Mõigu cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Mõigu cemetery ) was a large Baltic German
cemetery
, located in the Tallinn
suburb of Mõigu
in Estonia
. It served as the primary burial ground for the usually wealthy and noble
citizens of the Toompea
parish of Tallinn. Containing numerous graves, it stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II
when it was completely flattened and destroyed by the Soviet occupation authorities governing the country at that time.
Its origins and destruction are very similar to that of the Kopli cemetery
(also in Tallinn).
, issued an edict
which decree
d that, from that point on, any person who died (regardless of their social standing or class origins), no longer had the right to be buried within church crypt
s or adjacent churchyard
s. New cemeteries had to be built across the entire Russian empire, and from then on they all had to be located outside city limits.
One of the main motivations behind these measures was overcrowding in church crypts and graveyards. However the true deciding factor which led to the new laws being enforced on such a mass scale across the entire Russian empire was to avoid further outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, especially the black plague which had led to the Plague Riot
in Moscow in 1771.
Against this background the cemetery at Mõigu was founded in 1774 on the outskirts of Tallinn on an area that was owned and administered by the Toompea cathedral of Tallinn. It served as a burial ground for over 170 years for Baltic Germans who lived and died in the Toompea
parish of Tallinn between 1774 and 1944.
The Soviet forces, in a coordinated effort to remove all traces of the past, non ethnic Russian inhabitants of Tallinn also destroyed two other 16th and 18th century cemeteries in the city, in the suburbs of Kopli
and Kalamaja
which belonged to the ethnic Estonian and Baltic German communities.
In contrast the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, also established in the 18th century, south of the old town of Tallinn, was left standing.
The area of the former cemetery today lies abandoned, however Estonian authorities are planning a conservation of the area.
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, located in the Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
suburb of Mõigu
Mõigu
Mõigu is a subdistrict of the district of Kesklinn in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is located on the northeastern side of Lake Ülemiste. It has a population of 353 . Mõigu's former German name until 1918 was Moik, also spelled Moick.Mõigu village was first time mentioned in written in 1241...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. It served as the primary burial ground for the usually wealthy and noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
citizens of the Toompea
Toompea
Toompea is a limestone hill in the central part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The hill is an oblong tableland, which measures about 400 by 250 metres, has an area of and is about 20–30 metres higher than the surrounding areas...
parish of Tallinn. Containing numerous graves, it stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it was completely flattened and destroyed by the Soviet occupation authorities governing the country at that time.
Its origins and destruction are very similar to that of the Kopli cemetery
Kopli cemetery
Kopli cemetery was Estonia's largest Lutheran Baltic German cemetery, located in the suburb of Kopli in Tallinn. It contained thousands of graves of prominent citizens of Tallinn and stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II when it was completely flattened and destroyed by...
(also in Tallinn).
Origins 1771-1774
Between 1771 and 1772, Catherine the Great, empress of the Russian empireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, issued an edict
Edict
An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
which decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
d that, from that point on, any person who died (regardless of their social standing or class origins), no longer had the right to be buried within church crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
s or adjacent churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
s. New cemeteries had to be built across the entire Russian empire, and from then on they all had to be located outside city limits.
One of the main motivations behind these measures was overcrowding in church crypts and graveyards. However the true deciding factor which led to the new laws being enforced on such a mass scale across the entire Russian empire was to avoid further outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, especially the black plague which had led to the Plague Riot
Plague Riot
Plague Riot was a riot in Moscow in 1771 between September 15 and September 17, caused by an outbreak of bubonic plague.-History:...
in Moscow in 1771.
Against this background the cemetery at Mõigu was founded in 1774 on the outskirts of Tallinn on an area that was owned and administered by the Toompea cathedral of Tallinn. It served as a burial ground for over 170 years for Baltic Germans who lived and died in the Toompea
Toompea
Toompea is a limestone hill in the central part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The hill is an oblong tableland, which measures about 400 by 250 metres, has an area of and is about 20–30 metres higher than the surrounding areas...
parish of Tallinn between 1774 and 1944.
Destruction by Soviet authorities after 1945
Around 1950-1951 the cemetery was entirely flattened by Soviet occupation authorities. Gravestones were used to build walls along the ports and sidewalks in other parts of the city and no trace of the cemetery was left standing.The Soviet forces, in a coordinated effort to remove all traces of the past, non ethnic Russian inhabitants of Tallinn also destroyed two other 16th and 18th century cemeteries in the city, in the suburbs of Kopli
Kopli cemetery
Kopli cemetery was Estonia's largest Lutheran Baltic German cemetery, located in the suburb of Kopli in Tallinn. It contained thousands of graves of prominent citizens of Tallinn and stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II when it was completely flattened and destroyed by...
and Kalamaja
Kalamaja cemetery
The Kalamaja cemetery in Tallinn in Estonia was once the city's oldest existing cemetery, located in the suburb of Kalamaja in the north of the city...
which belonged to the ethnic Estonian and Baltic German communities.
In contrast the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, also established in the 18th century, south of the old town of Tallinn, was left standing.
Current status
The only surviving evidence of those who were interred there consists of the parish registers of burials and some old detailed maps of the area in the Tallinn city archives.The area of the former cemetery today lies abandoned, however Estonian authorities are planning a conservation of the area.
Sources
- Adolf Richters. Baltische Verkehrs- und Adreßbücher, Band 3-Estland, Riga 1913 Schmidt, Christoph. Bergengruens Tod von Reval aus historischer Sicht. Journal of Baltic StudiesJournal of Baltic StudiesThe Journal of Baltic Studies, the official journal of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies , is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary academic journal founded in 1970 and published quarterly by Routledge, dedicated to the political, social, economic, and cultural life of the Baltic...
, 29:4 (1998), 315-325 - Tallinna Kalmistud, Karl Laane, Tallinn, 2002, ISBN 9985-64-168-x
See also
- List of cemeteries in Estonia
- Kopli cemeteryKopli cemeteryKopli cemetery was Estonia's largest Lutheran Baltic German cemetery, located in the suburb of Kopli in Tallinn. It contained thousands of graves of prominent citizens of Tallinn and stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II when it was completely flattened and destroyed by...
- Kalamaja cemeteryKalamaja cemeteryThe Kalamaja cemetery in Tallinn in Estonia was once the city's oldest existing cemetery, located in the suburb of Kalamaja in the north of the city...
- Nazi-Soviet population transfersNazi-Soviet population transfersThe Nazi–Soviet population transfers were a series of population transfers between 1939 and 1941 of tens of thousands of ethnic Germans and ethnic Russians in an agreement according to the German–Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Demarcation between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.-...
- Baltic Germans