Monument
The Finnish Independence Monument in Monrepos
- Mon
- 00:00–23:59
- Tue
- 00:00–23:59
- Wed
- 00:00–23:59
- Thu
- 00:00–23:59
- Fri
- 00:00–23:59
- Sat
- 00:00–23:59
- Sun
- 00:00–23:59
- Hours
- From October 1 to April 30, entry is open until 18:00; from 18:00 to 20:00 the park is open only for exit.
- Price
- Entrance to the museum-reserve grounds: adult ticket — RUB 500.
- How to visit
- Enter the park area through the central gate. Animals are not allowed.
- Hours
- Ticket required
- Hours
- About 15 min
Why it is worth the detour
A monument commemorating Finland's independence, featuring a granite lion sculpture.
The Finnish Independence Monument in Monrepos is a granite sculpture of a lion, symbolizing Finland's independence. It has a rich history tied to the region's past conflicts and changes in sovereignty.
What else is close by
The nearest places we have written up, with straight-line distance from here.
50 m
Monrepos Greenhouse Complex
Nicolay noted extensive greenhouses even before purchasing Monrepos in 1788, and later gardeners coaxed peaches, apricots, mirabelle plums and espaliered fruit from the northern climate. Repeatedly rebuilt and drastically altered in the 1920s, the complex was reconstructed during the recent restoration and again serves the working life of the estate.
100 m
Monrepos Manor House
Ludwig Heinrich von Nicolay wrote his 1804 poetic guide to the estate in his study here, turning the house and surrounding park into a single literary composition. After wartime upheaval it served as a military rest home and kindergarten, suffered a serious fire in 1989, and was restored in 2017–2022; its permanent museum exhibition opened on January 22, 2025.
150 m
Monrepos Library Wing
This modest wing eventually housed the Nicolays' collection of more than 9,000 volumes, one of the largest private libraries in the Grand Duchy of Finland. Its nucleus was the romantically named "Library of Two Friends," begun by Ludwig Nicolay and Franz Hermann Lafermière as students; the collection was later given to the University of Helsinki on condition that it remain undivided.
150 m
Broglie Obelisk
A marble obelisk commemorating the Broglie brothers, who died in the Napoleonic Wars.
200 m
Monrepos Entrance Gates
The Nicolays' neo-Gothic gates disappeared in the 1950s and were reconstructed in 1982, but Soviet-era circumstances meant that the family's coat of arms was omitted. Restoration in 2017–2022 returned both the heraldic emblem and the metal wicket, restoring the entrance's explicitly aristocratic identity.
Walk it with the stories
This address is one stop among many. Our routes and quests link them into a walk that makes sense on the ground.