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Soviet Tallinn

The first thing Tallinners did after regaining independence in August 1991 was to remove as many symbols of Soviet power as they could find, but a few humorously grotesque or sad reminders of that time are still with us.


Tallinn » Sightseeing » Soviet Tallinn

Architectural Elements

With the exception of the Officer’s House (see below), few visible sickles and hammers are left on Tallinn’s buildings. Read_on (No Comments)

House on Tartu mnt.

House on Tartu mnt.
Tallinn was never given the gift of one of those colossal, multi-tiered wedding cake buildings that were so praised during the Soviet 1950s (Riga and Warsaw were not so lucky). Read_on (No Comments)

KGB Headquarters

Look for the building with the bricked-up cellar windows. It was here that perceived enemies of the regime were interrogated and either shot or sent to Siberian work camps. Read_on (No Comments)

KGB Museum

KGB Museum
For years,  stories have been circulating about how one side of the first foreign owned and operated hotel in Tallinn during Soviet times was completely wired up so that the KGB could listen in on foreign and local guests' conversations. Read_on (1 Comment)

Linnahall

Built for the Olympics in 1980, this event centre and port is a perfect example of a much-criticised Soviet building practice - overuse of concrete. Read_on (No Comments)

Maarjamäe War Memorial

The pointed obelisk alongside the highway to Pirita Beach is part of the Maarjamäe War Memorial complex, a cement-filled park similar in its imposing style to other large complexes created in the USSR in the 1960s and 70s. Read_on (No Comments)

Naval Officers' Club

This imposing Stalin-era building on the edge of Old Town was built in 1952 as a recreational club for Soviet officers and is now home to the Russian Cultural Centre. Read_on (No Comments)

The Bronze Soldier (Aljosha)

Erected in 1947, this world-famous monument was originally located in front of the National Library and commemorated Soviet soldiers who died fighting in WWII, and from the point of view of locals, occupying Estonia. Read_on (No Comments)