Architecture of Estonia

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This article covers the architecture of Estonia.

History

Ancient Estonia

See also: Ancient Estonia
Ruins of Varbola Stronghold

A distinguishing feature of early Estonian architecture are the many strongholds and hill-forts found throughout the country, for example Varbola and Valjala strongholds. The more important of these, which could cover an area up to 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft) and were located at important crossroads, eventually developed into commercial hubs, like Tallinn, Tartu and Otepää.[1]

Gothic architecture

Tallinn old town, the city wall.
The architectural ensemble that makes out the medieval old town of Tallinn is on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Christianity was brought to Estonia through the

Soviet occupation caused much destruction among the churches of Estonia, thus few early churches survive unaltered to this day. In later years however intense restoration work has been carried out, and especially on Saaremaa and in northern Estonia there are still interesting examples of relatively well-preserved medieval churches.[2]

The crusaders also left their mark on the country by erecting a large number of castles as a means to gain military and administrative control over the country. Both large castle complexes, called

Teutonic and other crusading orders that erected them, and smaller, local fortifications not intended for major military actions (known locally as 'vassal castles') were erected. Good examples of larger castles still extant include Hermann castle in Narva, Toompea castle in Tallinn and Kuressaare castle on Saaremaa. Of smaller castles, Purtse castle, Kiiu tower and Vao tower still exist today. Many of the castles erected during the Middle Ages were destroyed in later wars, and Estonia is abundant in castle ruins.[1]

The expansion and development of Estonian cities like Tallinn and Narva into

Novgorod. Other still existing medieval civic buildings testify to the importance of Tallinn as an important trading city; Tallinn Town Hall is today an important historical landmark, as is the Raeapteek (town hall pharmacy) and the buildings of the former guilds in Tallinn, i.e. the Great Guild (1410), St. Olaf's Guild (1422) and the later Brotherhood of Blackheads (c. 1597).[5] The extraordinarily well-preserved city wall of Tallinn is also from this period. All in all, the old town of Tallinn is one of the world's best preserved medieval architectural ensembles, and is listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites since 1997.[6]

Baroque and Rococo

Baroque and Rococo architecture in Estonia is represented mostly by buildings erected by the

local aristocracy.[5] The finest example still existing is Kadriorg Palace, in Petrine Baroque style. Before World War II, Põltsamaa Castle was an unusually fine example of Rococo architecture in Estonia; the castle was destroyed during the war and only ruins remain.[7]

Tudor.[8]

Classicism

The center of preserved neo-Classicist architecture is Tartu, the Town Hall and surrounding buildings from the 18th century. The main building of the University of Tartu (1803–09) is an example of High Classicism. Manor house architecture continue to dominate the countryside, with manors such as Saku, Kuremaa and Suure-Kõpu exemplifying the style. Some notable residences were also built in Tallinn, e.g. Stenbock House and the building on Kohtu street 8 (architect Carl Ludvig Engel, today housing the Estonian Chancellor of Justice), both on Toompea hill.

Late-19th-century architecture

As in the rest of Europe, the late 19th century was a time of architectural experimentation of styles in Estonia. Different types of historicism and eclecticism became common. Neo-Gothic became a popular style, not least among manor houses, as can be seen in Alatskivi or Sangaste manors.[5]

At the end of the period, Art Nouveau influences reached Estonia. Major sources of inspiration came were partly the vibrant Art Nouveau scene in Riga and partly Finnish national romanticism. Perhaps the most well-known architect who worked in Art Nouveau style in Estonia was Jacques Rosenbaum.[9]

The

Russian Revival style from the 19th century when Estonia was a governorate of the Russian Empire
.

20th century

Sillamäe city centre in its entirety is a noteworthy example of Stalinist architecture in Estonia.[10]

Gallery

Contemporary architecture

  • Fahle building in Tallinn
    Fahle building in Tallinn
  • Jõgeva bus station
    Jõgeva bus station

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-8108-4904-6
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 9949-407-18-4
    .
  3. ^ A Hedonist's Guide to Tallinn By Laurence Shorter
  4. ISBN 0-8108-4904-6
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-8108-4904-6
    .
  6. ^ "Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn". UNESCO. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  7. ISBN 9949-407-18-4
    .
  8. ^ Culture And Customs of the Baltic States By Kevin O'Connor
  9. ISBN 978-9985-9828-7-7
    .
  10. ^ "What we consider our own". Estonica.org. Retrieved 10 February 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Architecture of Estonia.
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