Maarjamäe memorial complex

Maarjamäe memorial complex - darkometer rating : 3 - There are three distinct points of interest here. Firstly, an old Soviet monument now largely neglected, a former German war cemetery now marked by another memorial and symbolic grave stones, and a new Memorial to the Victims of Communism unveiled in 2018. It's a bit out of the centre of Tallinn but worth the excursion and it combines well with the Contemporary History Museum just to the south of the complex. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: The memorial complex at Maarjamäe was constructed in successive stages. The oldest part is the Soviet-era tall obelisk you can see from far away. This was erected in 1960 and commemorates Soviet Bolsheviks who actually fought against Estonians at the time of the Estonian War of Independence and the Russian Civil War. Little wonder then that the monument wasn’t exactly popular with many Estonians. In the 1970s the memorial was much expanded. Added were the angular concrete structures, the symbolic amphitheatre, the eternal flame, the semi-abstract sculptures and memorial graves to members of the Bolshevik Navy who perished on two vessels during the Russian Civil War. The expansion was completed in 1975. Parts of the monument are said to also commemorate Soviet soldiers who fell in the fight against Nazi Germany in 1941 and 1944, although it is not especially clear which parts serve which purpose. After Estonia regained its independence in 1991 and the Soviets departed shortly after, this Soviet-era monument complex had an uncertain future. It has certainly not been maintained, yet nor has it been demolished. It’s just slowly crumbling.