• Bronze Soldier
In 1947, the Soviet authorities erected a memorial in the city centre of the Estonian capital Tallinn in honour of Red Army soldiers who were killed in action. In 2007, the Estonian government moved the statue to a less prominent location, which resulted in riots that lasted for several days.
Image: Tallinn, 1943, View from Freedom Square, Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2004-231, Walter
Tallinn, 1943, View from Freedom Square, Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2004-231, Walter

Image: Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« on the military cemetery, kalevkevad
Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« on the military cemetery, kalevkevad
Estonia gained its independence in 1918; in 1940, it was occupied by the Soviet Union in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The Soviet authorities introduced a reign of terror. When the German Wehrmacht invaded the Soviet Union and soon thereafter occupied Estonia in 1941, many Estonians celebrated the Germans as their liberators. The Red Army retook the Estonian capital on September 22, 1944 without a struggle, as the German units had withdrawn earlier in order to avoid being encircled. Estonia was once again annexed to the USSR, many were arrested and deported the interior Soviet Union. In the following decades, the Soviet authorities settled many ethnic Russian in Estonia to diminish the influence of Estonians in their own country. Estonia once again became independent in 1991.
Image: Tallinn, 1943, View from Freedom Square, Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2004-231, Walter
Tallinn, 1943, View from Freedom Square, Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2004-231, Walter

Image: Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« on the military cemetery, kalevkevad
Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« on the military cemetery, kalevkevad
Initially, 13 Soviet officers whose names were known were buried next to the monument.
Image: Tallinn, 2006, The »Bronze Soldier« on its original location, Petri Krohn
Tallinn, 2006, The »Bronze Soldier« on its original location, Petri Krohn

Image: Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« prior to being moved to its new location, Jens-Olaf Walter
Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« prior to being moved to its new location, Jens-Olaf Walter
In 1947, on the third anniversary of the Soviet invasion, the authorities erected a monument to soldiers of the Red Army killed in action in the centre of the Estonian capital. The monument depicts a soldier mourning his comrades, head bowed low. 13 Soviet officers were buried around the »bronze soldier«, however, they had lost their lives in various other war theatres: Tallinn itself was conquered by the Red Army without a struggle. This was one of the reasons why many considered the erection of the memorial a provocative move and as a symbol of Soviet occupation. The memorial was re-dedicated when Estonia regained its independence, now honouring all soldiers who died in the war. However, the discussion surrounding the monument became increasingly politicized, representing a conflict between the Estonian majority and the large Russian minority. While ethnic Estonians continued to portray the Soviet era as a time of occupation, members of the Russian minority made a point of ostentatiously celebrating the anniversary of the Russian conquest of the city on September 22 as well as May 9 as »victory day«. In 2007, the Estonian government moved the monument from the city centre to a military cemetery further away from the centre. Over the next few days there were violent riots in the city; the incident spurred long-lasting diplomatic ill-will between Russia and EU member Estonia.
Image: Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« on the military cemetery, Steven Hannink
Tallinn, 2007, The »Bronze Soldier« on the military cemetery, Steven Hannink

Image: Tallinn, 2007, Detailed view of the monument, Steven Hannink
Tallinn, 2007, Detailed view of the monument, Steven Hannink
Name
Pronkssõdur
Address
Söjaväe kalmistu (military cemetery), Filtri tee
10138 Tallinn
Phone
+372(0) 601 4064
E-Mail
siselinna@kalmistud.ee
Open
The military cemetery is part of the Siselinna cemetery, which is open Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 pm.