Tallinn's Forest Cemetery was established in Kloostrimetsa as a public cemetery in 1933. Its planning was based on natural forms, with grand structures avoided save for the final resting place of the family of President Konstantin Päts and the memorial to the victims of fascism. The only building in the cemetery is a slate chapel.

The first person to be buried in the cemetery was author Eduard Vilde on 30 December 1933. It has separate burial areas for writers, artists, actors, athletes and other public figures.