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242 Tohvri 120mm patarei MM
The 120-mm Coastal Battery at Hindu (Sõru) No 34

The construction of the battery began in 1914. As it was an additional battery, missing in the original plan of the naval fortress and the type of guns was repeatedly changed. Finally four 120- mm Vickers guns were installed. A 200-m length and 10-20-m width sandbar was piled up in defence of the gun emplacements and covered in concrete above the guns. Hindu was the only battery in Hiiumaa that participated in combat operations during the Tagalahe landing on 12 October 1917. After a brief exchange of fire with the German warships the Russian artillerymen fled, leaving the battery intact. The Germans sent a landing unit of soldiers inland that blew up the guns of the battery. One of the German warships that shot Hindu battery, was ’Bayern’, the  warship with the largest displacement that has ever been in the Estonian waters (length 180 m, displacement 32 200 tons, eight 380-mm guns).The building of the battery radio station was transported to Emmaste and was used as the community centre (demolished in the 1980s). The gun barrels and other larger details were still there in 1937. Today the first and the second gun platforms are still identifiable, the other two are situated on a fenced farmyard. The third gun crater is filled with earth and there is a newly built house facing the sea, the remains of the fourth one is merely a cracked concrete platform. Out of two air defence gun platforms, one survives (a hundred metres toward the nursing home, on the right side of the road). There are no intact buildings. The machine gun bunker between the first and the second emplacement was completed in 1941. 

Concurrently with the construction of Hindu battery, there was a plan to build something in  Lepiku village where large gravel bars were piled up, still visible today. It is unknown what the building was going to be.

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Klooga, source Estonian History Museum
Klooga concentration camp and Holocaust memorial

This memorial to the victims of the Holocaust is situated not far from the small borough of Klooga.

The first monument was erected here in 1951, but it essentially praised the Soviet ideology and did little to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. In 1994, the plaques on the monument were replaced with new ones at the request of the Jewish community in Estonia so as to do justice to the victims' ethnic roots. On the 50th anniversary of the mass murder perpetrated in Klooga, a monument to the Jews killed in Estonia from 1941-1944 was unveiled 100 metres from the first monument. In 2005, a third monument was unveiled commemorating the Jews who died or were killed in the concentration camp in Klooga.

The memorial was renovated in 2013 to tie the three monuments together, with the Estonian History Museum opening an outdoor exhibition here entitled ‘Klooga camp and the Holocaust’.

Klooga concentration camp was established by the German regime in September 1943. It was a forced-labour sub-camp of the Vaivara concentration camp complex in Estonia. On 19 September 1944, one of the largest mass murders in German-occupied Estonia was committed: all of the Jews at the camp (around 2000 in total) were killed as the Red Army approached.

 

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Barta missile base

Paplak Regiment. Barta - South, Barta - North. The base has been destroyed by man and nature. The buildings are taken back by the forest, the missile transport trucks and the missile hangars themselves are demolished. The communication centre has also been destroyed and most of the metal launch platforms have been dismantled. 

According to official information, the following Soviet army units were located in the municipality of Barta:

