FREEDOM SQUARE

Facts

Grandest public space in Tallin.

There is a monument to the War of Independence (unveiled on Victory Day (23 June) in 2009).

On the north side of Freedom Square there is a small open space with a fountain and a bust of Alexander Pushkin.

Branching out from this square are six streets: Rustaveli Avenue, Pushkin Street, Leselidze Street, Shalva Dadiani Street, Galaktion Street, and Leonidze Street.

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Different names

The square was originally named after Ivan Paskevich.

At different times the area carried different names: Hay Market,

Peter's Square,

Victory Square.

History

Freedom Square was the site of the 1907 Tiflis bank robbery.

People come here to demonstrate or celebrate:- demonstration for Georgia's independence (from the Soviet Union).- the Rose Revolution,- the U.S. President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili talked to a crowd of around 100,000 people in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Someone tried to assassinate Bush by throwing a live grenade at him.