Hugo Treffner (1845–1912) was an Estonian cultural figure and the founder of Hugo Treffner Gymnasium. The school still operates in Tartu (it was called the Tartu 1st Upper Secondary School during the Soviet era), on the wall of which is also the bas-relief of the first school principal Treffner on Rüütli tänav. It is considered one of the elite schools in Estonia.The monument erected in honour of Hugo Treffner is located on the bank of the Emajõgi River in the western part of Ülejõgi Park, on the site of the former Hugo Treffner private school. The authors of the monument are sculptor Mati Karmin and architect Tiit Trummal. The monument was opened on 25 May 1997.Hugo Treffner's grave is in Tartu, in the Uus-Jaani cemetery.
Kristjan Jaak Peterson (14 March 1801 – 4 August 1822) was an Estonian writer who is considered to be the founder of Estonian national literature.He studied in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy of the University of Tartu from 1819 to 1820. He called himself a singer of the country people, appreciated the national features of literature, and thought that the creation of original Estonian literature was possible.There is a bronze monument to him on Toomemägi, which was completed in 1983 by J. Soans and A. Murdmaa, and a high school named after him in Tartu.On the writer's birthday, 14 March, we celebrate Mother Tongue Day.Fun fact: Peterson walked from Tartu to Riga more than 200 years ago due to lack of money.
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.
The monument to the physician who studied and became a professor in Tartu was completed in 1952. The authors of the monument are J Raudsepp, A Mölder, P Tarvas, A Volberg.Nikolai Pirogov was the founder of experimental surgery, topographic anatomy and field surgery. His work made the surgeries performed in Tartu famous all over Russia and also abroad.
The monument to soldiers who fell in the War of Independence stands on a hill in front of Otepää Maarja Church and it is remarkable because it was hidden underground for 30 years. The monument was reopened in 1989 after renovation. The top part of the monument bears the words HONOUR THE FALLEN and a list of 22 names. The granite piece with the full list has been lost. The metal decorations were created at the initiative of sculptor Jüri Ojaver.Interesting facts: The initial monument was designed by Voldemar Melnik and made by stonemason Peeter Veeber. The monument was opened for the first time on 10 June 1928.
The year 1886 when the plan to build the Pihkva-Riga railway with a branch from Valga to Tartu became a crucial year in the development of the little town.The steam engine monument erected near the Valga railway station in 1998 celebrates the 110th anniversary of the Pihkva-Valga-Riga rail connection. Engine SU 251-98 was built in the Sormovo Shipyard in 1949. Interesting facts: * the engine weighs 87 tons and its output is 12 tons of steam per hour; * Riga-Pihkva railway was officially opened on 22 July 1889 in Pihkva.
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.
The Monument to the Estonian Mother was inaugurated in Rõuge on 26 June 2010. The monument is meant to demonstrate appreciation for the Estonian woman as a mother, to express gratitute, and to value the survival of our people. Hans Sissas (1933 - 2012), who has recounted the stories of Estonian deportees and authored many memoirs, initiated the idea of a monument to the Estonian mother, and lead the efforts to have the monument completed.The monument is made from stone brought from Udmurtia, and is 3.6 high, weighing nearly 6 tonnes.The monument was designed by the artists/sculptors Ilme and Riho Kuld, and was made by the sculptors/stone masons Margus Kurvits and Kristjan Kittus.