Military day order representing Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna is a place located on several islands near Helsinki. It has a long history, reaching back more than 250 years. The fortress was built by Sweden from 1748 to repel the growing influence of Russia in the Baltic Sea region after the Swedish–Russian wars of 1700–1721 and 1741–1743. Under the name 'Sveaborg' (translates to 'the fortress of Sweden'), it served the Swedish army as a defence fortress for several centuries. During the Swedish–Russian War of 1808–1809, Helsinki was initially conquered and, after negotiations, also the fortress was handed over to Russian troops. As a result, entire Finland was conquered by the Russians. Subsequently, Sveaborg played an important role as a naval base during World War I. When Finland gained independence in 1917, Sveaborg became Finnish and was used as a civil-war prison for several month. Celebrations of the new strengthened self-confidence and identity took place on 12 May 1918. To organize the celebrations, Carl Gustaf Theslöf (1872–1939), major general and commander of Sveaborg, drew up a military day order containing instructions for 12 May 1918. On that day, the Finnish flag was hoisted on Sveaborg for the first time, a military parade took place, and the fortress was renamed Suomenlinna (translates to 'the fortress of Finland'). The military order refers to the parade ground and describes the place ballet that was to take place there as part of the parade and also did take place. However, not only is the sequence and exact timing of the events recorded, but the place is also conveyed through the choice of words and the nature of the aspects described. For instance, the use of military terms, such as 'kommenderas', 'regiment', 'befäl', and 'skott', communicates the military nature of the place. The fact that Suomenlinna is a place of remembrance and at the same time an expression of Finnish identity is shown metaphorically by the Finnish flag, the gun salute, and the parade with corresponding military music. A prerequisite for such an understanding, however, is the previous changing ownership, which had already led to a symbolic charging of Sveaborg due to its important role in past wars. By turning this historic place into Suomenlinna, the previous symbolic charging was transferred to the new place, thus enabling the new identity of Suomenlinna, including the new national pride. The day order expresses this at least to the extent that the old name, Sveaborg, is still mentioned, and not the new one, Suomenlinna.