The new polyteekkari flag finally raised in Otaniemi

The need for a new flag emerged during the Teekkarius150 celebrations 

Since the burial of the Student Union of the Helsinki University of Technology (TKY) and the birth of the Aalto University Student Union (AYY), the teekkaris of Otaniemi have not had a flag of their own. The AYY flag unites all Aaltonians, but a flag specifically uniting teekkaris has been notably absent. Earlier teekkari flags include the flag of the Polyteknikkojen Yhdistys, which served from 1906 to 1908, and the flag of the Student Association of the Helsinki University of Technology, later the Student Union of the Helsinki University of Technology, which served from 1909 to 2009. 

By 2022 at the latest, the need for a new, dedicated flag had become clear, when the latter of these, the long-buried TKY flag was brought out for the Teekkarius150 celebrations, stirring mixed emotions within the community. With the founding of AYY, several other teekkari symbols had also been left without clear definitions regarding their status and use, and it was therefore decided to bring these matters to the agenda of the Teekkari Assembly. 

The Teekkari Assembly, which brings together all guilds and the student nation of Otaniemi to decide on shared cultural matters of teekkaris, established the Teekkari Symbol Committee to oversee the definitions. The Committee conducted the preparatory work and, in the spring of 2024, presented the Teekkari Assembly with a proposal for a new flag. A promise of €20,000 in funding from the TTE Fund (TTER) had been secured to enable the project, so the proposal was approved, and an eventful flag project that lasted about a year and a half began. 

The details received much attention 

The flag acquisition process was intended to be conducted in a manner befitting its dignity, and an almost unbelievable level of attention was paid to every detail. 

When the process of acquiring the first teekkari flag was underway and a draft had been made, a flag permit was sought in 1897 from the Senate of the Grand Duchy of Finland, in accordance with the practices of the time. The Senate supported the project, but according to an archived minutes excerpt, ‘death had befallen the association’s flag because the Senate’s petition on the matter was rejected at a higher level’. In practice, the project was blocked by the Tsarist government. Despite the rejected permit, the project was eventually carried out in 1906, and the Finnish lion was embroidered in the upper corner of the flag—more than a decade before Finland’s independence. 

Because the technicalities of acquiring the new flag were to be managed properly, the Symbol Committee headed to the current Parliament of Finland in the spring of 2025, just before Wappu. The Speaker of the Parliament signed a new flag permit for teekkaris, which, according to the interpretation of the Speaker’s Office, finally overturned the Tsar’s ban from 1897. This allowed the work to begin with peace of mind. 

The visual design of the flag followed the decision of the Teekkari Assembly to rely on the drawing created in 1895 by Professor of Architecture K. G. Nyström for the very first flag; a digital rendering of this was drawn by heraldist Tuomas Hyrsky. The flag itself was completely handcrafted in Finland. The embroidery was done by Finland’s finest maker of hand-embroidered ceremonial flags, Kaisa Sihvonen, using gilded silk thread on technology red silk fabric. 

For the flag finial, the same ornament that has adorned all previous teekkari flags was chosen: a bronze sculpture designed by W. Runeberg representing the goddess Nike bearing the cogwheel of technology. The finial was produced in collaboration with students of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture at Aalto University, using university equipment. The task was undertaken by the former chair of TOKYO, Daniel Schiechl, master’s student in Contemporary Design. Although the university’s current equipment proved insufficient for such a large casting job, a stroke of great luck connected the team with Kalle Jalava, head of the old casting laboratory of HUT. Thanks to his goodwill, the casting equipment of the now-closed laboratory, already awaiting disassembly, was started up one last time—to cast the finial of the polyteekkari flag. 

The flag project was organised entirely by volunteers of the Teekkari Symbol Committee, assembled from experienced enthusiasts of heraldry and history: Henri Brax (chair), Juuso Määttä, Visa Pollari, Rasmus Ruohola, Matias Saikku, Christian Segercrantz, and Aino Tornivaara. 

The flag was nailed and received with ceremony 

The nailing ceremony of the new polyteekkari flag was held as an invitation-only event at Old Poli in Helsinki on 1 Nov 2025, one week before the flag was unveiled for the entire community. At the ceremony, the new flag was attached to its carrying pole with 30 silver nails. The nails were driven by the Stout-Bearded Engineer, the Ikiteekkari, the President of Aalto University, the Chair of the AYY Board, the Chair of the Teekkari Assembly, representatives of the student nation and each of the 16 teekkari guilds, the guild elder of the Guild of the Round Tower, the Chair of the TTE Fund Board, a representative of the Teekkari Symbol Committee, the maker of the finial, the renderer of the design, and the embroiderer of the flag. Symbolising future teekkari generations, one lucky fresher also had the honour of driving a nail. The final nail was struck by the Chair of the Teekkari Section, who also blessed the flag with teekkari-spirited mysticism. 

The event was also attended by representatives of other key organisations and associates of the polyteekkari community, as well as the participants of the flag project. Old and fragile previous teekkari flags borrowed from the museum were put on display, as was the flag permit signed by the Speaker of Parliament. The atmosphere of the dignified event was one of curious anticipation, and the participants’ genuine enthusiasm for the new flag was palpable. 

The teekkari community used the polyteekkari flag for the first time on 7 Nov 2025 at Kulosaaren Casino during the 153rd Teekkari Tradition Ball, where it took its rightful place as a symbol uniting the entire teekkari community. 

Authors: Vilppu Viinikainen, Henri Brax, Eeti Ahola 

All photos from the polyteekkari flag nailing ceremony are found in AYY’s Flickr.