The Rusalka Monument

Memorial to the Russian Ship Rusalka (Mermaid/Angel) in Tallinn, Estonia
(photos by Shen Smith)

Following local tradition, wedding couples go to the Rusalka monument to lay a wreath or bouquet and say a prayer/ask for a blessing after the marriage ceremony. The monument is a memorial to the crew of a ship, Rusalka, which sank in the Gulf of Finland in 1893.

The angel/mermaid/rusalka at the top of the monument holds an Orthodox cross. The monument was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas and created by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson. It was completed in 1902.