Toome Hill monuments

Toome hill is sprinkled with memorials to the university’s best and brightest; most are clustered on the north side of the cathedral ruins. Starting from the cathedral, the first is Kristjan Jaak Peterson (1801 - 1822), a poet and philosopher. He carries a walking stick to remind us of his habit of travelling to the university from his home in Riga by foot. Next is national activist Willem Reiman (1861 - 1917). A bit further, near the edge of the hill is a relatively plain monument to Johann Karl Simon Morgenstern (1770 - 1852), a philologist who founded the university's library. The most prominent monument, surrounded by its own fence and garden patch, is to Karl Ernst von Baer (1792 - 1876). Probably the most famous of the university's minds, he founded modern embryology. Last but certainly not least, we find the newest monument, dedicated to Johan Skytte (1577 - 1645). Unveiled in 2007 by Queen Silvia of Sweden, this striking and modern monument honours the Swede responsible for bringing the university to Tartu.