Monument to Hugo Treffner

A monument to those, who fell in the War of Independence, was opened in Misso on 26 May 1935, and the activities of the 1st cavalry regiment in the battles of the War of Independence were immortalised. The monument was demolished in 1945.The reconstructed monument was reopened on 27 August 1989. The granite pillar placed on a base of quarry-stones is 2.5 m tall. Its main side has the symbol of the cavalry unit along with the text “Here, the 1st cavalry regiment fought in the War of Independence on 19 April 1919”. In front of the monument, there are six granite plates with the names of those that fell.A monument to World War II is erected only a few steps from the Monument to the War of Independence.

Kalevipoeg is the Estonian national epic about the adventures of the hero called Kalevipoeg.In 1950, the memorial Kalevipoeg, which was dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in the War of Independence, was taken down by the occupying power. The monument was built by Amandus Adamson. In 1952, the monument to Kreutzwald, the Father of Song, was erected at the same location. Discussions over restoring the memorial Kalevipoeg were held since 1988, but in 2002, when the exhibition ‘Kalevipoeg in Sculpture’ took place, the restoration proptly started. Sculptor Ekke Väli modelled the momorial on the basis of photos, and he was consulted by Endel Taniloo, a senior sculptor, during the restoration of Kalevipoeg.

The Cornflower (or Broken Cornflower) memorial to the victims of Stalinism was established in 1990 and its author is P. Saar.On top of the granite boulders is a broken cornflower (Estonian national flower). Black stripes run through the grey stone parquet of the square. They depict the railway tracks that symbolise deportation to Siberia. The waterworks of the monument make it possible for water to drip off the petals of the cornflower, like tears.The monument, which was initially erected on the corner of Riia and Pepleri streets in Tartu by the association of freedom fighters Memento, was reopened in its new spot at Pepleri 27. The monument is located next to the grey building. During the Soviet era, a KGB remand prison was located there, where the deportation of many Estonians to Siberia began.

The Monument of Nation is the oldest monument in Tartu. The bones buried under the floor and in the cemetery of St Mary’s Church were found when the main building of the University of Tartu was built on the former site of the church. In 1806 they were reburied in Toomeorg near Vallikraavi Street and the small square Monument to People, which was created according to the drawings of J W Krause and resembles the tomb monuments of Asia Minor (Lykia), was erected there in 1811. The human bones found in the course of archaeological work in the cellars of the main building of the University of Tartu were buried by the monument’s side that faces street on 20 September 1985. A case with information was also buried in the grave.

Opened in 1969, the Struve Monument is dedicated to the former director of the Tartu Observatory, Fr. G. W. Struve (15 April 1793 – 23 November 1864), a Russian astronomer and geodesist of German origin. Under his leadership, the meridian arc was measured between 1816 and 1855 to determine the shape and size of the globe.The monument is an abstract work, inspired by the spirit of its era, reflecting the pursuit of the human race into space. The lower part of the sculpture is a sundial and the upper part is an hourglass. The authors of the monument are Olav Männi and Udo Ivask.The Struve street and the geodetic arc are also dedicated to him in Tartu.

In 1562, Walk (the old name of present-day Valga) along with the rest of Livonia was handed over to Poland as part of the ceasefire agreement of the Livonian War. The city rights of Valga were signed by Polish King Stefan Batory on June 11, 1584, based on his colonization policy. The king believed that land should be granted as hereditary property to new Catholic settlers (peasants, craftsmen, merchants) in Livonia and thereby strengthen Catholicism in Livonia.Therefore, there is a monument dedicated to Stefan Batory on Kesk Avenue in Valga, which was completed in 2002 as a joint effort of the city of Valga, and the Hungarian and Polish embassies.

Jakob Hurt (22.07.1839-13.01.1907) was an Estonian folklorist and linguist. He studied theology in the University of Tartu and gained his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Helsinki in 1886. He played the leading role in many major events of the Estonian national movements.The monument to Jakob Hurt (1839-1907) was completed in 1994. Its authors are J Soans and R Tomingas.

The Monument to Dr. Fr. R. Kreutzwald is located in a park on the shore of Lake Tamula. The author of the monument is A. Adamson and it was cast in bronze in Italy. The monument was opened in 1926. It is not known when the park was founded, however the age of most of the species of trees, birches and lindens is estimated at more than one hundred years. The coniferous trees in the park include spruces and firs. Lake Tamula has an oval shape in an east-west direction with an average depth of 4.2 m. The lake is deepest to the northeast of its centre (7.5 m) and has a surface area of 231 ha. There is a swimming area, beach and a beautiful promenade on the shore on the city side.