Tallinn Trip – Soviet Statue Graveyard (Memorial to Jakob Palvadre)

Jakob Palvadre (1889-1936) was an Estonian politician and Soviet military leader, born in Tõlliste Parish in southern Estonia. He pursued academic studies in history and philology at the University of Tartu and later in Saint Petersburg. From a young age, Palvadre embraced socialist politics, joining the Estonian Social Democratic Workers’ Party and actively participating in the 1905 Russian Revolution. He served in the First World War, first in the Russian Imperial Army and then in the Red Army, obviously having some competence as they kept promoting him. He then fought against Estonians wanting independence and later worked as a history professor at Leningrad State University. However, in 1936, the Soviet Union declared him as an enemy against the people and he was taken onto a barge and drowned on 11 October 1936, with his family then being repressed.

Anyway, the Soviet Union decided that perhaps he wasn’t an enemy of the people and this granite statue, designed by Ernst Kirs, was unveiled on 28 October 1981 in Valga City Park. This is where this becomes a complete mess for his reputation. So, initially he was a Soviet fighting against the Estonians. Then the Soviets said he was a spy for the Estonians fighting against the Soviets. Then, after they executed him, they changed their minds and said he was a Soviet hero fighting against the Estonians. Then Estonia becomes free and the population of a liberated nation don’t want this enemy of the Estonian people on display. The statue was taken down on 18 September 1991 by members of the Estonian Defence League and brought to this museum in 2008.