• History & Culture
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  • Monuments

Monument of Nations

K. E. von Baeri tn 19, Tartu linn, Tartu maakond, 51005

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.

Vaata lisaks

  • Monuments

Monument to Soldiers Killed in the War of Independence

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.

  • Monuments

Petseri Statue of Liberty

The statue for those who perished in the War of Independence in Petseri county stands on the Statue of Liberty Square in Värska. The monument designed by sculptor Roman Haavamägi was supposed to be erected in the heart of the town of Petseri in the summer of 1940, but due to the Soviet occupation that started, the plan was abandoned. Only 80 years later, in 20 July 2020, the restored statue was opened here in Setomaa. The soldier figure was modelled and shaped in granite on the basis of photos by sculptor Tiiu Kirsipuu.The Statue of Liberty of Petseri was erected in remembrance of those nearly 350 Estonian soldiers who fell in the War of Independence in Petseri County, as well as the importance of the Tartu Peace Agreement for the Setos.

  • Monuments

Cornflower – Monument to the Victims of Stalinism

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.

  • Monuments

Monument to Stefan Batory

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.

  • Monuments

Monument to Peeter Põld

The monument to Peeter Siegfried Nikolaus Põld (1878–1930), the first Minister of Education and founder of the national university of Estonia, the first professor of pedagogy, was unveiled in front of the Ministry of Education and Research on 1 December 2008.The authors of the monument are sculptor Ekke Väli and architect Ain Rööpson.Under the name of Peeter Põld Day, student scientific conferences have been organised at the University of Tartu since 2008, and on the same day, the university issues a scholarship named after him.

  • Monuments

Monument to Hugo Treffner

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.

  • Monuments

Monument to Jaan Tõnisson

The monument to the legendary Estonian statesman and journalist Jaan Tõnisson was established in 1999. Its authors are Mati Karmin and Tiit Trummal. Jaan Tõnisson was a legendary statesman and journalist who was prime minister from 1919 to 1920, the head of state from 1927 to 1928 and in 1933, the owner of the Postimees newspaper from 1896 to 1930 and the editor-in-chief of the Postimees from 1896 to 1935. Tõnisson was made an honorary citizen of Tartu in 1939.