According to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Viljar Jaamu, the city government committed in last year's coalition agreement to remove occupation-era symbols from city-owned buildings.

"Tallinn is a European capital that reflects Estonian values, and our public space should also reflect that – we do not want to see foreign regime symbols in our urban environment," said Jammu. "There are currently two city-owned buildings that still feature Soviet symbols: the Nõmme District Government building at Valdeku 13 and the Russian Cultural Center at Mere puiestee 5. Discussions are still ongoing regarding options for removing the symbols from the latter."

The building, which is situated at Valdeku tänav 13 was initially completed in 1951 and used as a school. It underwent extensive renovation work in 2016, and since the fall of 2017 it has housed the Nõmme District Government and Nõmme Leisure Center.

As the building was identified during an architectural heritage survey as a valuable example of Soviet-era architecture, the decorative elements on the façade were initially preserved during the renovations.

 Nõmme District Elder Karmo Kuri emphasized that occupation-era symbols are not appropriate on a district government building. "It is important that future generations understand the impact of occupation. The location of the Valdeku 13 building is also symbolic – it is no coincidence that during the Soviet era, a Russian-language school was built next to a church and woodwork classes took place inside the church building," he added.

The decorative elements on the façade of the building will be removed in accordance with an action plan approved by the Heritage Protection Board.

According to the board's assessment, the symbols considered to represent Soviet occupation include the October Youth and Pioneer flags and the red star on the main façade pediment, as well as red stars at the ends of the building's courtyard-facing wings.

The pediment element will be removed entirely, while only the red stars will be removed from the courtyard side.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!