BACKGROUND: The story of a German-Finnish family
By Kristiina Markkanen
The history of the Remmler family provides an indication of the ways in which German and Finnish relations developed on either side of Finland's declaration of independence in 1917.
The years included two world wars and one civil war. By turns, Germany became an ally and an enemy, and those of German stock who were living in this country at the time were treated according to the prevailing national ties.
Fritz Remmler's father Carl Friedrich Remmler, a mining engineer and businessman, arrived in Finland along with many other top professionals such as brewers, coffee makers (German Gustav Paulig), and chocolate factory magnates (the Fazer family, originally from Switzerland) towards the end of the Grand Duchy era at the close of the 19th century.
Carl Friedrich set up mines in Karelia, in Pitkäranta and at Impilahti.
The German families living in Finland at the time often had a second home in Helsinki, where the children would attend school.
"At some stage my great-grandfather owned around half of what is now Kamppi [a hugely desirable lump of real estate right in the heart of the capital], but Fritz managed to squander it", says Fritz Remmler's grandson Raimo Leppänen.
During World War I, the Germans living in Finland kept close contacts with their homeland in Germany.
When the Second World War came along, Germany and Finland found themselves as brothers-in-arms following Finland's involvement in what is known here as the Continuation War of 1941-44, but thereafter the conditions for peace required that German civilians in Finland be interned and handed over to the Allies.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 27.4.2009
More on this subject:
 German doctor Fritz Remmler continued his animal farm activities in Canada
"My father was not a spy"
KRISTIINA MARKKANEN / Helsingin Sanomat
kristiina.markkanen@hs.fi
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