Statue of Oskar Luts

Karl Menning was the founder of professional theatre in Estonia and the first professional theatre and stage director in the country. He was the director of the Vanemuine Theatre from 1906 to 1914. His sculpture was created by Mare Mikoff and is unique for the fact that it can be turned on the spot.

The Kaarnakivi Stone by the sculptor Tiiu Kirsipuu is a memorial to the writer Juhan Jaik erected on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth. Fantasy author Juhan Jaik (1899-1948), born in Sänna in Võru County, wrote captivating and enchanting stories and poems for both adults and children. "Kaarnakivi", a collection of ghost and animal stories, is an Estonian children's literature classic that continues to excite readers today.The "kaarnakivi", as many Estonians already know, is a stone that gives its finder whatever he or she wants, if a person knows how to use it prudently.

This memorial, which is dedicated to the freedom fighters of southern Estonia, represents the figure of an unknown soldier, his sword sheathed, with a flag held aloft in one hand and the other outstretched. The first memorial was unveiled here on 11 October 1925, dedicated to Lieutenant Julius Kuperjanov, but it was destroyed by Soviet forces on the night of 21 September 1940. The new memorial was inaugurated on 16 August 2013 in the original location on Kuperjanov Street. The design and mould of the memorial were made in 1925 by Amandus Adamson, who was also involved in the production of the bronze figure in Italy. This figure was restored to its original size by sculptor Jaak Soans. Restoration of the memorial was led by Major Meelis Kivi.

The sculpture "Father and Son" is a symbol of the relationship between different generations, where children are increasingly growing apart from their parents. The bronze work by sculptor Ülo Õun (1944-1988) was unveiled on Children's Day, June 1, 2004, on Küüni Street. The work represents the sculptor himself and his son Kristjan when the son was one and a half years old.

A sculpture created in Tartu's Old Town in 1999 depicts a fun speculation about the history of literature. Sitting on a bench are contemporaries and namesakes, or the two Wildes: Irish-born writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and Estonian writer Eduard Vilde (1865-1933). Sculptor Tiiu Kirsipuu, who modeled the figures of the writers based on photographs, has noted that when creating the twin figures, she had in mind the year 1890, when the two Wildes could have really met each other and had a few witty words. The sculpture symbolizes friendship and intercultural dialogue. The sculpture of the two writers is located in front of the former Mattiesen printing house, one of Tartu's architectural monuments, which now houses the wine and art restaurant Vilde ja Vine. The statue is a beloved landmark among both locals and visitors. Sitting on the bench next to the writers allows you to take nice pictures as a souvenir of your visit to Tartu. In 2004, a copy of the sculpture was also donated to the city of Galway in Ireland, where the paternal family of literary classic Oscar Wilde came from.

The memorial column erected in 1928 to commemorate those who fell in the War of Independence stands in the park next to Tõrva Upper Secondary School. The author of the monument is Aleksander Eller. The monument was taken down by local communist authorities during the Second World War in 1940 and it was reopened on Victory Day, 23 June 1990.Interesting facts: Schoolboys gave the monument the friendly name Juku.

The emotional and powerful memorial (2016) was erected to honour the harsh fate of the people deported from Võru and Võru County from 1941 to 1952. The sculptor is Jaak Soans.The memorial depicts two rows of bronze animal wagons placed on a concrete block 1.6 metres high, with human figures visible between them. A ramp made of original railway sleepers and dolomite gravel, which is 4 metres wide and 16 metres long, takes to the memorial. The total length of the memorial complex is almost 24 meters.

‘Countrywomen’ is a group of sculptures by sculptor Mare Mikofi, completed in 1974, which has been on display at the Town Hall Square in front of the Tartu Art Museum since 2013.It depicts two women, the older one sitting and being content and exhausted, and the other, the younger, standing beside her, empathetically holding her arm around the older woman’s shoulder. The difference between the generations is strongly reflected in their clothing – the younger is wearing trousers, a light vest and platform shoes, and the older one is wearing a dress and an apron, leaving her feet bare.The installation of ‘Countrywomen’ celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Tartu Art Museum in the Leaning House.