The Cross of Liberty and the Monument to the War of Independence () is located in Freedom Square,

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. It was opened on 23 June 2009 as a memorial for those who fell during the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...

, through which the people of Estonia will be able to commemorate all those who had fought for freedom and independence. The pillar is 23.5 m high and consists of 143 glass plates. The memorial incorporates the Cross of Liberty, Estonia's most distinguished award established in 1919.

History

The idea of creating a monument was conceived in 1919, before the end of the war. During the War of Independence in 1918–1920, 4,000 people were killed, and 14,000 wounded on the Estonian side. In 1936, a law was passed to establish a nationwide monument in commemoration of the war. Preparatory work was interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and subsequent Soviet occupation. After Estonia regained independence in 1991, the question of establishing a national monument for the commemoration of the War of Independence was raised again. In the spring of 2005, the

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

decided that a column of victory in memory of the War would be erected at the Freedom Square in Tallinn. In 2006, a design competition for the monument received more than 40 entries. The winning entry "Libertas" was designed by Rainer Sternfeld, Andri Laidre, Kadri Kiho and Anto Savi. Celander Ehitus OÜ was selected as the prime constructor.

Gallery

File:The construction process of the War of Independence Victory Column.jpg File:Vabadussõja võidusammas 2010.JPG File:TallinnWarMemorial2009.JPG File:EU-EE-Tallinn-Kesklinn-Freedom square.JPG File:Victory Column 16.jpg File:Victory Column 19.jpg

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:War Of Independence Victory Column Monuments and memorials in Estonia Buildings and structures in Tallinn Buildings and structures completed in 2009 2009 establishments in Estonia National symbols of Estonia Victory monuments Kesklinn, Tallinn Tourist attractions in Tallinn Estonian War of Independence

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links