Exhibition on the friendship between Karl Fazer and Gustaf Mannerheim opened at Fazer's visitor centre
An exhibition on the friendship between Karl Fazer and Gustaf Mannerheim opened in the Fazer Experience visitor centre in Vantaa on 30 March. The exhibition is part of Fazer's programme for Finland’s centenary, and it will be open until 31 August 2017. The exhibition was produced in cooperation with the Mannerheim Museum.
Although the friendship between the chocolatier and the field marshal is relatively unknown to modern generations, the social circles in the Grand Duchy of Finland and the newly independent republic were small. Karl Fazer and Gustaf Mannerheim got to know each other through hunting. The new exhibition at Fazer's visitor centre recounts the friendship between these great men through old objects, photographs and letters. In addition to these articles, the exhibition includes a replica of Eero Järnefelt's portrait of Mannerheim.
“The friendship between Karl Fazer and Mannerheim is part of the history of both Finland and Fazer. This is why we want to celebrate Finland's hundred years of independence by relating to Finns a part of this history through the tale of the friendship of these two great men. The exhibition at our visitor centre gives visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the early days of Finland's independence through contemporary materials,” says Liisa Eerola, Fazer's communications director in charge of the company's partnership programme.
Fazer's visitor centre opened next to the Vantaa factory in October 2016, bringing together the digital future and craftsmanship traditions. The centre aims to provide visitors with an inspiring and interactive visit where everyone has the chance to experience Fazer in their own way, gain insights and learn something new. Topical matters, such as the Finland 100 centenary this year, are visible in the events and look of the Fazer Experience visitor centre, as well as in the content of its exhibitions.
The Mannerheim Museum – a dormitory for Fazer employees and home to Mannerheim
The exhibition at Fazer's visitor centre was produced in cooperation with the Mannerheim Museum. Located in Kaivopuisto, Helsinki, the Mannerheim Museum was Mannerheim's home from 1924 to 1951. The house was built in 1874 and was originally known as the Boman Villa, after its first owner. Later, the villa passed into the ownership of the Fazer family. Mannerheim himself never owned the house, being satisfied to rent it from Karl Fazer starting from 1924.
Mannerheim had major alterations made to the house, which had previously provided housing for the employees of Fazer's confectionery factory, and Karl Fazer received Mannerheim's plans concerning the villa's alteration works and interior decoration even while the latter was recuperating from an accident in a hospital in Algiers. The friendship between them lasted until Karl Fazer's death in 1932, when Fazer died of a heart attack at Mannerheim’s side on a joint hunting trip.
“Mannerheim continued to live in the villa owned by the Fazer family even after this, and nowadays, the Mannerheim Foundation fosters the legacy of Fazer through shared values – patriotism and internationality. As with the artist Eero Järnefelt, for example, what united Mannerheim and Fazer were their experiences in Russia and their cosmopolitan backgrounds. This is why they form an important perspective into the gallery of great Finnish men and the diverse celebration of Finnishness,” says Kristina Ranki, curator of the Mannerheim Museum.
The Fazer Experience visitor centre is open on weekdays 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and on Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The exhibition is part of the guided tour.
Print-ready pictures:
www.fazergroup.com/pictures (Media_Press – Fazer Visitor Centre)
Further information:
www.visitfazer.com
www.fazer.fi/suomi100
#visitfazer #fazerintarina
Fazer's media phone line is open Mon–Fri from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., tel. +358 40 668 2998
Email addresses are in the form of firstname.lastname@fazer.com
Liisa Eerola, Director, Fazer Group Partnership Programme, tel. +358 44 710 8860
Anu Kokko, Director, Fazer Experience Visitor Centre, tel. +358 40 504 2746
Mannerheim Museum
Kristina Ranki, Curator, Mannerheim Museum, kristina.ranki@mannerheim-museo.fi
Fazer Group
Fazer is an international family-owned company offering quality bakery, confectionery, biscuit and grain products as well as food and café services. Fazer operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. Fazer’s mission is to create taste sensations. Fazer’s success, ever since its establishment in 1891, has been based on the best product and service quality, beloved brands, the passion of its skilful people and the Group’s responsible ways of working. In 2016, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.6 billion euros and nearly 15,000 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
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