in Estonia, and then in Norway and Denmark.
Lotta courses in Tuusula at the Civil Guard
Officer School on July 2nd, 1933.
The activities of the Lotta Svärd organization were divided into several sections, and each section included various work tasks. Besides assisting the Civil Guards, the organization worked in co-operation with other charitable organizations. During the depression, the organization donated clothes and food to the needy in addition to giving financial aid. It was already customary for the Lotta Svärd organization to give aid to disabled war veterans, war orphans and war widows.
Fanni Luukkonen (1882-1947), chairwoman of the organization
from 1929 to 1944.