Hans Paul · Public domain
20th century · 1898–1976
Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto · Finland
Finnish architect and designer
Born in Kuortane, Finland, he was a leading figure of Nordic modernism. His work spanned architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, and with his wife Aino Aalto he often designed buildings, interiors, furniture and lighting as a single whole. In 1945 he drew up the 'reindeer antler' reconstruction plan for Rovaniemi, which had been destroyed in the Lapland War.
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History · Rovaniemi and the Arctic Circle
A city laid out like reindeer antlers
In September 1944 Finland and the Soviet Union agreed an armistice that required Finland to drive German troops out of the country, sparking the Lapland War. In October that year retreating German forces began destroying Rovaniemi, and the town was almost razed. In 1945 the architect Alvar Aalto drew up a new plan for it, with the main roads and green spaces laid out in the shape of a reindeer's head and antlers — the famous 'reindeer antler plan'.
