Tallinn Monuments

Every monument has a story to tell. Along Pirita road, the brightest and darkest pages of Estonian history gather together. We begin our journey in front of the Pirita convent ruins, iconic for Estonians. It is a place that needs no long introduction — who among us hasn’t seen the cult film “The Last Relic” or couldn’t hum the song “Põgene, vaba laps”? We visit the former double monastery where nuns and monks read prayers for Maarjamaa centuries ago. In 1980 the sailing regatta of the Moscow Olympic Games brought Tallinn honour and fame, and gave the city an Olympic centre. Strolling along the Pirita promenade we pause before two special memorials dedicated to brave and daring men. In the History Museum’s courtyard we look the shadows of the past’s darkest script in the eye – Lenin and Stalin. Walking through the Soviet-era Maarjamäe memorial and the German war cemetery, we reach the memorial to the victims of communism. On its black walls are written more than 22,000 names — people whom the communist regime murdered, imprisoned or deported. Almost every Estonian finds here the name of a relative who became a victim of this horror against their will. The final stop is dedicated to the legend of motorcycle road racing, multiple world champion Irishman Joey Dunlop – the place where this daredevil sportsman’s life ended tragically on his final ride.

The walk is about 7 km long.