Along the Milky Way

Historical background

14 June 1941 and 25 March 1949 are among the most tragic days in the history of the Estonian people. In June 1941, representatives of the repressive organs of Soviet power violently removed more than 10,000 people from their homes.

The March deportation of 1949 was the largest act of terror carried out by the communist regime of the Soviet Union against the Estonian civilian population. Over the course of four days, more than 20,700 people were placed under armed guard and loaded onto trains to be sent to Siberia; hundreds more were deported later, and hundreds of children were born in exile.

Taking into account those for whom preparations for deportation had been made but who could not be seized, the number of victims exceeds 30,000. Together with all their relatives—whose lives were also irreversibly changed—the deportations affected a significant part of Estonia’s population.
Deportation as a tool for destroying a nation continues to be used in several parts of the world today.

In memory of all those who suffered, works by Veljo Tormis, Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kõrvits, Robert Jürjendal, and Pärt Uusberg will be performed on 25 March at 18:00 in St John’s Church (Jaani kirik) in Tallinn by the soloists of the Estonian Sinfonietta.

Admission is free.