49028 - 279. BKF naval transmitting centre

25026, 49393 - 30th BKF ship missile and nuclear warhead depots

49281 - Communications Department

20480 - 523rd Communications Centre Sub-unit

1994, leaving Latvia (The last military personnel to leave Latvia, the Barta missile base equipment, left the port of Liepaja on 31 August 1994.), submitted by the North-Western Troops Group of the Russian Federation. During the survey of the Barta missile base area, we also found the launch sites of the R-5M (8K51M) ballistic missile (NATO classification - SS-3 Shyster) with its adjacent command bunkers. The R-5M (8K51M) missiles with nuclear warheads were the first to be deployed by the occupying forces in Latvia in 1954, in the Barta forest of the Liepāja district. By decision No 700-330 of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR of 2 July 1985 (!), 2 623 hectares of land were allocated to troop unit No 42341 (50th Rocket Army in Smolensk, k/d 55135) in the Barta Forest. Two divisions of the 117th Rocket Regiment are stationed there. Each division has 4 missiles. On 18 September 1959, the Army requests a further 385,25 ha for five sites near Barta Brienampurva. Gravel for the construction of the base and for filling and camouflaging the hangars was brought from the nearby Krute quarry. Farmers are evicted from the houses of Kalnāji, Placēņi, Purviči, Zemturu, Purvu, Knīpupju, Mazturu, Birzmali in the municipality of Barta. The losses for the liquidation of 8 farms shown in the archive documents are only 154 711 roubles. All the constructions of the bases were taken to Barta only at night, so that nobody would see them. But the inhabitants of Barta have always known: when the army starts grading the roads, they will be carrying something.In 1968, the surface-launch rocket divisions of Barta were disbanded. The modernised shaft rockets (R-12 and R-14) are not deployed in Barta because the site is located in a marshy area.
 

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Pine Hill

It is located on the left bank of the Daugava between the Riga HPP - Jaunjelgava (P85) and Bauska - Aizkraukle (P87) roads. Its western slope is crossed by the so-called Degumu road. A very pronounced relief form - 84 m above sea level, which was a strategically important place on the front line of the left bank of the Daugava during the First and Second World Wars. The positions of the trenches cover the hill from three sides (except its southern part), but the flat and slopes of the hill are incised with pits of various sizes, which are clearly visible both in nature and on LIDAR maps. From the eastern side, Priežu Hill is surrounded by the deep ravine of the Raju Stream. Priežu kalnis should be seen as a part of a larger military "complex" (from both world wars of the 20th century): 0.8 km northeast of it was the bridge built by the German army during the Second World War across the Daugava (pillars preserved on the banks), 1.3 km to the east of it - in Āmurkalnė - a "flakturm" was built, while in Taurkalnė, 6 km away, there is a Jelgava - Krustpils railway station with an ammunition storage from the Second World War (according to legend), and less than a kilometer to the south - the graves of the Vecluiku brothers from the First World War. You can get to the top of the Pine Hill by a small road that leads to the cell tower. The Daugava valley is clearly visible from the cut forest ridge to the north. The continuous line of trenches (can be traced in nature and on LIDAR maps) encircling Priežu Hill continues for more than 9 km in the west-northwest direction up to the Enkurnieki-Lāčplėš road. The vicinity of Priežu and Smilšu kalnas (2.9 km southwest of Priežu kalnas) is a suitable place for hiking.

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Foto: Mart Mõniste
Monument to the War of Independence in Taagepera

This monument is situated in the village of Ala in Tõrva municipality, on land formerly part of Taagepera Manor. It comprises an obelisk, originally a slab in the stairs, with a stepped plinth (the original with three steps) mounted on a stepped base. The front of the obelisk is engraved with the text "HONOUR TO THE FALLEN”; beneath it is a depiction of the Cross of Liberty and the years 1918-1920. It was designed by Tõrva stonemason Richard Tooming. The monument was unveiled on 2 September 1934.

It was demolished in October 1940.

Years later, stonemason Elmar Kling was given the plinth inscribed with the names of the fallen. He contacted the local residents and was commissioned to restore the monument. It was unveiled anew on 12 May 1990.

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1280px Battle of Paju 3
Monument to the Sons of the North

This monument is dedicated to the Finnish soldiers and officers of the Sons of the North Regiment who fought in the Battle of Paju. Adorned with a brown granite tablet reading "A noble endeavour will forever shine throughout the ebb and flow of time" in Estonian and Finnish, the monument is situated in Paju Manor park near the larger monument to the Battle of Paju. The Finnish government helped to organise the deployment of around 2300 Finnish volunteers in the country. For this, they were required to leave their service in the Finnish Defence Forces. Their arrival in January 1919 was a major turning point in the War of Independence.

