Russalka Memorial
Bronze angel atop a granite column, raised by public subscription for a drowned warship's crew.
This guide to the Russalka Memorial in Tallinn traces the Rusalka, an overbuilt, underpowered Russian imperial warship that sailed from this shore into a storm in September 1893 and drowned her entire crew of 177 men. It follows the inquiry into the officers who sent her out, and the public subscription, blessed by Tsar Nicholas II, that asked ordinary people across the empire to help pay for a memorial. You'll hear how much the crown quietly had to add to what the public raised, and meet sculptor Amandus Adamson, commissioned to design the bronze angel above you. Look up at her before you listen, still facing the Gulf of Finland.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.