Ene Ergma and Aare Märtson are honorary citizens of Tartu

On 22 January, Tartu city council awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Tartu to Professor emerita Ene Ergma and Professor Aare Märtson, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Tartu Institute of Clinical Medicine.

Ene Ergma is a Professor emerita at the University of Tartu and a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. She is a member of numerous international scientific organisations; for example, she serves on the advisory council of the European Space Policy Institute and the Estonian Space Council and has played a key role in Estonia’s accession to the European Space Agency. Ene Ergma has been awarded the University of Tartu Grand Medal and the Johan Skytte medal. She has worked as the head of the University of Tartu Institute of Theoretical Physics and the Department of Physics and was the longest-serving speaker of the Riigikogu after Estonia regained its independence. She is also a long-standing member of Tartu City Council and its former vice-chairman.

Professor Aare Märtson, Professor in Orthopaedics at the University of Tartu Institute of Clinical Medicine, is a leading specialist in orthopaedic surgery in Estonia, whose long and dedicated work has significantly influenced the development of orthopaedics both in Estonia and internationally. From 1996 to 2022, he was the head of the Traumatology and Orthopaedics Clinic at Tartu University Hospital. The hospital has repeatedly recognised Märtson as the doctor most appreciated by patients. He has been awarded the Order of the Estonian Red Cross, class II, and the University of Tartu Medal.

The title of the honorary citizen was also awarded to Andres Põhjala. The recipients of the Star of Tartu honorary decoration are Sirje Madisson, Ott Ojaveer, and Miguel Angel Arata Rosenthal. The title of Honorary Citizen of Tartu and the Star of Tartu are awarded for significant merits to the city of Tartu. The titles and decorations will be presented on 22 February at a ceremony dedicated to the 108th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia at the Estonian National Museum.