Eesti Rada: oldest continuously published Estonian newspaper abroad turns 80
In the autumn of 1945, the newspaper Eesti Rada (Estonian Path) was first published at the Augsburg-Hochfeld refugee camp in Germany. Newspaper editor Karin Aanja looks back on its journey.
In the autumn of 1945, that is, 80 years ago, the newspaper Eesti Rada was first published in the Augsburg-Hochfeld refugee camp in Germany. Living through worse and better times and witnessing the end of other Estonian-language publications published in Germany, Eesti Rada (Estonian Path) continues to this day.
In the autumn of 1944, when tens of thousands of compatriots had been exiled as refugees by the events of the Second World War, and ‘as soon as they ensured some primitive means of existence for themselves, the need arose for the written word in their own language – first and foremost, their own newspaper – because their own newspaper for the dispersed refugees is like a lighthouse for a ship sailing on a foggy sea full of rocks.’ (‘Estonian newspaper in exile’ by A. Raag, ER, 28 September 1948)
On 29 September 1945, the first issue of Eesti Rada – now the oldest continuously published newspaper for the Estonian diaspora – was published in Augsburg, it was four pages long and 3,000 copies were printed. The newspaper was based in Augsburg because it was home to the largest Estonian camp at the time, and Augsburg was also known for its printing works. The publication of the paper ‘was a major event not only for the Estonian ethnic group in Augsburg, but also for the entire Estonian family in Germany, because it was an effective step forward in organising the communities.’ ( ‘For the Right of Our Truth’ by A. Raag, ER, 30 September 1947)
In 80 years, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, a lot has changed in the world and life, as well as in the readership and the information presented in the newspaper, but the essential has remained the same – Eesti Rada exists and provides Estonian-language information to Estonians living in Germany, acting as both a preserver of Estonian cultural identity and a bridge connecting Estonians across the large country that is Germany. The newspaper has another role – to be the archive of the Estonian Society in the Federal Republic of Germany (EÜSL, founded in 1952), an organisation that unites Estonians in Germany, because the authors of the paper aim to showcase the events of many sub-organisations that support the association.
To celebrate this substantial anniversary of Eesti Rada, we compiled a special issue on the history of Eesti Rada, which will reach all members of the EÜSL and, of course, the subscribers of Eesti Rada in late September. The early issues of Eesti Rada make for interesting reading, as they reflect not only the history of the newspaper, but also the history of Estonia and the whole world. News, overviews of everyday events, global politics as well as the politics of Estonia and Germany, longing for homeland, life in refugee camps, the pain of being a DP, screenings, local cultural and sports events – these are the topics featured in Eesti Rada in the early years.
The newspapers of the second half of the 1940s contained, among other things, pages upon pages of advertisements searching for family members, friends and relatives, as Estonians were scattered all over the country. As publications from different countries had subscribers and readers in many countries where Estonians found themselves, Estonian newspapers abroad functioned as a relatively reliable channel for exchanging messages at the time: traffic conditions were quite primitive and random, but postal service had already been organised.
While browsing old issues of Eesti Rada, I remembered several forgotten facts. For example, an English-language version of Eesti Rada was also published, with, among other things, overviews of why Estonians were in exile, the tradition of song festivals and the University of Tartu, and Estonia’s famous cultural and artistic figures, such as Eduard Wiiralt, the most outstanding master of Estonian printmaking in the first half of the 20th century, were introduced. ‘Many letters from readers show that these kinds of publications are welcome when introducing the country and the suffering people.’ (E. Jaska ‘On the Three Thresholds’, ER, 30 September 1946). The English-language newspaper was also necessary to explain to the US and Western authorities that ‘the aggression against Estonia and the other Baltic States and the annexation of these democracies was not only a single incident in the foreign policy of the Soviet Union, but a first concrete step towards achieving world dominance.’ (‘Three Years – Three Closures’ by A. Perandi, ER, 28 September 1948)
Included in the 16 January 1946 issue was Põhjamaa Tähistel, the first children’s supplement of Eesti Rada, which appeared irregularly, but it could be torn out from the rest of the newspaper and folded into a smaller one. The newspaper also published a sports supplement and thematic inserts on the arts alternated with those on science, technology, and healthcare every week.
