Murders and deaths
· Kesklinn
New Market and the 1905 Massacre
On 16 October 1905 soldiers fired into a crowd at Uus Turg, turning an ordinary city space into a place of mourning.
Amid the upheaval of the 1905 Revolution, people gathered at the New Market and troops opened fire on them. Sources may give differing figures for the dead and wounded, but the central event is clear: violence by the authorities struck civilians in a public square. Uus Turg lay around present-day Estonia puiestee, an area reshaped by later building. The modern streetscape invites a question: how easily can the physical traces of such an event vanish while its date remains in the city’s memory?
Practical information
Address: Estonia puiestee
Walk on public routes around Estonia puiestee and watch traffic. Compare historical plans to locate the former market boundaries.