Juho Niemlä, summary:

My article concerns the public national park conversation in Finland during years 1880–1910. The conversation started in Finland in 1880 when the famous explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld made a proposal for establishing national parks in the Nordic countries. After Nordenskiöld’s proposal the conversation continued for fifty-eight years before Finland’s first four national parks were established in 1938. 

In the end of 19th century the whole concept of national park was new and unfamiliar in Finland. There was no clear idea what national parks should be like and what they should include. This is why contemplating the national park conversation in this period of time is interesting.I’m especially concentrating on the first three statements in the national park conversation during which the conversation took a turn from culture-nationalist attitude to an attitude that was tinged by gain and science. I contemplate, what caused such a rapid change in the conversation and what were the consequences for the national park conversation later on. I argue that the Finnish national park conversation was comprised of statements that were disconnected and contradictory and that there were no groups or associations established to promote the cause. At the same time the strong emphasis in science and the demands for national park to produce progress left very little space for pure preservation interests.