I'm so happy that I decided to go to Tallinn for a second time so soon, because after the first time I felt there was 'unfinished business'. One of the things I did this time was to go pretty much from one end of the vast Lasnamäe suburb in eastern Tallinn to the other, in three different trips.
I'm hereby starting my photoraphic journey of the place. This time I uploaded on Facebook, but it should be a public link, accessible without a Facebook account.
As of the time of posting this I'm only at the beginning of the journey, yet to have found my way properly into the depths of the concrete jungle. I will keep adding more photos as I get them done, following the route I walked. Probably I can't remember/locate all the streets but I have added a map link where possible. Anyway, if interested, keep checking back to the link.
Lasnamäe is a Soviet suburb, whose building work started in the 70s. The plan was never quite finished, so there's a fair amount of unused land there. The suburb is 30 square kilometers/11.6 square miles in areal and has over 100 000 residents, most of them Russian, Ukrainian etc. The wide Laagna tee runs through the whole area, and with the several bridges crossing it and the concrete blocks spreading on both sides, it is kind of like a river. Also, like rivers, it helps with finding your way: if you just keep in mind where Laagna tee is, you won't get lost. The southern part of the area, around Peeterburi road, is industrial, the northern part residential. Lasnamäe is divided into several sub districts. The photographic journey begins in the oldest part, Sikupilli and Ülemiste (LINK) and ends up almost at the other end of Laagna tee in Mustakivi (LINK).
I didn't find Lasnamäe particularly ugly - well, there was the blazing sun - but I did find it a peculiar place, in the way the massive concrete blocks - nothing but concrete, only lately enlivened with repainted balconies etc - go on and on mile after mile after mile. Then there's the fact that the Soviet apartment blocks are very similar everywhere, with very slight variations. I could find several identical building types in Lasnamäe and the other two, much smaller contemporary suburbs that I also visited: Mustamäe and Väike-Õismäe. A commie blocks and techno music enthusiast in some skyscraper forum compared the former's relentless monotony to the latter's repetitiveness. I think that's a very apt comparison. It might feel horrific that people live in a place like Lasnamäe. But one has to remember that when the first apartment blocks rose here, many of the people who originally moved in for the first time in their lives had a home with all the modern amenities.
4 comments:
It reminds me, in type, of our second local university, which was built in the suburbs, with its faculty buildings all spread apart like concrete blocks. And then the funding stopped and they remained far apart, as per some strange California-inspired design. This might work if Toronto had LA wearther in winter, but it does not, and the wind and snow tunnels were always dreadful side effects of the flawed ideas.
Have a great July, my dear!
xx
AM
I can't say I find it appealing Maria. Your photos are great and the sky is a perfect setting for these straight concrete blocks, but I find the empty spaces between them unappealing - like a wasteland.
Nevertheless, living with a Koos as I do, I understand your fascination for places like this. You and he are two of a kind when it comes to soaking up the atmosphere of old communist areas. I just find them forbidding and depressing. The fact that it gave people a real home with conveniences makes up for a lot, though ;) And this is a architectural and historical record too. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to seeing more!
Anne-Marie, it sure seems like modern architecture has failures to share. I guess ideas and practice don't always meet.
Val, I think most people share your impression really. And I was just imagining what the place would feel like on a grey late autumn day. Myself, I feel fascinated by these places, because they are so alien and so different.
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