Tallinn Trip – Estonian History Museum (Bust of Jaan Poska)

Jaan Poska was something of an Estonian powerhouse, born in 1866 he was a lawyer turned politician. However, he negotiated with Bolsheviks, sort of charmed the Tsar, was a reforming Mayor and managed to carry off quite an impressive moustache. His mission was very much of putting Estonia on the map and not letting the country be the doormat of Russia, or indeed any other nation.

After studying law, Poska became the first Estonian-speaking lawyer in Tallinn and quickly gained a reputation for being a competent legal expert. In 1913, Poska became the Mayor of Tallinn, and the city got a serious upgrade. He became the ultimate city planner, fixing healthcare, building schools and focusing on the well-being of the citizens. Then came 1917, and Russia went a bit bonkers with the whole revolution thing. But while everyone else was busy stockpiling vodka and building barricades, Poska saw an opportunity. He seized the moment and declared Estonia an autonomous region. OK, it was a bit more complex than that, but he was astute and knew what he wanted.

In 1918, Estonia declared full-on independence and Russian considered this as sub-optimal. He managed though to secure peace with Russia at the Treaty of Tartu, when they realised that Estonian wasn’t coming back. I mean, actually it did after the Second World War when they were suppressed, but matters are more acceptable again now.

Sadly, Poska’s story has a bittersweet ending. He died in 1920 at the young age of 54. Estonia had lost its champion, but his legacy as one of the fathers of Estonian independence remains intact. This bust of him was created the year after his death and was sculpted by Anton Starkopf (1889-1966).