In the Winter War and the Continuation War, horses played a key role in the army’s mobility and supply. As such, 72,000 civilian horses were called up to contribute to the effort in the Winter War, and 50,000 took part in the Continuation War. More than 20,000 of them did not return to their owners.
Russian sniper squads built three red-brick stables – one of which was heated – in the barracks in the 1910s. During the war, one of these served as a stable for sick horses, one accommodated the work horses of the delivery company, and the third housed the steeds belonging to Headquarters. The best known of these was Käthy, which belonged to the commander-in-chief.
The Headquarters veterinary division worked on the barracks, and it was responsible for obtaining horses to meet the Defence Forces’ requirements, as well as for looking after the horses.
The stone-built barracks are nowadays part of Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences, and the former stable buildings have found new uses. You can visit Ravintola Talli for a meal, borrow books from the library of Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences or study environmental technology at the environmental laboratory.
