Tartu War of Independence Monument | |
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Tartu Vabadussõja mälestussammas | |
Vabaduse puiestik, Tartu Freedom Boulevard, Tartu | |
For soldiers killed in action during the Estonian War of Independence between 1918 and 1920 | |
Established | September 17, 1933 | ; June 22, 2003
Removed | April 28, 1950 |
Location | 58°22′58″N 26°43′28″E / 58.38278°N 26.72444°E Tartu, Estonia |
Designed by | Amandus Adamson, Ekke Väli |
1918 1920 |
The Tartu War of Independence Monument (Estonian: Tartu Vabadussõja mälestussammas) is a memorial to the soldiers that fell in the Estonian War of Independence. It stands on Tartu's Freedom Boulevard (Estonian: Vabaduse puiestik).
It is a copy of the monument unveiled on September 17, 1933, and demolished by the Soviet authorities on April 28 (according to some reports April 29), 1950.[1][2] Because people continued to bring flowers to the location after the original memorial was taken down, a monument to Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald was erected there in 1952.[3]
The new memorial was unveiled at its former location on June 22, 2003.[3] It is a cube on a granite base with steps, on which stands a bronze statue of Kalevipoeg—a copy of the original sculpture by Amandus Adamson.[2] The sculptor Ekke Väli modeled it based on old photographs.[2] Kalevipoeg is standing, looking ahead, leaning on his sword, and his lower body is covered by an animal skin. The years of the war are engraved on the pedestal: 1918–1920.