The newspapers of the past and present act as a chronicle or a cross-section of the activities of German Estonians, reflecting their era. Although in the last century, a printed newspaper was almost the only way to obtain information in one’s mother tongue, in today’s information age, where everything seems to be available online, a physical newspaper is much more valuable than quickly browsing a headline and a lead on the internet. We are confident in this claim based on the positive feedback from our readers. Leafing through the 80-year-old archive of Eesti Rada instilled us with awe and a wish that Eesti Rada would not become history just yet, as has happened with many Estonian diaspora newspapers.
The following lines can be read on the front page of the first Eesti Rada, published on 29 September 1945: ‘There are many paths and roads. They run north and south, west and east. There are paths that are easy to walk, there are also difficult and arduous ones. They run straight, in a straight line, but are also full of curves. There are also many destinations where the paths lead. We, Estonians, here, on foreign soil, are still following our own path, our Estonian path!’ Now, 80 years later, Eesti Rada wishes the same: that the Estonian path is not overgrown and that, with the support and help of the readers, an Estonian-language newspaper would also be a part of it, because the first publication of Eesti Rada fulfilled the long-held desire of Estonians to read the news in their mother tongue, to remain a united ethnic group, to fight for a free Estonia.
Where are we today?
According to Statistics Estonia, on 1 January 2022, an estimated 7 000 Estonians live in Germany temporarily or permanently. This is a large number, but in the turmoil of the Second World War, 40,000 Estonians arrived in Germany. According to UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) data, at the end of October 1946 there were 31,241 Estonians in Germany, not including a few thousand Estonians who were outside UNRRA camps, nor military personnel.
Despite the fact that the circulation of the newspaper was significantly larger in the early years of its publication and later than it is now, reaching as many as thousands of readers, the newspaper has been in a precarious position throughout its 80-year history. A. Perand’s article ‘Three Years – Three Closures’ (ER, 28 September 1948) says that ‘during the first three years of his publication, Eesti Rada has been closed down because it has disparaged the great ‘Ally’, the Soviet Union.’ Perandi adds, ‘At this time, we are pleased that the Western authorities have now arrived at the political understanding of communism that Eesti Rada held from the very beginning.’
Time and again, in the long history of the newspaper, the risk of closure has been a relevant issue – be it because of censorship, withdrawal of funds, financial reform, price increases, lack of subscribers or lack of editor. So far, Eesti Rada has been able to survive – thanks, of course, to the help of all subscribers and donors, as well as the support of the EÜSL. In recent years, support for diaspora publications allocated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been of great help. Through this subsidy, we have received funding for the project of Eesti Raja Lasteleht (children’s issue, with Kairi Uibo-Müggenburg as editor), which was published in 2022 and 2023, as well as support for the publication of the main newspaper. We believe that in an ever-changing world, a printed newspaper is something that truly makes a mark.
Karin Aanja
BACKGROUND
Eesti Rada focuses on covering the activities of Estonians living in Germany, but also provides an overview of current events in Estonia. Since 1973, the newspaper has been published six times a year, in 8 pages and in A3 format, which became permanent in the autumn of 1997. Since the summer of 2006, the newspaper has been printed at the Bookmill printing house in Tartu.
We are celebrating the 80th anniversary of Eesti Rada with a party in Hamburg on 29 November, which is open to anyone who is or has been a subscriber to Eesti Rada and who has benefited from Eesti Rada over the years. The current and former contributors of Eesti Rada, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will speak at the event, with music by the group Kruuv, and an exhibition on the history of Eesti Rada etc.
