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Location: Filtri tee Map
The bronze soldier (original official name Tallinn liberators
monument; in Russian Монумент опасиботелям Таллинна; nickname Aljoša
is also used) is a monument at the Defense Forces Cemetery in
Tallinn.
Until the early morning of April 27, 2007, the
monument was located on Tõnismäe in the green area of Tõnismäe with
the address Kaarli puiestee 13. On April 30, a part of it - a
sculpture - was installed in the Defense Forces cemetery at Filtri
tee 14 (59° 25′ 18″ N, 24° 45′ 56″ E) . Later, the limestone
architectural part of the monument was also restored. The relocation
of the monument to the military cemetery was accompanied by the
Bronze Night street riots.
On April 14, 1945, 12 soldiers allegedly killed during the occupation
of Tallinn were buried in the green area of Tõnismäe. They were buried
in different places, but on that day their mortal remains were brought
over the brother's grave to the wide Tõnismäe avenue. After the Red Army
soldiers were buried on Tõnismäe in April 1945, the square was named
Liberators' Square. A wooden box-like monument with a pentagon and the
names of the buried was erected on the grave:
lieutenant colonel
Kotelnikov
Major Kolesnikov
k.v. major Kusnetsov V.Y.
captain
Bryantsev A.M.
Captain Serkov
lieutenant Volkov V.E.
lieutenant
Lukanov V.M.
k.v. sergeant Davõdov V.J.
k.v. elder Hapicalo
k.v. senior Varsavskaya Helene
Red Army soldier Belov D.A.
The
same list followed in Russian.
On May 8, 1946, Tallinn
schoolgirls Aili Jürgenson-Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blew up this monument.
The monument was restored by the next morning.
The monument
created by Enn Roos and Arnold Alas was erected on the same spot and
opened on September 21, 1947.
Who exactly was buried in the mass
grave in the immediate vicinity of the former location of the monument
has not been identified, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ordered a large historical edition in 2006.
Private Dmitri Belov, 23rd Breakthrough Artillery Division
(1910–21.09.1944)
captain Aleksei Bryantsev, partorg of the 1222nd
mobile artillery regiment (?–22.09.44)
Sergeant Vassili Davõdov, 30th
Guards Mechanized Regiment (1915–22.09.1944)
sergeant Aleksandr
Grigorov, 2392nd evacuation hospital (?–07.03.1945)
senior sergeant
Stepan Hapikalo, 26th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment (1920–27.09.1944)
Colonel Konstantin Kolesnikov, Deputy Commander of the 125th Rifle
Division (1897-21.09.1944)
lieutenant colonel Kotelnikov
(?–22.09.1944)
lieutenant colonel Mikhail Kulikov, commander of the
657th rifle regiment of the 125th rifle division (1909–22.09.1944)
major Vassili Kuznetsov, 1222nd Mobile Artillery Regiment
(1908–22.09.1944)
lieutenant I.M. Lukanov (?–22.09.1944)
Captain
Ivan Serkov, Chief of Intelligence of the 79th Light Artillery Brigade
(1922–21.09.1944)
captain Ivan Sõssoyev, 125th Rifle Division 657th
Rifle Regiment Partorg (1909–22.09.44)
senior Jelena Varšavskaja,
velsker of the 40th Guards mortar regiment (1925–22.09.1944)
lieutenant Vassili Volkov, commander of the mortar line of the 657th
rifle regiment of the 125th rifle division (?–22.09.1944)
In 1945, a competition was organized to replace the temporary wooden
memorial on the triangular square next to Charles Church with something
more permanent. In order to erect the monument, it was decided to
conclude a contract with architect Arnold Alas, whose conceptual design
won the second prize (the first prize was not awarded by the jury's
decision). The memorial was supposed to be a 5-meter-high, four-sided
stone block with niches on the front and back sides, located on a
staircase. The sculpture group was to be placed in a niche on the front
side, on both sides of which are placed plaques with the names of the
fallen, with the titles "Heroes who fell in the liberation of Tallinn on
September 22, 1944", in Estonian on the right, the same text in Russian
on the left plaque. The obituary for the fallen and an image of fire as
a symbol of eternal memory were intended for the reverse side. The
monument was to end with a staircase with a relief order in an oak
wreath. The monument was planned to be made of vasalemma marble and the
sculptural group of bronze.
