Rosalia (Rosa Ruiza Leah) Gurovich, also known as Rosa Mäkinen (born 13 November 1902 in

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ne ...

, Grand Duchy of Finland - died 3 January 1966 in Kotka,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

) was a Finnish barber from Kotka, said to have been the inspiration for the song ().Tosi tarina: Kotkan Ruusu, directed by Riitta Granath, YLE TV1 4 December 2009.

Life

Gurovich was born into a wealthy

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. Her mother was from

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

and her father was a Russian Jew who had come to Finland as a soldier. Rosalia married Lauri Mäkinen, a non-Jewish policeman from Vyborg, which brought shame to her family. When Rosalia, while still underage herself, gave birth to her child Nora (Eleonora, 1920 - 1984), later known as a model and an actress, her mother was said to have committed suicide. The couple later divorced, and Nora was raised by the parents of Gurovich's lover Eero Hirvimaa. At first Gurovich worked as a seamstress, and as she was good at languages, she also taught various languages. She spoke Russian at home, her first language was

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and she also spoke

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. She later founded a barbershop in Kotka in the Tukkukaupantalo building near the harbour. According to her granddaughter she suffered from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

, and there were frequent parties in the back room involving wine and song.

In culture

In September 2021 a play named , based on Rosalia Gurovich's life, premiered at the Kotka City Theatre in Kotka, Finland.Avautuuko Kotkan Ruusun mysteeri teatterin näyttämöllä?
''visitkotkahamina.fi'' 5 September 2021. Accessed on 4 June 2023.

References

External links

Ylen Elävä arkisto: Kotkan Ruusun legenda elää.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurovich, Rosalia 20th-century Finnish Jews 1902 births 1966 deaths Barbers Finnish people of Russian-Jewish descent Swedish-speaking Finns