Tallinn 12. Maarjamäe Memorial and Pirita Front

On Friday, after Kadriorg Park, I headed for Pirita where there are a number of  'attractions' from the Soviet era including two that will have to await another visit - The TV Tower and the Olympic Yacht Centre.
I did visit the Estonian History Museum as I had heard about the old Soviet statues left to rot in the garden. However, the Museum was closed for rennovation and the back cordoned off though I could see that the statues have been tidied up and put on plinths. 

Image from Wikipaedia

 

Nearby is the Maarjamäe Memorial, a large Soviet-era monument consists 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. It was built partly over a war cemetery housing 2300 German dead, dating from 1941. The cemetery was rededicated in 1998 and is now delineated by sets of triple granite crosses in the style common to German WWII military cemeteries throughout Europe. A grey day to visit this Memorial and the adjacent Pirita Promenade but, just as the light began to fail, the sky cleared to a beautiful sunset over Tallin city(next post).

 

Sunny But Freezing Morning at Wimpole Estate

The Folly, lake and trees all looked great in the winter sunshine with a crusting of snow and ice. The sheep and Heron didn't look so pleased as their food was difficult to get at.

Tallinn 11. KUMU - Art Museum in Kadriorg Park

The designer of the building is Pekka Vapaavuori, a Finnish architect, with construction taking place between 2003 and 2006.

 The exhibitions are presented in chronological order starting from 18th century Estonian art (1st floor) to contemporary art (5th floor). They have permanent collections such as the Villu Jaanisoo' busts from 2006 and visiting Exhibitions including Andres Tolts' Landscape with Still Life inspired by the pop-art of the late 1960s. But mostly I enjoyed the architecture and people's interaction with it.  I spent a full morning in the museum. 

The Estonians are rightly proud of their Museum - here a quote from the brochure

Kumu’s role is to be both an educational and entertainment centre, a booster of art and artistic life, a place for reflection that carries a message of stability, a place that creates and provides experiences, and a creator and interpreter of meanings.

Tallinn 10. Kadriorg Park in the Rain

On Friday, I visited Kadriorg Palace and Gardens - an extensive park full of interesting buildings, lakes, gardens and wildlife (their squirrels were a delight with the dark tails and ear tufts but light too poor to capture).  Commissioned in 1718 by Peter the Great, the palace was the summer home for Peter I, Catherine I and their family. It houses the Kadriorg Art Museum and serves as the presidential palace. In Estonian, Kadriorg means 'Catherine's Valley. The light level was very low with intermittent rain so not the best images but here to remember the area.

Tallinn 9. Patarei Prison

The Patarei prison was originally built as a sea fortress in 1820.  Over the years it has had different functions; in 1920, it became a prison. It housed inmates until 2004, and has been left virtually untouched since. It serves as a chilling reminder of the Soviet occupation of Estonia (1944 to 1991), when it was run by the KGB. Unfortunately from October 2016, Patarei fortress prison has been closed and therefore access to Patarei is no longer possible. If they do reopen it, I would like to return but here some infrared images on a grey day of the exterior and neighbouring works!

(I am now back in UK after an 'interesting' day of delays due to UK snow - will continue to post from the trip as and when time!)