Estonian Cultural Heritage. Preservation and Conservation. 2005-2012. Tallinn Culture And Herit Arts
important domain of cultural heritage is the heritage conservation areas which include historical settlements, parts thereof and sites of cultural value which have developed under the joint influence of natural phenomena and human activities. Heritage conservation areas are designated on the proposal of the Minister of Culture by the Government of the Republic. Before designation as a heritage conservation area the National Heritage Board asks the opinion of the local government council concerning the draft statutes of a heritage conservation area and organises the public display of the draft statutes of a heritage conservation area in the local rural municipality or city council. It is also notified in advance on the National Heritage Board webpage and at least in one national daily newspaper and in a local newspaper. Estonia has 12 heritage conservation areas which are located in towns such as Haapsalu, Lihula, Kuressaare, Paide, Pärnu, Rakvere, Tallinn, Tartu, Valga, Viljandi and Võru. There is one very unique heritage conservation area located in North Estonia in Rebala where the historical settlement structure and ancient land use patterns are protected.
This short overview cannot cover all subjects related to the organisation of heritage conservation in Estonia and, therefore, topics such as underwater monuments, activity licences, findings of cultural value, their search and many others were not introduced here. The main objective of this brief introduction is to explain some of the most important terms that may come up when trying to get acquainted with the activities of the National Heritage Board.
Kalev Uustalu is the Director-General of the National Heritage Board
Ülo Puustak
The development of heritage protection in Estonia
In Estonia, heritage has been treasured for almost five and half centuries. The Papal Bulls, for example, issued by Pope Paul II in 1468 and Pope Sixtus IV in 1474 requiring the preservation of valuable articles in ecclesiastical buildings applied also in these parts of Europe. Documents concerning the application of these bulls could probably be found in the Vatican archives.
It is also a fact that in 1616 and 1627, Martin Aschaneus who later became the State Archivist of Sweden surveyed the tombstones and windows of the churches of Tallinn and Pärnu. One of the most advanced laws concerning heritage protection in early modern Europe, the decree signed by King Charles XI of Sweden on November 28, 1666, also applied in the territories of Estonia and Livonia. Other examples worth mentioning are the floor plans and elevations of medieval castles drawn on the basis of surveys carried out by Samuel Waxelbergh, the accurate maps of towns from the 1680s and the model of the fortifications of Tallinn completed in 1683.
Romanticism that gained ground in Europe in the 18th century also reached Estonia, Livonia and Latvia. Writings of many writers, clergymen and other public figures served as impetus for the local passion for Gothic Revival. Another priceless source of information are the works of the vice-principal and teacher at the Riga Imperial Lyceum, Johann Christoph Brotze, comprising ten volumes of drawings and descriptions of the towns, settlements, ancient strongholds, churches, manors, dwelling-houses, bridges, residents, clothing, tools, commodities, coins, coats-of-arms, etc. in Livonia (including Courland and South and Central Estonia). The Peter the Great House Museum in Kadriorg, Tallinn, is apparently the oldest museum in Estonia, the collections of which have been complemented since the end of the 18th century.
The first half of the 19th century saw the foundation of several scholarly organizations focused on studying Estonian history and culture, such as the Learned Estonian Society in 1838 in Tartu. What started out as a hobby gradually turned into academic work.
The first heritage protection laws in Russia were the imperial decrees of December 31, 1826 and December 14, 1827 prohibiting the unjustified demolition and reconstruction of old buildings. Unfortunately, the enforcement of these laws was insufficient as they lacked penal measures, resulting in the demolition of the Viru Gate (in 1843), Karja Gate (in 1849), Nunna Gate (in 1868), Harju Gate (in 1875) in the Tallinn town wall, etc.
The restoration of St Olaf’s Church in Tallinn after it was struck by lightning and destroyed in the resulting fire on June 16, 1820 is considered the beginning of systematic restoration activities in Estonia. The works lasted for 20 years and the church was re-consecrated on June 16, 1840. The stylistic restoration popular in Europe at the time also gained ground in Estonia. In the 1840s and 1850s, extensive renovation works were undertaken in several historic buildings, such as St Nicholas’ Church in Tallinn, St Mary’s Cathedral in Tallinn, the Cathedral of Haapsalu, Dominican Friary in Tallinn and Hermann Castle in Narva. In 1876, it was prohibited to erect buildings on the Tornide Square and the restoration of the town wall towers was commenced under the directions of Axel von Howen. At the beginning of the 20th century, conservation and restoration works were carried out in Rakvere and Narva Castles, St Mary’s Chapel in Viru-Nigula, Pirita Convent and Kuressaare Castle. The oldest archive in Estonia, Tallinn City Archives, was founded in 1883.
Until the 19th century, the restoration, conservation and protection of monuments as well as related research had been carried out by local Baltic-Germans, such as Wilhelm Neumann, Eugen von Nottbeck, Friedrich Amelung and Reinhold Guleke to name a few. It took considerable time for Estonians to accept as their own medieval or later works of architecture which were created in their homeland by non-Estonians. The situation was quite the opposite, however, regarding archaeology. In the 1880s, the registration of archaeological sites initiated by an Estonian school teacher, Jaan Jung (1835−1900), evolved into a large-scale campaign, encouraged by the folklore recording campaign launched previously by Jakob Hurt. By 1896, local correspondents had reported 428 archaeological sites. Jaan Jung compiled his work in a book called "Muinasaja teadus eestlaste maalt".
In the 1920s, there were serious discussions concerning the “Estonianization” or redesigning of architectural heritage in Tallinn, for example the Toompea Hill and the town wall. In 1924, architect Karl Burman drew up a design for erecting a Pantheon of Independence in place of the present Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Toompea. Many of the monuments in Tallinn were in bad shape, such as the Toompea Castle and the stronghold, the Suur Rannavärav gate and Paks Margareeta tower had been destroyed in fire, the town wall had collapsed in many places, Kadriorg Palace had been plundered, etc.
On June 19, 1925, the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu, adopted the Heritage Conservation Act comprising 21 articles and stipulating, among other things, concepts like “restrictions on ownership” and archaeological “finds”, prohibiting the destruction of or damage to monuments, establishing the procedure for supervision over and registration of antiquities and founding the Council of the Preservation of Antiquities.
In 1931, the Ministry of Communications proposed making the Heritage Conservation Act stricter. On August 12, 1936, the Estonian Prime Minister in duties of the State Elder, Konstantin Päts, declared by decree the new Heritage Conservation Act, now comprising 35 articles. The act stipulated the creation of network of trustees, specified restrictions, etc. In 1936, there were 1,327 pre-historic monuments, 380 historical buildings and 841 movable artworks under heritage protection. Between 1936 and 1939, the network of trustees was formed and by 1939 there were 362 trustees.
During World War II, numerous monuments were destroyed. The old town of Narva was practically bombed to the ground; seven per cent of the old town of Tallinn as well as the city centres of Tartu, Rakvere, Viljandi and Valga were destroyed. In 1944, the Heritage Protection Department was formed within the Administration on Architectural Affairs under the Council of Ministers, charged with the task of protecting architectural monuments. In 1947, the first post-war regulation and a list of 256 architectural monuments were adopted.
In 1945, the Committee for Cultural-Educational Institutions was formed. Between 1945 and 1949, the Department of Museums and later, between 1949 and 1953, the Department of Museums and for the Protection of Archaeological and Historical Monuments were operating at the Committee, being charged with