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184 IIMS langenutele MM
Monument to fallen World War II soldiers of Hiiumaa

The idea for this memorial came from Otto Mägi, who was assisted in realising it by his comrade Heino Kerde. In 2001, Mägi petitioned Kärdla City Council for a monument to be erected in memory of Hiiumaa's fallen World War II soldiers. The monument was designed by sculptor Elo Liiv and architects Maris Kerge and Kadri Kerge. The model for the sculpture was Marek Vainumäe from Kärdla. 

In total, 685 names are engraved in the granite, all of them Hiiumaa’s fallen, regardless of whose uniform they wore. The uniform on the bronze sculpture, on the other hand, is instantly recognisable – the young man is wearing an Estonian uniform and has taken off his German helmet. This is the only monument in Estonia dedicated to all those who fell during the war, not limited to one side. The project came to fruition thanks to government grants from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Defence and donations from private individuals and companies. Construction work was coordinated by Kärdla City Council and the Union of Freedom Fighters and the Repressed of Hiiumaa. The monument was unveiled on 25 May 2012.

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Foto: Keidi Saks, Muinsuskaitseamet
Monument to the War of Independence in Valjala

This monument is situated in the church yard in Valjala. It was fashioned by Anton Õunapuu. The monument, in memory of the soldiers from Valjala parish who fell in the War of Independence, was unveiled on 24 June 1923. In autumn 1944 (other sources state September 1947) it was blown to pieces. The architect behind the new monument was A. Mänd. The monument was unveiled anew on 23 June 1993.

Certain changes were made to the original design. The dolomite monument forms an obelisk mounted on a stepped plinth, crowned with a cornice cap. Atop it stands a dolomite Cross of Liberty.

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Aegna

The three square kilometres of this island in the north-eastern corner of Tallinn Bay are the site of an extensive network of coastal defence batteries and a three-kilometre narrow-gauge railway built before World War I as a continuation of the fortification work begun by Peter the Great in the 18th century. Construction of the Alexander Nevsky Battery began in 1915. The 180-metre concrete structure was coupled at both ends with barbettes supporting two 12-inch guns each. The guns at the eastern end were higher than at the western end, allowing them to be fired westward over the other guns. Battery No. 3 was built on the western shore of Aegna and was ready for combat by autumn 1916. The battery was first planned to have six 130-mm guns, but in the end it was only equipped with four.

In 1918, following the declaration of the independence of Estonia, the coastal defences were taken over by the Estonian Navy. The island had residential housing, barracks, an officer’s mess, staff headquarters, a bread factory, a library, a clinic, a bathhouse and more. The command centre on the island was completed in 1927 in Eerikneeme. Battery No. 10 was also completed that year, equipped with three 75-mm anti-aircraft guns (with a barrel length of 3.75 m) capable of firing up to 6 km in altitude. The importance of Aegna in the coastal defence of Estonia is reflected in the fact that, at its peak, half the men serving in the Naval Fortress Division were stationed on the island. The existing infrastructure enabled the locals to manage on their own in winter, since disruptions to sea traffic were common.

After World War II, the Soviet Navy Baltic Fleet Air Defence branch, consisting of around 100 marines, was stationed on Aegna until 1957. A new anti-aircraft battery made up of four concrete gun pits 45 metres apart were constructed near the Alexander Nevsky Battery searchlight bunker in the north-western part of the island. Bofors 40-mm guns formerly used by the Estonian military were installed. Due to the Estonian coastline being a restricted area during the Soviet era, travelling to Aegna only became possible again in the 1960s. Traces of different military periods are still clearly visible on the island.

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131 Tahkuna 130mm patarei MM
The 130-mm Coastal Battery at Tahkuna No 26

The 130-mm battery at Tahkuna is architecturally similar to the battery at Tohvri. The ferroconcrete surfaces in the gun emplacements bear the inscripted date 20/IV 1941. In 1941 the battery had four 130-mm  B-13 guns (weight of gun including shield 12.8 tons, crew 11, shooting range up to 25 km). The crew included 151 seamen and 9 officers. The guns were installed right before the battles of October 1941.