There were two versions of the
sculpture group: one depicted a mother and child, with the mother
symbolizing the grieving nation and the child the future, the other
depicted a Red Army soldier and a child: the Red Army soldier symbolized
a fighter who, keeping the memory of his fallen comrades sacred, builds
a new future with the growing youth. It was decided to introduce some
changes to the design of the sculpture group and to entrust its
production to the sculptor Enn Roos.
Information about the model
of the sculpture is conflicting. Weightlifter Haljand Hallismaad, hammer
thrower Helmut Burmeistri, art student Vello Rajangu, carpenter Albert
Adamson and even wrestler Kristjan Palusalu have been named.
The
monument was opened on September 21, 1947. It was surrounded by a
triangular park between two sides of the street, enclosed by a low
concrete wall.
In 1964, an eternal flame was lit in front of the
monument. For this purpose, a square with stone tiles was paved instead
of park paths and grass. The fire was extinguished in 1991.
In
1995, the monument was renamed and appropriate plaques were installed
with the inscription "To those who fell in the Second World War".
The statue caused tensions between Estonian nationalists and Soviet
war veterans.
Many people who fought on the Soviet side in the
Second World War, their relatives and other pro-Soviet, mainly
Russian-speaking people, celebrated the Victory Day of the Great
Patriotic War on May 9 and the anniversary of the conquest of Tallinn on
September 22 every year at the bronze soldier. The flags of the Soviet
Union and Russia were flown at their events.
Estonian
nationalists expressed the opinion that it was an expression of
hostility towards the Estonian state and glorification of the Soviet
occupation.
On May 9, 2006, a conflict took place near the
monument, in which representatives of the Red Army veterans tore the
Estonian flag from the hand of the nationalist Jüri Böhm, who had
organized a picket against the bronze soldier. On May 10, Aavo Savitsch,
Ain Saar, Jüri Liim and Tiit Madisson made a call to remove the bronze
soldier from Tõnismäe. At the end of May, several public gatherings
organized by Estonian nationalists took place. For example, on May 20,
Tiit Madisson and Aavo Savitsch organized a conference call at the
bronze soldier, which was attended by about 1,000 people.
The
defenders of the monument formed the so-called anti-fascist committee
and the organization "Night Watch" (in Russian "Ночной дозор"). The
police called on people not to gather on Tõnismäe, and to prevent
incidents, Tõnismäe was surrounded by a police guard, which lasted until
the beginning of October 2006.
On August 22, 2006, a round table
on the issue of the bronze soldier was held in the city council hall in
Tallinn. Many associations and political parties were invited to
participate. The Patriotic Union, Res Publica and the Reform Party were
not present. Also, due to linguistic misunderstandings, the Constitution
Party could not participate. The round table was organized by the Center
Party. Among the political parties represented in the Riigikogu, the
People's League, which was in the government at the time, and the Social
Democratic Party, which was in opposition, took part.
On October
11, 2006, deputies of the Riigikogu of the Reform Party, Isamaa and Res
Publica Union, and the Social Democratic Party initiated a draft law on
the protection of war graves and a draft law on the elimination of
prohibited facilities.
On January 10, 2007, the Riigikogu adopted
the law on the protection of war graves with 66 votes in favor, and on
January 11, the President of the Republic, Toomas Hendrik Ilves,
announced it. The Law on the Protection of War Graves provided the basis
for the reburial of remains whose graves are located in inappropriate
places such as parks, green areas, buildings outside cemeteries, places
where mass events are held on graves or facilities unrelated to graves,
as well as other places that do not allow for the dignified treatment of
war graves. Section 10 of the Act states that grave monuments and other
grave markers located at the previous location of the remains to be
reburied are subject to being moved to the new burial location of the
remains. Defenders of the bronze soldier interpreted the law as a direct
attack on the monument, the law was criticized in official Russian
circles and in the media. The "Night Watch" threatened riots.
On
February 15, 2007, the Riigikogu adopted the law on the removal of
prohibited facilities with 46 votes in favor and 44 against. According
to the amendment made on February 13, the government should have moved
the bronze soldier from Tõnismäe within 30 days after the law came into
force. On February 22, the President of the Republic did not promulgate
the law, justifying the decision with the fact that "the law contradicts
several provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, above
all the principle of separation of powers."
On April 23, 2007,
Estonian university professors sent an open letter to the Minister of
Defense Jaak Aaviksoo (see Professors' letter to the Minister of
Defense), in which they drew attention to the risks associated with
moving the bronze soldier and offered cooperation in their analysis and
possible mitigation.
