This is an interesting discussion, and for good reason, it evokes strong feelings. After all, the built environment has a huge impact on how we move daily, how we feel, and what we see.
In my opinion, Kouvola has one of Finland’s finest city halls, I definitely recommend visitors to the area to go and see it.
Kouvola suffered badly from bombings. In many other cities, however, bombings were not the “worst”: Hämeenlinna, Turku, Lahti… In most cases, the townspeople themselves destroyed old buildings as quickly as they could. Or allowed builders to do so. To my regret, I don’t remember the exact quote or who said it, but when lamenting the fate of Hämeenlinna, someone quipped that the most dangerous thing for a city is its own citizens.