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The parliamentary Cultural Affairs Committee decided to recommend to the plenum that two regional projects should be declared cultural construction projects of national significance besides the two main favourites. This move brought the greatest public support to the committee’s decision.
The Riigikogu decided to list and finance cultural buildings of national importance for the first time since 1996 when the deputies favoured the National Art Museum, the National Museum and the Academy of Music and Theatre.
This time the Cultural Affairs Committee selected as a result of two years’ debates four projects: the Tartu cultural centre, the Narva Kreenholm culture block, the Arvo Pärt concert hall in Rakvere and the annex to the current building of the Estonia opera theatre in Tallinn.
Art historian Karin Paulus considers the committee’s decision predictable. “One could guess that the Tartu cultural centre and the Estonia Theatre annex would pass the test. Narva was also a strong competitor and the Rakvere concert hall had also made significant progress, having a clear architectural vision.”
The buildings were listed in the above ranking which determines the sequence of funding as the Cultural Endowment of Estonia can support two projects at a time.
Therefore the first allocation of funding will go to the Tartu Cultural Centre, which was the best prepared one, according to Heidy Purga (Reform), a member of the Cultural Affairs Committee. Helle-Moonika Helme, representative of EKRE and a member of the Estonia supervisory board, it is the most appropriate that the opera theatre annex will receive the support last, considering the media storm and the contradictory opinions. This would ensure a highly welcome cooling-off time for drafting an option acceptable to absolutely all interested parties. “The theatre, heritage protection, architecture experts and the general public.”
This is why Helme is not unduly worried by the position of the Tallinn city government, which at least presently totally opposes the annex project. “I talked to the chairman of the Estonia supervisory board (Ivari Ilja - PM) who said that only the coordination of the zoning plans would take at least five years. This is enough time for the city government to change and there could certainly be some great ideas Tallinn would not oppose that strongly. So let us not hasten,” Helme said, adding that the presently available information is insufficient for making such decisions.
Since the initial predictions claimed that the Cultural Affairs Committee will only choose two projects, the success of the Rakvere and Narva projects besides the main favourites Tartu and Tallinn was a pleasant surprise. “I like that some projects outside Tallinn and Tartu were selected. Narva and Rakvere are quite suitable in my opinion,” said the historian and heritage protection activist Riin Alatalu, who is more or less critical about the other two nominated projects.
“In case of the Tartu centre I am somewhat sad that it will cancel the opportunity to promote better use of the National Museum. As for Estonia, I am surprised that if this wording – to continue the construction of the annex rather than a completely new building – is correct, I believe that finding a new building for Estonia Theatre is more important that expanding the existing one,” Alatalu said, adding that the construction of the annex to the theatre is problematic since it would be located in the bastion zone. “It would obscure and smother the existing building.”
Alatalu likes all the other projects left off the list with one exception. “I am glad that the new ERSO building in the proposed location was omitted. It is located on the Skone Bastion and cannot be built there.”
Karin Paulus recommends asking instead creative artists what they would need most. “Is it a number of new and extensive shrines of culture or financial support, meaning money and income?” She admitted that the choice reveals the ruling parties’ intention to strengthen their positions for local election in Narva, Tallinn and Tartu. “Rakvere seems more like a handout for the rural regions”.
According to Aadu Must (Centre), the chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee, the committee’s dream throughout the whole discussion period was to prevent that only Tallinn and Tartu would lead. “Although I like both, especially Tartu;” Must said. He stressed that although seven projects were omitted from the list, this does not mean that they will be scrapped. Must met with Minister of Culture Anneli Ott (Centre) on Monday and discussed the investment opportunities of the other projects.
The reason why the committee could not announce all four projects at once was the committee’s need to be certain that financing would be sufficient for all four. “We did not want to list projects whose time would arrive somewhere in the future we would not see ourselves,” he said, assuring that regional policy considerations played an important role in the selection process. “We needed that there were other places besides Tallinn and Tartu with active cultural life. Besides, we had to consider a dozen other aspects. Starting from local co-financing, we especially emphasised the sustainability. The committee would fail if we allowed the construction of something which will later vegetate and never become full-blooded.”
Helme as well was happy with the regional diversity. “I have been saying all along that all these eleven projects which reached the final vote were worthy of nomination. But I am happy with these four. Regrettably nothing came to Western Estonia this time but I am quite happy that there will be more of Estonia in Narva.”
Ignar Fjuk, head expert of Tallinn strategic centre, said on a radio broadcast on Saturday that he does not support the idea of the Estonia Theatre annex.
“It will completely destroy the environment, all that space,” he said. According to Fjuk, the decision-makers should keep in mind that the present Estonia Theatre is a monument. “It is also located in the protection zone of the Old Town, which is subject to the rule, that all constructions there should harmonise with the surrounding buildings and practically all houses around it are cultural monuments as well,” he said
Fjuk pointed out that the area behind the theatre could not possibly accommodate a hall with 1,200 seats. “This would extent practically all the way to Pärnu Road; it should have 1000 seats and what is worst – the recently-completed café building should be demolished as well,” he said.