Jaak Aaviksoo, who spoke at the bronze
soldier round table held in Tallinn council on April 26, stated that it
is unlikely that the white tent erected on Tõnismäe on the morning of
April 26 will also be there on May 8 and 9, 2007: "If the circumstances
become clear, it must be legally accepted on the basis of the War Graves
Protection Act a binding decision on the reburial of the remains and the
removal of the grave marker. I would not prejudge events and say what
that decision will be. It will depend a lot on what is found there, and
it will also depend to some extent on the dialogues that will take place
in the coming days, weeks and maybe - be within months. That's why we're
waiting for the time when it's ripe for a decision."
On April 26, 2007, the bronze soldier monument and its surroundings
were surrounded by a high fence, and a tent was erected there for
archaeological excavations. The confrontation between the police and the
defenders of the bronze soldier led to the dispersal of people by the
riot police unit in the evening. Massive demolitions and looting in the
center of Tallinn followed.
On the night of April 27, the
Government of the Republic decided to move the bronze soldier
immediately. That same night, it was taken to a location unknown to the
public under police guard.
On April 27, rioting and destruction
lasted until four in the morning. The unrest continued in the afternoon
and lasted until 2 am on April 28. In the following days and nights,
there were no direct riots in Tallinn, but the tense atmosphere
continued.
On April 30, the bronze soldier was opened for
everyone to see in its new location at the Tallinn Defense Cemetery,
Filtri tee 14.
On May 8, a silent memorial ceremony took place at
the monument with the participation of Estonian government members and
foreign ambassadors.
On May 9, the bronze soldier, as well as its
former location on Tõnismäe, were visited by many people who mainly
remember Red Army soldiers. Flowers were brought and the day passed
peacefully.
Currently, the bronze soldier is in the Defense Forces cemetery, where it was moved at the suggestion of the War Graves Commission. The stone wall behind the sculpture was put up in June 2007. The remains of those buried in the Tõnismäe war grave are also planned to be reburied there. According to the Prime Minister, what to do with Tõnismäe Square after the reburial of the remains should be left to the Tallinn City Council, because the owner of the land is the City of Tallinn.
Vladimir Zhirinovski: "Estonians don't move the soldier's memorial,
they move the symbol of the Soviet Union. Because they didn't accept
that they were part of the USSR for 50 years. They were deported, shot,
their property taken, they were tortured. That's why they don't want
that in the city center some Soviet symbol would stand. We must
understand that in many countries of the world Soviet symbols are
prohibited. Do you know why I was arrested in Turkey 40 years ago? They
said: you have a symbol of the USSR on your chest. And because of this
symbol I sat in prison for 17 days !"
Sergei Mironov, chairman of the
Russian Federation Council: "The actions of the Estonian police against
the defenders of the monument to the liberators is, in its essence,
genocide against Estonian Russians."
The removal of the bronze
soldier in the context of similar actions by other countries
Before
the Tallinn bronze soldier, on April 18, 2007, the monument to the Great
Patriotic War, which disrupted construction activities in the city of
Khimki, near Moscow, Russia, was moved.
After Estonia's decision to
move the memorial to those who fell in World War II, the Polish
government also planned similar actions.
In November 2009, the
"Defender of the Homeland" monument was taken down during the
reconstruction of the Battle Fame Park in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
On
December 21, 2009, the Kutais Military Fame Memorial in Georgia was
blown up and destroyed.
In March 2010, the eternal flame lit in honor
of the defenders of Crimea who fought in the Great Patriotic War was
extinguished in the memorial complex on Malakhov Kurgan in Ukraine.
The musical "Bronze Pain. Welcome to Estonia!" was made about the
bronze soldier. The text was written by Wimberg and directed by Andrus
Vaarik. The premiere was to take place on November 14, 2008 in Tallinn
City Hall. According to producer Tarvo Krall, it was postponed because
of the Georgian-Russian war: "In the background of the events in
Georgia, it is too painful a topic at the moment."
The bronze
soldier was also inspired by the artist Kristina Norman, who created the
installation environment "After-War" in five rooms, in which the golden
soldier was central. On May 9, 2009, the artist received a verbal
warning from the police for taking the Golden Soldier to Tõnismäe. On
June 9, 2009, the news appeared that the modern art museum Kiasma in
Finland wants to buy the golden soldier.
The Finn Johan Bäckman
wrote the book "Pronssisoturi: Viron patsaskiistan tauntu ja säyttä"
('Bronze soldier: background and content of the Estonian monument war')
on the subject of the bronze soldier.