Tallinn Maarjamäe Memorial and TV Tower

Since I visited in December 2017, they have built a memorial to Estonian people who suffered the terror of the Soviet regime. The memorial consists of two parts – 'Journey', with name plaques of the victims, and a  'Home Garden' symbolised by bees. Estonia lost a fifth of its population of just over one million to Soviet terrorism, many of whom still rest in unmarked graves. People now have somewhere to remember lost family members and friends.

The other prominent feature is the Soviet-era monument consisting of an elegant bowed obelisk set amid a large crumbling concrete plaza. The obelisk was erected in 1960 to commemorate the Soviet troops killed in 1918. The remainder of the complex was built in 1975 as a memorial to Red Army soldiers killed fighting the Nazis and includes the bronze “Perishing Seagulls” representing the struggle between the two powers.

The whole complex was built partly over a war cemetery housing 2300 German dead, dating from 1941 and serves as a lasting symbol of the futility of war and the fragility of human life.

Our final visit of the day was to the TV Tower built in the Soviet era for the 1980s Olympics to give better communications. It is 314 metres high with a viewing platform and café at the 170 metre level. It was renovated in 2012 and includes some interesting displays about hi-tech Estonia reinforcing the observations of the high level of technical sophistication everywhere in Tallin (120 percent mobile phone ownership!!).

Tallinn - KUMU

Kumu (kunstimuuseum)  is one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe.The complex itself is considered a modern architectural masterpiece. Curves and sharp edges mark out the copper and limestone structure, which is built into the side of a limestone cliff. The designer of the building is Pekka Vapaavuori, a Finnish architect who won the competition in 1994. Construction took place between 2003–2006.

   

Tallinn - Kadriorg in the Snow

On Thursday, we visited Kadriorg Park, a very impressive park, covering around 70 hectares with elements of park design from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Its construction began in 1718 on the orders of Russian Tsar Peter I.  Still covered in snow, it looked very different to my previous visit (see here). We enjoyed a spot of bird watching, Hooded Crows, Tree Creeper and Nuthatch together with Tree sparrows and Great/Blue Tits.

Tallinn - Foggy Evening

Our first evening in Tallinn was foggy giving strange lighting for night photography though the lights cut through it. First two mages from the hill above Freedom Square, which my hotel (large building on the left) looks out onto and is lit by pillars of blue lights. St John's Church (Jaani Kirik) is built in the neo-Gothic style, and was opened in 1887.  Plans to demolish the church were proposed in both the 1930s and the 1950s by  planners who felt its style jarred with the other buildings of Freedom Square; local opposition prevented the planned demolition in both cases. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, on Toompea hill, was completed around 1900 when the country was in the Russian Empire. When Estonia became part of the USSR it was left to decline but has been meticulously restored since Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Tallinn - Trees and Snow

Two of my favourite subjects are trees and snow so these views in Tallinn were bound to be in my favourites set.