The ferroconcrete gun blocks remained intact in the war and the crew arrived as early as October 1944. First the battery had three 130-mm B-13 guns. The last shots were fired in Tahkuna in January 1960 when there were 4 guns. When the battery was operating, the last kilometre of the road leading to the lighthouse was closed by a barrier and a gate house and this part of the road is still missing on the military topograhic map published in 1959.

The buildings of Tahkuna battery have survived in a fairly good state. In the ammunition depots next to the gun blocks occasional shell shelves have survived, they can also be found in the ammunition depots in the rear of the emplacements. The shelter-power station (the gas shelter) still has bunk beds. Between the boiler house and the diesel power station there is a particular water line hidden in a high parapet with a concrete reservoir at both ends. A fire control tower was built next to the command post in the 1950s and after the battery was closed down, it was used as an observation post of the naval radio technology unit. As the forest kept growing and the seaview got worse, the tower gained another floor. This new addition demonstrates a notably poorer building quality in comparison with the rest. The added floor includes a stove, whereas originally the tower had central heating. On the whole territory of the battery there are cable ditches that have been dug open – dating from the 1960s when the collective farms were permitted to take electric gear from the abandoned batteries, as well as from the early 1990s when all the cables that had been meanwhile installed and could be spotted, were taken. With the territory being completely neglected and heavily overgrown, finding and studying the objects could be complicated.

On the territory of the battery, next to the parking lot, there is a monument from 1968 in memory of the Baltic Navy soldiers who perished in 1941. The author of the monument is Vitali Navoznyhh, originally from Leningrad. He participated in the battles of 1941 in Hiiumaa and settled on the island after the war, working as a stonecarver. Next to the monument there is a tombstone to two unknown soldiers who were buried there in 1973. 

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IMG 0756 Pilistvere Teksti e1458128581865
Memorial to victims of communist genocide

This memorial is situated in Pilistvere cemetery.

Groundwork for the memorial began in 1988, with 300 people rallying to the cause. The joint effort of volunteers continues to this day, with improvements being made to the memorial each year. The idea for the memorial came from freedom fighter Lagle Parek.

At its centre lies a cairn of rocks brought from places over Estonia, from Siberia and from even further afield by Estonian expats. The cairn is crowned by a large cross. The foot of the cross is a symbolic tomb, to which Estonian people bring rocks to commemorate loved ones deported to Siberia.

The cairn is surrounded by boulders, one for each county, designed by Aate-Heli Õun and set in place in phases.

Near the memorial are memorial stones to the victims of the radiation from Chernobyl, to the Forest Brothers, to those conscripted into the NKVD’s labour columns, to Estonian volunteers in the Finnish army and to freedom fighters. These were all designed by Endel Palmiste.

In addition to the cairn, a grove of more than 2000 memorial trees has been planted near the memorial. The grove was designed by renowned landscape architect Andres Levald.

The historic Pilistvere pastorate, serving as the main building at the memorial site, houses an archive and an Estonian History Museum exhibition about the occupation of Estonia.

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Foto: Mart Mõniste
Monument to the War of Independence in Valga

This monument, in remembrance of freedom fighters from Southern Estonia, depicts a statue of an unknown soldier, his sword sheathed, holding a flag in one hand and the other outstretched, standing on top of a tall plinth. The original monument was unveiled on the 31st birthday of Lieutenant Julius Kuperjanov on 11 October 1925, but was demolished by the Soviet regime on the night of 21 September 1940. It was unveiled anew at its original location on Kuperjanovi Street in Valga on 16 August 2013. The original monument was designed in 1925 by Amandus Adamson, who also oversaw the bronze sculpture's casting in Italy. It was restored to its full size by sculptor Jaak Soans. The restoration was organised by the non-profit organisation VIKP (Permanent Exhibition of Patriotic Education in Valga), the town and county government of Valga and the Estonian War Museum.