Karelia

Words by: Armas Äikiä
Music by: Karl Rautio
In use: early 1950s-1956

The Karelo-Finnish SSR existed for a brief time, from 1940 to 1956. In 1945 the government held a competition for an anthem of the republic. The winning submission was adopted in the early 1950s and was the official anthem until the Karelo-Finnish SSR was made an "Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" within Russia and had no need for a republic anthem any more. The SSR had a high concentration of Finnish peoples at the time, hense the Finnish lyrics of the anthem.

Special thanks to: Pavel Zinovatny for the music file, lyrics, and some of this information.

See also: Karelia (1992-), Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1944-1992).