Tallinn Cemetery Tour

Cemeteries are special places — the boundary between two worlds grows blurred, and there is much to learn from the lives and choices of the people who lived before us. Through the stories of the past you learn to value your own life and the time you have been given.

The journey begins at the Old Jewish Cemetery Park. It is a place of remembrance that served as an active cemetery until 1910, but was permanently closed during the Soviet occupation and mercilessly buried under asphalt. In October 2023 the site was opened as a cemetery park, finally giving well-deserved respect to the souls resting there. From there we head to Tallinn’s oldest burial ground — the Inner City Cemetery, which is divided into the Alexander Nevsky and Kaarli congregation cemeteries.

The Alexander Nevsky cemetery holds the great names of Estonian history. Here rest important figures of the first period of independence such as Jaan Poska and Nikolai Päts, and here too stands a symbolic memorial to Johan Laidoner. The memorial to the victims of the March 1944 bombing and the mysterious „nuns’ garden” speak painfully of historical events. But the cemetery’s history reaches all the way to the present day — a true sight is the grand grave monument of Estonia’s underworld leader Nikolai Tarankov, along with several unique sculptures, such as a coffin or an angel, which are works of art in their own right.

At the Old Kaarli cemetery we continue speaking of the first Estonian republic. Laid to rest here are Estonia’s first Lutheran bishop Jakob Kukk and Nikolai Kultas, owner of the legendary Kultas café, whose café culture lives on in memories to this day. Here we also remember Karl Kark, the Minister of Roads who died tragically during the December 1924 uprising.

Opening hours:

• In summer (1 April – 31 October): open 9.00–19.00

• In winter (1 November – 31 March): open 9.00–16.00