Located on Kadriorg's beach, 'Russalka' is one of the classics of Estonian art, carved up by one of Estonia's best-loved sculptors, Amandus Adamason. Named after the armored ship Russalka, this monument, erected in 1902, pays tribute to the tragedy that befell the crew of that accursed vessel when it set off from Tallinn in 1893 for nearby Helsinki. As you can guess, it never reached that destination, and 177 seamen went to their watery graves at the very spot where the Russalka angel points in their honor (right out there between those two waves, next to the diving seagull). What odious seabeast or vengeful god took those brave men from their fair-faced wives and ladies-in-wait, you ask? Inclimate weather!
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