The Rakvere old town cemetery

The Rakvere old town cemetery was the town's main burial ground for over a century and a half. During the occupation it was liquidated and turned into a park.

Paul Raud, “Rakvere Cemetery”. Painting: Paul Raud (public domain), Wikimedia Commons.

History

The cemetery was established in 1777 and served the Rakvere community until the mid-20th century; the last burials took place around 1948.

Liquidation

In 1960 the cemetery was liquidated and a park laid out in its place — the same pattern that struck dozens of Estonian town cemeteries during the occupation. In 1991, on the threshold of restored independence, a memorial stone was unveiled at the crossing of Karja and Vabaduse streets.

Photographs

Paul Raud, ‘Rakvere cemetery’, 1895 — one of the few images of a Rakvere cemetery before the Soviet-occupation liquidation (public domain).

See also

• No one escaped the Soviet Union (overview)

• The destruction of sacred sites and cemeteries in the Soviet Union

• The graveyard as the community's backbone

• The Rakvere Tatar cemetery

• The Rakvere German military cemetery

Sources: Rakvere old town cemetery (monument.ee).