Tallinn, part X - Patarei Merekindlus (Soviet Sea fortress) (i)

I woke up in the morning and decided to go to the Patarei because I hadn't been, yet.

Rather detailed intro on the Patarei:

In 1828 Nicholas I of Russia mandated the building of the sea fortress of Patarei in Tallinn to protect the sailing route to St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian empire. It was completed in 1840. Over the years it has had different functions. In 1867 the complex functioned as military barracks and from 1919 until 2004 as a prison. Today it gives a glimpse of Soviet-era prison life in all its dreariness. Visitors can explore the hallways to see cells, work areas, medical rooms, execution rooms, exercise yards etc. Up to 2000 prisoners were normally detained in Patarei, but top of occupancy was reached with about 4600. Many people were murdered here in the Soviets period. In the execution room the KGB agents just shoot the condemned prisoners in the back of the head, when they knelt on the floor with the head against the wall. Many psychic experiments on the inmates of the prison were carried out in a special Psychic experiment room. In the subsequent period of the Republic of Estonia, parts of the fortress were used as the basis for constructing Estonia’s own coastal and sea defense. Since the restoration of independence, practically no parts of the fortress have been used for any military purposes, and they are waiting for a new civilian life. (source)

As for me, what did I find? I found that the Baltic sun shone brightly and the bay of Tallinn was resplendent in its early morning splendour. The sea was a wonderful shade of deep blue, and the morning sunshine glinted off the waves with little sparkling crystals of gold. It was quiet, save for the sound of the wind and the rippling waves of the sea. I was the only person within view, which was slightly unsettling. For all of the serene beauty of the Baltic shoreline, there was something eerie about the place. I paced slowly, and I was enamoured, but I could not shake the feeling of desolation and despair - an ominous sense that something heavy and dark lay just beneath the surface.

More to come.

Imagine being locked up, and having to gaze upon this sea each day, every day, this sea that perpetrates the illusion of freedom when one couldn't be farther from the truth. I wonder how many inmates went crazy within these walls. I suppose we'll never know.