Freedom Square ( et, Vabaduse väljak) is a plaza on the southern end of the Old Town in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

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

, where state functions and various concerts take place. It is bounded on the east by

St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...

(built 1862–67), on the south by Kaarli Boulevard and an underground shopping center (2008–09), and on the west by a

Victory Column A victory column, or monumental column or triumphal column, is a monument in the form of a column, erected in memory of a victorious battle, war, or revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned with a victory symbol, such as a ...

(2009) commemorating the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...

1918–1920.

Design

The current design was created by architects Tiit Trummal, Veljo Kaasik and Andres Alver. Before 2010, it was a parking lot. It has an area of 7752 m² with the dimensions approx. 110 m by 75 m.

Nearly places

* War of Independence Victory Column * St. John's Church, Tallinn * Palace Hotel *

Georg Ots Tallinn Music College Georg Ots Tallinn Music College ( et, Georg Otsa nimeline Tallinna Muusikakool) is a music school in Tallinn, Estonia. The school is grown up from Tallinn Higher Music School (founded in 1919). In 2019, the school celebrated its 100th anniversary ...

* Russian Theatre * Tallinn City Government Building *

Tallinn Art Hall Tallinn Art Hall () is an art gallery built in 1934 by Edgar Johan Kuusik on Freedom Square, Tallinn, Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia. It is known for its exhibitions of modern art, held in the gallery itself as well as the locations Tallinn ...

* Estonian Artists' Association * Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art

History

Pre-republic

The square arose on the site of the Swedish bastion in front of the Harju Gate, which was demolished in the middle of the 19th century. In 1867, the St. John's Church was erected on the square. In 1910, the Haymarket was liquidated on the square, and the square was paved with stones. On the 200th anniversary of the capture of the city by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, a monument to

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

was erected on the square, which was dismantled on 1 May 1922.

First Republic

In 1935, the area of the square was expanded. The boulevards were relocated and almost 2,500 square meters of new space was built under the square.

Soviet era

On 29 April 1941, Freedom Square was named to ''Victory'' Square after the beginning

Soviet occupation of Estonia The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...

. In the autumn of 1941, after the arrival of the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

, the name of Freedom Square was restored. On 22 September 1944, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

entered Tallinn and by 1948, it was reverted to Victory Square. During the Soviet period, Freedom Square was known as the Victory Square (). In the USSR, the square hosted parades in honor of holidays like

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

, the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, and before 1969,

International Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

Modern Freedom Square

The Cross of Liberty and the Monument to the War of Independence was opened on 23 June 2009 as a memorial for those who fell during the

Gallery

File:Freedom_square_Tallinn.jpg, Postcard image of Freedom Square from 1900 File:Tallinn24Feb1918.jpg, The first celebration of Estonian Independence Day in 1919 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2004-231, Reval, Freiheitsplatz.jpg, During the German occupation in 1943 File:Vabadusemyyrid.JPG,

Archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

, June 2008 File:Vabaduse väljak,sept2008.JPG, The reconstruction process in 2008 File:Vabaduse väljaku väljakaevamine.jpg, Moat in July 2008 File:Independence War Victory Column.JPG,

Independence War Victory Column The Cross of Liberty and the Monument to the War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõja võidusammas) is located in Freedom Square, Tallinn, Estonia. It was opened on 23 June 2009 as a memorial for those who fell during the Estonian War of Independen ...

File:Freedom Square (Tallinn 2014).JPG, Freedom Square in 2014 File:Jaani kirik.jpg,

on the eastern side of the square File:Tallinn City Office, roof.JPG, Tallinn City Office on the southern side of the square

References

{{Coord, 59, 26, 1.52, N, 24, 44, 38.89, E, type:landmark_region:EE, display=title Squares in Tallinn