Karl Julius Luik (12 July 1883 in Koikküla Parish (now Valga Parish),

Kreis Werro Kreis Werro (''Võru kreis'', ''Верросский уезд'') was one of the nine subdivisions of the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate (in present-day southeastern Estonia ...

– 5 March 1948 in Tobolsk, Russia) was an Estonian politician. He was a member of

Estonian National Assembly Estonian National Assembly ( et, Rahvuskogu) was a bicameral national assembly which was convened after the 1936 Estonian National Assembly referendum received popular support to draft a new constitution. The First Chamber had 80 members and was e ...

( et, Rahvuskogu) and

Mayor of Tartu The following is a list of Mayors of Tartu, 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 th ...

from 1920 until 1934.

Early life and career

Luik first studied at Koikküla, Karula and Rõuge Parish schools and graduated from Hugo Treffner Gymnasium in Tartu. From 1906 until 1913 studied at the University of Tartu's Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, graduating with a degree in mathematics. After graduation, he worked as a teacher in Valga and Võru. In 1920, he was elected Mayor of Tartu, a position he held until 1934. During his tenure as mayor, the city was extensively reshaped; a series of new public buildings were erected, including the neoclassical Tartu Market Hall, a city swimming pool, a city bank, the city pharmacy and several schoolhouses. The neighborhood of

Tammelinn Tammelinn ( Estonian for ''"Oak Town"'') is a neighbourhood of Tartu, Estonia. It has a population of 8,153 (as of 31 December 2013) and an area of . Gallery Tammelinn, Tartu Tamme staadion.JPG Tammelinn, Tamme pst 15.JPG Tammelinn, Elva ...

was designed and created, and the neighborhoods of

Tähtvere Tähtvere is a neighbourhood of Tartu, Estonia. It has a population of 2,989 (as of 31 December 2013) and an area of . Gallery File:Tähtvere mõisahoone.jpg, Tähtvere Manor See also *Estonian University of Life Sciences *Tartu Song Festiv ...

and

Veeriku Veeriku is a neighbourhood of Tartu located about 2 km west of the city centre, just beyond the railway that bisects the city. Veeriku has a population of 5,502 (as of 31 December 2013) and an area of . References Tartu {{Tartu-g ...

were redesigned and expanded. Freedom Bridge (''Vabadussild'') over the

Emajõgi Emajõgi (; meaning ''"Mother River"'') is a river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipsi, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km. It has a length of 100 km. The Emajõgi is sometimes called t ...

in the center of the city, which was badly damaged by a fire in 1923, was rebuilt and reopened in 1926 and the first public fountain in Tartu was erected on

Barclay Square Barclay Square ( et, Barclay plats) is a public square and park in the city of Tartu, Estonia, adjacent to the Ülikooli street. It is named after Russian Imperial officer Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de ...

in the city center. Bus traffic began in the city and a new water supply system was built, as well as the Ulila power plant, which has been supplying electricity to the city of Tartu since 1929, was renovated. In 1937, Luik was elected to the

(''Rahvuskogu'').

Arrest and death

After leaving the city government in 1940, Luik worked in Tartu as a mathematics teacher. In March 1945, following the Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia, Luik was arrested by the NKVD and deported Tyumen Oblast, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, where he died in 1948 in Tobolsk of tuberculosis while serving a five-year sentence.

Personal life

Karl Luik was married to Helene Kaas and the couple had three children; two daughters and a son.

Acknowledgements

In 1930, Luik was awarded the Order of the Cross of the Eagle, V Class. During Luik's lifetime, sculptor Ferdi Sannamees created a bust of Luik, which is located in the collection of the

Tartu Art Museum Tartu Art Museum ( Estonian: ''Tartu Kunstimuuseum'') is a state-owned museum of art located in Tartu, Estonia. It was founded in 1940 on a private initiative by the members of local art school Pallas. This is the largest art museum in Southern ...

. In 2016, the Tartu City Government decided to erect a monument to Luik in Vanemuine Park. The monument's bust was created by Tõnis Paberit, the architect of the monument was Uku Põllumaa. The monument was opened to the public on 29 June 2016, Tartu City Day, by Tartu mayor

Urmas Klaas Urmas Klaas (born on 17 March 1971 Räpina) is an Estonian politician. Since 2014 he is the mayor of Tartu. Since 2006 he belongs to Estonian Reform Party. 1998 he graduated from University of Tartu. 2004-2007 Ummi was elder of Põlva County ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luik, Karl 1883 births 1948 deaths People from Valga Parish People from Kreis Werro Members of the Estonian National Assembly Mayors of Tartu Hugo Treffner Gymnasium alumni University of Tartu alumni Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class III Estonian people who died in Soviet detention Gulag detainees People who died in the Gulag