Kalamaja cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Kalamaja cemetery in Tallinn
in Estonia
was once the city's oldest existing cemetery
, located in the suburb of Kalamaja
in the north of the city. It contained thousands of graves of ethnic Estonian and Swedish residents of Tallinn and stood for at least 400 years, from the 15th or 16th century to 1964 when it was completely flattened and destroyed by the Soviet occupation authorities governing the country at that time. The former cemetery is now a public park: "Kalamaja kalmistupark".
Until the mid to late 19th century the majority of residents of Tallinn were Baltic Germans who had their own separate graveyard
s within the city walls until 1774, and their own separate cemeteries outside the city after that.
Until its destruction the cemetery had thousands of graves standing of various historical figures from Estonia's history.
on the Gulf of Finland
) was turned into a restricted zone for the Soviet military and closed to the public.
In 1964 the cemetery was entirely flattened under the order of Soviet authorities. Gravestones were used to build walls along the ports and sidewalks in other parts of the city and no trace of the cemetery was left standing.
Soviet forces in a coordinated effort to remove all traces of the past, non ethnic Russian, inhabitants of Tallinn also destroyed two further 18th century cemeteries in the city, in the suburbs of Kopli
and Mõigu
which belonged to the ethnic Estonian and Baltic German communities.
In contrast the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, also established in the 18th century, south of the old town of Tallinn, was left standing.
.
The only surviving evidence of those who were interred there consists of the parish registers of burials and some old detailed maps of the area in the Tallinn city archives.
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
was once the city's oldest existing cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, located in the suburb of Kalamaja
Kalamaja
Kalamaja is a subdistrict of the district of Põhja-Tallinn in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 7,812...
in the north of the city. It contained thousands of graves of ethnic Estonian and Swedish residents of Tallinn and stood for at least 400 years, from the 15th or 16th century to 1964 when it was completely flattened and destroyed by the Soviet occupation authorities governing the country at that time. The former cemetery is now a public park: "Kalamaja kalmistupark".
Origins and use
The exact origins of the cemetery are not completely clear, but historians place its foundation to sometime between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was the principal burial ground of the ethnic Swedish and Estonians living in or around Tallinn.Until the mid to late 19th century the majority of residents of Tallinn were Baltic Germans who had their own separate graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
s within the city walls until 1774, and their own separate cemeteries outside the city after that.
Until its destruction the cemetery had thousands of graves standing of various historical figures from Estonia's history.
Destruction by Soviet authorities in 1964
Shortly after the Second World War and during the second occupation of Baltic states, the suburb of Kalamaja (due to its strategic position as a base for the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
on the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
) was turned into a restricted zone for the Soviet military and closed to the public.
In 1964 the cemetery was entirely flattened under the order of Soviet authorities. Gravestones were used to build walls along the ports and sidewalks in other parts of the city and no trace of the cemetery was left standing.
Soviet forces in a coordinated effort to remove all traces of the past, non ethnic Russian, inhabitants of Tallinn also destroyed two further 18th century cemeteries in the city, in the suburbs of Kopli
Kopli cemetery
Kopli cemetery was Estonia's largest Lutheran Baltic German cemetery, located in the suburb of Kopli in Tallinn. It contained thousands of graves of prominent citizens of Tallinn and stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II when it was completely flattened and destroyed by...
and Mõigu
Mõigu cemetery
The Mõigu cemetery ) was a large Baltic German cemetery, located in the Tallinn suburb of Mõigu in Estonia. It served as the primary burial ground for the usually wealthy and noble citizens of the Toompea parish of Tallinn...
which belonged to the ethnic Estonian and Baltic German communities.
In contrast the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, also established in the 18th century, south of the old town of Tallinn, was left standing.
Current status
Presently the former area of the cemetery is a public park, with no immediate visible indication of its previous status. However a small plaque with a very short description has been put on the site on the side of a restored chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
.
The only surviving evidence of those who were interred there consists of the parish registers of burials and some old detailed maps of the area in the Tallinn city archives.
Sources
- Adolf Richters Baltische Verkehrs- und Adreßbücher, Band 3-Estland, Riga 1913 Schmidt, Christoph. Bergengruens Tod von Reval aus historischer Sicht. Journal of Baltic Studies, 29:4 (1998), 315-325
- Tallinna Kalmistud, Karl Laane, Tallinn, 2002, ISBN 9985-64-168-x
External links
- Image of a late 19th or early 20th century map showing the district of Kalamaja and the area of the cemetery
- Photo of a memorial plaque on the side of a restored chapel on the area of the former cemetery
- A restored memorial chapel on the site of the former cemetery
- Another photo of the restored chapel from a distance
- Present day area of the former cemetery