Tallinn. Maarjamäe castle: Communist heirtage

We continue exploring Tallinn.

Now you know that the Old City is not the only spot worth a visit. Pirita district offers an opportunity to visit the ruins of a Bridgettine monastery - if you come daytime, or an unusual concert hall if you come in the evening.

Another spot worth a visit is  Maarjamäe loss - Maarjamäe castle, also often called Orlov Castle as it was a summer residence of Count Anatoli Orlov-Davydov.

Before the Count bought it the hill it successively bore several names. At the end of XVI century a battle between the troops of Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Brotherhood of Blackheads took place here. So the hill was called Battle Hill - Lahingumägi in Estonian or Strietberg in German (as most nobles were of German decent). 

Then a sugar factory was built here and so it was called Suhkrumägi - Sugar Hill. As the factory was using Brazilian sugar cane and English coal by 1837 the enterprise was not anymore profitable so it was converted into all times profitable business - distillery - in 1860.

Despite the the industrial presence, the hill by the seaside saw continued use as a recreational area so no wonder in 1873 Count Orlov acquired it and gave it its present name:  Marienberg or Maarjamäe, likely in honour of the countess or daughter (both were Marias). 

A medieval castle with an octagonal tower was built. It also had a monumental gate eagles (the name Orlov derives from eagle)...

Eagle at the gate

...fountain adorned by a lion...

...and an attractive stair leading to the sea. Nowadays one can only imagine how impressive it was as after Pirita tee - Pirita Road - was built stairs lead to the bus stop and the road.

Gradually a manor-style park grew around it. The park comprised not only stables, servant's quarters and other auxiliary buildings but even countess' painting hut. Orlov-Davydov definitely had taste for a beautiful life.

Beautiful life ended with Russian Revolution: in 1920s Orlov-Davydov emigrated to France and the buildings were leased out as a vacation site. Then the building housed Dutch Consulate, a restaurant with pretentious name 'Riviera Palais' and finally since 1937 - a flight school. After Estonia was annexed by Soviet Russia, the castle was converted into shared apartments building (Soviet invention - an apartment where several families live sharing bathroom, toilet and kitchen).

Since 1975, the buildings house the Estonian History Museum covering the period from the beginning of the 19th century. The permanent exhibition contains replicas of interiors: merchant, peasant, worker at Krenholm factory and even the office of the first president of Estonia and a hut where lived metsavennad - forest brothers, partisans who waged a guerrilla war against Soviet rule.

Another reminder of Soviet times is in the museum backyard: monuments of the Soviet epoch are laying here without any specific order.

One can find here the sculptures of Estonian war heroes (those who fought on the Russian side, of course), Communist party leaders and of course Lenin & Stalin themselves.

Lenin

Wintertime the famous communist leader looks sometimes like orthodox Jew...

...and sometimes like a punk...

...but his famous "kind and wise eyes" can now be looked at a closer distance.

Stalin - whose name made people tremble - is now harmless and is treated more like scrap metal. 

After Estonia along with other Soviet Republics broke free from the Soviet Union and gained its independence, it was unclear what to do with Soviet heritage: monuments, street names, national holidays... Each of the newly formed countries solved this problem in its own way. Some - like Belarus - kept most of it, but Baltic countries were probably the most radical in attempt to establish their national identity and separate themselves from the Communist past. So various Soviet statues were taken down and dumped in different places 

Yet each of the Baltic counties treated them differently. Most started with a very commercial approach and sold them. There were plenty Western businessmen who considered it funny having bronze Lenin standing in their backyard. Some were exhibited in a funny manner: for  the statue of Lenin that stood in Pärnu lost its head during the fight for independence and nevertheless stood this way in front of New Art Museum for 12 years. Artists made various head replacement projects with plastic heads and orange bulbs among others. Or In Kuressaare - the capital of Saaremaa island that used to be called Kingisepp in the honor of an Estonian communist Victor Kingisepp - they plan to re-exhibit his statue. Only laying on the side partly dug in the ground.


As to other monuments that did not find eccentric buyers - they are still here, in the museum backyard:

Ironically, some of them ended up not better than their statues and were ground by the Soviet regime...

The most practical approach, however, is demonstrated by Lithuanians. An entrepreneur was granted the possession of the statues and started Grūtas Park, unofficially known as Stalin's World. The park imitates a Soviet concentration camp with wooden paths, watch towers and barbed wire. It is also possible to eat typical foods from a park café or buy Soviet-themed souvenirs from the gift shop.


A very rational approach to the history, don't you think?





Soon - Kadrioru park and palace, beautiful Northern Estonia and of course, Estonian islands of Muhu & Saaremaa.


If anyone is going to visit Estonia - be it for one day onboard a cruise ship or for a longer stay - feel free to ask any questions!