Erkki Känkänen was born in Karelia, the land in the east of Finland. During the Second World War Karelia was bitterly fought over between Finland and the Soviet Union and most of it was lost to the latter. Hundreds of thousands of citizens fled from Karelia and settled in Finland. Among them Erkki Känkänen.
He settled in Muolaa and became a successful businessman. On a nearby piece of land he built a weekend house and half a dozen typical Karelian buildings, including a copy of the church of his native Karelian village. The buildings, decorated with gaily coloured panels, are surrounded by his sculptures including many flamingos.
