Estonia - Murru Prison

The second area we visited on Saturday was the Murru prison and quarry established around 1930. The prisoners had to work in the quarry and the prison was notorious for human rights infringements. Every year at least one person died “in an accident” and this prison became well known after the prisoners went on a hunger strike demanding more humane treatment. When Estonia regained independence in 1991, times changed and the works at the quarry stopped. The prison was only closed in 2012. Here a few images from the prison wall, guard huts and buildings (quarry images to follow).

Estonia - Keila-Joa Waterfall

On our last day in Tallin, we went on a day tour to some interesting sites outside Tallin. The Keila waterfall is the third largest and the longest waterfall in Estonia. It is 6 metres high. There is a renovated hydroelectric power plant and one of the grandest manor houses in Estonia. The weather had been milder than expected so the waterfall was not fully frozen. 

 

Wicken Fen on Cloudy Day

We visited Wicken yesterday morning on a dull day with intermittent showers but found a handful of birds to photograph along with the scenery and Konik ponies.The Long-tailed tits were surprisingly brave as the feeders have been repositioned very close to the hide.  We also had a very close view of a Kestrel and distant views of several Marsh Harriers.

 

Tallin - Estonian Open Air Museum

The Estonian Open Air Museum spans 72 hectares of very attractive forest bordering the sea just outside Tallin city centre. Established in 1957, the museum showcases 68 farmhouses assembled into twelve farmyards from North, South and West Estonia. I visited the 18th-century rural/fishing village, which comes complete with schoolhouse, a fire station, inn, church, etc, together with interesting toilets and inquisitive red squirrels

 

 

 

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!!).