Kopli cemetery
Encyclopedia
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 the Soviet occupation authorities governing the country at the time. The former cemetery is now a public park.
, issued an edict
which decree
d that from that point on no-one who died (regardless of their social standing or class origins) was to be buried in a church crypt
or churchyard
; all burials were to take place in the new cemeteries to be built throughout the entire Russian empire, which were to be located outside town boundaries.
These measures were intended to overcome the congestion of urban church crypts and graveyards, and were prompted by a number of outbreaks of highly contagious diseases linked to inadequate burial practices in urban areas, especially the black plague which had led to the Plague Riot
in Moscow in 1771.
Against this background the cemetery at Kopli was founded in 1774 on the outskirts of Tallinn. Divided into a 2 sections, the western part was used for the deceased belonging to the Niguliste (Nikolai) church
parish
, while the eastern part was reserved for those of the Oleviste (St Olai, Olaf) church parish.
The cemetery served as a burial ground for over 170 years for almost all Baltic Germans who died in the city between 1774 and 1944. In 1939 it contained thousands of well kept graves of many prominent citizens of Tallinn.
, of tens of thousands of Baltic Germans from Estonia and Latvia in late 1939 over to areas in western Poland
.
Burials at the cemetery continued on a much smaller scale until 1944, principally among those Baltic Germans who had refused Hitler's call to leave the region.
on the Gulf of Finland
, was turned into a restricted zone for the Soviet military and closed to the public.
Around 1950-1951 the cemetery was entirely flattened by Russian 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 17th and 18th century cemeteries in the city in the suburbs of Kalamaja
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.
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...
's largest Lutheran Baltic German
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
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 Kopli
Kopli
Kopli is a subdistrict of the district of Põhja-Tallinn in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 7,405...
in Tallinn
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...
. It contained thousands of graves of prominent citizens of Tallinn and stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it was completely flattened and destroyed by the Soviet occupation authorities governing the country at the time. The former cemetery is now a public park.
Origins 1771-1774 and use
Between 1771 and 1772, Catherine the Great, empress of the Russian empireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, issued an edict
Edict
An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
which decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
d that from that point on no-one who died (regardless of their social standing or class origins) was to be buried in a church crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
or churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
; all burials were to take place in the new cemeteries to be built throughout the entire Russian empire, which were to be located outside town boundaries.
These measures were intended to overcome the congestion of urban church crypts and graveyards, and were prompted by a number of outbreaks of highly contagious diseases linked to inadequate burial practices in urban areas, especially the black plague which had led to the Plague Riot
Plague Riot
Plague Riot was a riot in Moscow in 1771 between September 15 and September 17, caused by an outbreak of bubonic plague.-History:...
in Moscow in 1771.
Against this background the cemetery at Kopli was founded in 1774 on the outskirts of Tallinn. Divided into a 2 sections, the western part was used for the deceased belonging to the Niguliste (Nikolai) church
St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn
St. Nicholas' Church is a medieval church in Tallinn, Estonia. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron of the fishermen and sailors. Originally built in the 13th century, it was partially destroyed in Soviet Bombing of Tallinn in World War II...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, while the eastern part was reserved for those of the Oleviste (St Olai, Olaf) church parish.
The cemetery served as a burial ground for over 170 years for almost all Baltic Germans who died in the city between 1774 and 1944. In 1939 it contained thousands of well kept graves of many prominent citizens of Tallinn.
Final burials 1939-1944
Burials at the cemetery were drastically reduced after Hitler's forced transfer, under the Molotov-Ribbentrop PactMolotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
, of tens of thousands of Baltic Germans from Estonia and Latvia in late 1939 over to areas in western Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Burials at the cemetery continued on a much smaller scale until 1944, principally among those Baltic Germans who had refused Hitler's call to leave the region.
Destruction by Soviet authorities after 1945
Shortly after World War II and during the second occupation of Baltic states, the suburb of Kopli, because of 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.
Around 1950-1951 the cemetery was entirely flattened by Russian 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 17th and 18th century cemeteries in the city in the suburbs of Kalamaja
Kalamaja cemetery
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...
