Hidden inside a cave excavated into Naisvuori Hill, Lokki served as the Finnish Army Headquarters’ communications centre during the Continuation War, from 1941 to 1944. Its cover name, “Lokki”, or “Seagull”, concealed a vital military function at the heart of Finland’s wartime command system.

From this underground centre, messages flowed between Headquarters, the front lines and the national administration. Lokki handled telephone and teleprinter traffic, ensuring that orders, reports and information could move quickly and reliably during a critical phase of the Second World War. As Mikkeli was the headquarters city of the Finnish Army, the communications work carried out in Naisvuori Hill was closely connected to the direction of Finland’s war effort.

Most of Lokki’s staff were women, whose work was essential to the daily operation of the communications centre. Their tasks required accuracy, discretion and endurance, as the flow of military information continued under demanding wartime conditions. The site also included rest areas for personnel, and nearby underground spaces were used by the air surveillance regional centre and the communications station of the German liaison staff Nord. Workspaces were also arranged in the cave complex for Commander-in-Chief Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim and his closest subordinates.

After the war, Lokki remained a powerful reminder of the hidden infrastructure behind military leadership and decision-making. Opened as a museum in the 1990s, it has introduced visitors to the less visible side of wartime Mikkeli: communications, coordination, surveillance and the people who kept the command system functioning.

Communications Centre Lokki is currently undergoing renovation. A new exhibition is scheduled to open in summer 2027, offering future visitors a renewed opportunity to explore this remarkable underground wartime site.