The Life of Stone Men

How men made of stone made train travel more popular and became part of major events in Finland.

Image: Sakarin Digikuva blogi

Lyhdyn Kantajat (Finnish for "the lantern bearers") is a group of sculptures guarding the main entrance of the Art Nouveau Central Station in Helsinki that was designed by architect Eliel Saarinen and inaugurated in 1919. The sculptures were crafted in granite by Emil Wikström and were completed in 1914.

Until about 2002 these sculptures had a pretty ordinary life. Thousands of people walked past them daily without even noticing them. Seagulls would rest on their heads in summer and in winter they were cloaked in snow. But all this changed when the Finnish Railways (VR Group) started using the sculptures in their marketing campaigns and named them 'Kivimiehet' (the Stone Men).

This was the beginning of a wild ride for these stoic men. They have been used in print ads through image manipulation and animated on television. Suddenly - by the magic wand of the advertising agency - the sculptures gained legs and started travelling to several cities across Finland. They had a winter break in Lapland and travelled as far as Verona in Italy to discuss a cleaner environment and to promote train travel at the statue conference.

These campaigns were a great success raising the public image of the Finnish Railways and increasing train travel in Finland. But not only that, it also increased the job satisfaction of the employees at the VR Group - the Stone Men made them proud to be part of the company! The Stone Men campaign has won several prizes, such as the Grand Effie and Gold Effie prizes for efficient marketing information. Marketing Finland has also awarded the Advertiser of the Year prize to the VR Group in 2007.

The life of the Stone Men has never been the same since - they have become celebrities and part of major events in Helsinki.

To support the Finnish entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest, Käärijä, in 2023 the men were dressed in Käärijä's famous green bolero.

During the World Ice Hockey games in 2022, artisan Teija Paananen dressed the men in Finnish national team's game shirts. In size 10XL each shirt is about 3 meters long and 2 meters wide.

When KISS had a concert in Helsinki in 2017 , the Stone Men wore KISS masks to celebrate the event.

And during the COVID pandemic, the Stone Men were part of the public health campaign encouraging travellers to wear masks.

Train travel is a great way to explore Finland as the country is covered with an extensive rail network. From the capital city of Helsinki you can travel comfortably all the way to Rovaniemi (and further to Kolari or Kemijärvi) to access all the magical experiences that only Lapland can offer. Travel to the lake district to enjoy serenity, culture and fabulous local food or do the "Golden Triangle" visiting two culturally different major cities outside Helsinki - Tampere by the lakes and Turku by the sea.

For a more planet friendly option use ferries, trains and public busses to explore the neighbouring Baltic and Nordic countries. You can find some of the most scenic train trips in Norway and can explore Sweden, outside the capital of Stockholm, along the extensive network that runs from the south to the Arctic Circle. And the best way to explore the compact and beautiful and less hilly Denmark is certainly by train. In the Baltics you can visit all three beautiful countries by using their comfortable public bus network.

We can help you travel responsibly - get in touch and let's start planning your next holiday! I am sure the Stone Men would love to see you, too!

Images: VR Group - Finnish Railways