A nonprofit organization named after Edgar Savisaar is urging individuals and businesses to donate funds for the erection of a memorial honoring the late former mayor of Tallinn and Center Party head. The memorial is planned to be installed near the former location of Edgar's Café on Harjumägi Hill in Tallinn. A full-page advertisement published this week in Õhtuleht announced that the memorial is expected to be completed by the end of May.

The advertisement refers to Savisaar as a towering figure in Estonian politics and one of the architects of the country's re-independence. The proposed unveiling date, May 31, coincides with what would have been Savisaar's 75th birthday.

The cost of the memorial is estimated at €29,000.

"According to the initial design, the bronze memorial will depict Edgar Savisaar leaning on the medieval Town Hall tower, a symbol of Tallinn, to express the deep gratitude of the city's residents for transforming Tallinn into an open, friendly and resident-oriented urban space. To finalize the artistic solution for the memorial, the nonprofit will launch a design competition," the advertisement stated.

"Edgar Savisaar was a dignified son of his people and deserves the same respect and remembrance as former mayor and peace negotiator Jaan Poska, whose memorial stands by the Swan Pond in Kadriorg," it added.

According to the commercial register, the board of Edgar Savisaar's nonprofit includes businessman Juri Saharov and Vitali Ladõnski. Among its members is Enno Tamm, who served as district elder of Põhja-Tallinn and Pirita during the early 2000s and later as head of Tallinn City Transport (TLT) in the following decade.

Saharov told ERR that he does not intend to collaborate with the city authorities.

"My plan is to erect the memorial in front of the Kõlakoja Café. I have a lease on that café for another ten years and I hope that in October's [local] elections, the Center Party will regain the mayoral seat — though not with [Mihhail] Kõlvart, as the party leadership is likely to change this May," Saharov stated.

He added that the statue will be cast by Estonia's best bronze sculptor. "And then, there will be a place on Harjumägi where it will stand forever," Saharov said.

The Tallinn City Government told ERR that they have no knowledge of plans for a Savisaar memorial and emphasized that erecting a statue independently is not permitted. The area in question is subject to strict heritage protection regulations.

"To our knowledge, the Urban Planning Department has not been approached about this matter. The city cannot form a position until we know more about the plans. We look forward to hearing their proposals," said Katrin Romanenkov, head of the department's development division.

The nonprofit's charter states that its mission is to preserve the memory of Edgar Savisaar and his contributions to the development of the Republic of Estonia as a democratic and independent state. To achieve this, the organization intends to organize various cultural events, including theater, art, music and film performances.

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