Monument to the Battle of Orava Memorial site

Foto: Mart Mõniste
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 Orava küla, Võru vald, Estija, Võrumaa
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This monument was designed by artist Arkadio Laigo and fashioned by master builder S. Põvvat. It was unveiled in the village of Orava in what is now Võru municipality on 15 July 1934.

Initially the tablet on the monument was destroyed in 1941. The monument as a whole met the same fate on 31 August 1945. The tablet and stones were buried at the site of the monument itself.

The tablet and most of the stones were recovered on 18 March 1989. The restored monument was unveiled anew on 15 July that year. In addition to the fallen of the War of Independence, the monument also commemorates those killed in World War I and the victims of the Red Terror during the War of Independence. The monument comprises a round-tipped ‘pyramid’ made from fieldstones, crowned with a large cast-iron Cross of Liberty. Compared to its former location, the monument had to be moved approximately 15 metres and now stands next to the former town hall in Orava, surrounded by cedar trees.

Used sources and references:

Eesti sõjaajaloo teejuht, Tallinn 2010. Compiled by K. Luts