Tallinna Kaitseväe kalmistu - Tallinn, Estonia
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Torgut
N 59° 25.269 E 024° 45.936
35V E 373215 N 6589077
This is the main military cemetery in Tallinn, probably in the whole Estonia, despite its not so central location.
Waymark Code: WMMCF9
Location: Estonia
Date Posted: 08/31/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 3

Reach this is quite a challenge to someone who's not familiar with Tallinn. But it's still an interesting spot and a visit is recommended. There are a few highlights here: perhaps the most impressive due to its visual impact and recent relevance is the monument to the Soviet soldier which was the center of serious clashes between Estonians and Russians after the independence of Estonia in the late 20th Century. Finally the government moved the statue from its original location and placed it in this cemetery.

Also the burial place of the members of Royal Navy who fought with Estonians during the War of Independence (after I World War), the memorial to the victims of Manniku explosion, the monument for German Soldiers, to mention just a few, are worth a mention.

From Wikipedia:
(visit link)

"The cemetery was established in the years of World War I as the cemetery of the Tallinn garrison. The oldest grave dates back to 1916 and holds Russian, Estonian, and German soldiers killed during World War I.

The graves from 1918–1944, the gravestones of the Estonian soldiers and the monuments of the Estonian War of Independence were largely destroyed by the Soviet authorities and the graveyard was taken over by the Red Army for use by the Soviet occupation forces after World War II.

The graves of fifteen British servicemen killed in the Estonian War of Independence between 1918–1920 were repaired in 1994. Queen Elizabeth II awarded Linda Soomre honorary Membership of the Order of the British Empire for dedication and bravery in protecting the British graves during the years of the Soviet rule. Soomre was in charge of the Tallinn City Centre Cemetery for 35 years. After the destruction of the gravestones she had made the ground overnight a maintenance area saving the remains of the British soldiers from being violated. Linda Soomre also saved the graves of two Estonian generals, Johan Unt and Ernst Põdder, by keeping the burial sites covered with dirt. The monument for the generals, originally opened in 1933, was restored on 22 February 1998.

The graves of the Estonian Soldiers and the demolished structure of the Estonian War of Independence monument in the graveyard are not restored. The registration book of people buried at this cemetery between years 1918–1944, with over 1,150 names, is maintained in Tallinn city central archives.

The only graves from 1918–1944 that survived the Soviet era in the graveyard was a dolomite statue in commemoration of the victims of Männiku explosion from 15 June 1936.

In mid-1990s a headstone which reads "To the Unknown Soldier: 1941–1945" in Estonian and Russian was placed on the cemetery, financed by the Russian Embassy in Estonia.

A notable monument, "To those fallen in World War II", is the Bronze Soldier, a two meter statue of a soldier in Red Army uniform with an accompanying stone structure. The statue was a part of a former Soviet World War II memorial by the sculptor Enn Roos and supervising architect Arnold Alas, and was moved from central Tallinn to the cemetery on 30 April 2007."


Further Information:
(visit link)
Date cemetery was established: 1887

Visiting hours:
Unknown. Probably any time with sunlight.


Website pertaining to the cemetery: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.

We would also like to hear about any of your deceased family members who may be laid to rest in the cemetery.
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