The statue of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951), Marshal of Finland, was made by the sculptor Evert Porila in 1939. The statue is located at the hill, where Mannerheim watched the occupation of Tampere in the Finnish Civil War (1918). He was commander of the white army, which occupied Tampere from red guards after the bloody battle .
The statue was originally planned to be situated in the centre of Tampere, but the Second World War delayed the project. Mannerheim himself also wished not to erect the statue during his lifetime. After his death in 1953 the project was started again, but the public opinion was against the central situation of statue. Finally the statue was situated to the current place in 1956.
C. G. E. Mannerheim causes still quite contradictory emotions in Tampere, because he is remembered as the "slaughterer of Tampere" (lot of local people were killed in the battle of Tampere or executed later in prison camps in 1918). The statue has been damaged by vandalism several times.
The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.