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. 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.Notable interments (until 1950)
Among the thousands who were buried at Kopli, were also the following:- Eduard BornhöheEduard BornhöheEduard Bornhöhe , born Eduard Brunberg , was an Estonian writer.Bornhöhe is generally considered a pioneer of the genre of Estonian historical novel, as a lion's share of his creations consist of romanticism-influenced historical adventure stories.- Bibliography :*1880 Tasuja *1890 Villu võitlused...
(1862–1923), Estonian writer (reburied to Metsakalmistu) - Various members of the Burchart family who owned and managed the RaeapteekRaeapteekThe Raeapteek is in the center of Tallinn city, Estonia.Opposite the Town Hall, at house number 11, it is one of the oldest continuously running pharmacies in Europe, having always been in business in the same exact house since the early 15th century...
in Tallinn - Login GeidenLogin GeidenImperial Count Lodewijk Sigismund Vincent Gustaaf van Heiden was a Dutch Admiral who commanded a squadron of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Battle of Navarino .-Personal life:...
(1773–1850), Dutch-born Russian admiral - Franz Kluge, publisher
- Artur Korjus (1870–1936), Estonian military officer, father of opera singer Miliza KorjusMiliza KorjusMiliza Elizabeth Korjus was an Estonian coloratura soprano opera singer, who later appeared in Hollywood films.-Early life:...
- Karl von KügelgenKarl von KügelgenJohann Karl Ferdinand von Kügelgen , also known as Carl Ferdinand von Kügelgen was a landscape and history painter, a Russian court and cabinet painter in St. Petersburg, a member of the Royal Russian Academy of Arts in St...
(1772–1832), Russian painter - Rudolf Carl Georg Lehbert (1858–1928), pharmacist and botanist
- Charles LerouxCharles LerouxCharles Leroux was an American balloonist and parachutist.He died on his 239th jump after water landing in the Bay of Reval , Estonia...
(1856–1889), American balloonist and parachutist - Gertrud Elisabeth MaraGertrud Elisabeth MaraGertrud Elisabeth Mara [née Schmeling] was a German operatic soprano.She was born in Kassel, the daughter of a poor musician, Johann Schmeling. From him she learnt to play the violin, and while still a child, her playing at the fair at Frankfurt was so remarkable that money was collected to...
(1749–1833), German opera singer - Carl Julius Albert Paucker (1798–1856), Baltic German historian
- Netty Pinna (1883–1937), Estonian actress, wife of actor Paul Pinna (reburied to Metsakalmistu)
- Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Rußwurm (1812–1883), Baltic German historian, ethnographer and folklorist
- Sophie Tieck (1775–1833), German writer and poet
- Konstantin Türnpu (1865–1927), composer, choirmaster and organist
See also
- List of cemeteries in Estonia
- Mõigu cemeteryMõigu cemeteryThe 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...
- Kalamaja cemeteryKalamaja cemeteryThe 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...
- Raadi cemeteryRaadi cemeteryThe Raadi cemetery) is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in Tartu, in Estonia, dating from the 18th century. Many prominent historical figures from the history of Estonia are buried here. It is also the largest burial ground of the Baltic Germans in Estonia after the destruction of Kopli...
- Great Cemetery (Riga)Great Cemetery (Riga)The Great Cemetery was formerly the principal cemetery of Riga in Latvia, established in 1773. It was the main burial ground of the Baltic Germans in Latvia....
- Nazi-Soviet population transfersNazi-Soviet population transfersThe Nazi–Soviet population transfers were a series of population transfers between 1939 and 1941 of tens of thousands of ethnic Germans and ethnic Russians in an agreement according to the German–Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Demarcation between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.-...
- Baltic Germans
External links
- Image of a very detailed historical map from the year 1904 showing only the western part of the cemetery with all numbered grave plots
- Image of a historical map from the year 1881 showing the cemetery and the whole Kopli peninsula
- News article on the history of the cemetery, in Estonian, from 2004
- News article on the history of the cemetery, in Estonian from 2000
- Notes on the cemetery as a park, in Estonian