In 1884, a competition was arranged to design a monument for Alexander II. The winner was a sculptor called Johannes Takanen with Walter Runeberg as runner-up. Takanen died the very next year and Runeberg was given the task of seeing the project through.
     On the pedestal of the statue are four sculptures symbolizing law, peace, light and work. On the monument there are also the provincial coats-of-arms of Finland, and the year 1863 when the Finnish parliament resumed its activities after an interval of five decades. The sculpture is bronze and has a pedestal of red granite. The statue itself

is 10.67 metres in height.
     The statue was unveiled on April 29, 1894, the emperor's birthday. It was erected at the initiative of Finns and funded by money collected from Finnish people. During the Russification of Finland, people would gather by the statue to demonstrate against Russia. Alexander II has survived on his pedestal after Finland's declaration of independence and now and then there is discussion as to whether the statue of the Russian emperor should be removed and replaced by a sculpture symbolizing Finland's independence.