Commieblocks in Estonia

[echo]

I know SSC since february this year and have posted many threads with many commieblocks, but it turns out that in a wrong forum (based on geographics). So I think that all who love endless and endless commieblocks areas (and even more commieblocks after the end!) should take a look at the commieblocks in our capital Tallinn (~400 000 people, http://www.tallinn.ee) and in the second largest city Tartu (~100 000 people, http://www.tartu.ee). Amazing that here aren't any threads from Estonia yet.

Here are the explicit links.

Lasnamäe, Tallinn's largest commieblock area, middle in age (1975-1990). Fantastic!
1: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=331056
2: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=360833
3: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=384103
4: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=405487 (updated 20.03.08)

Mustamäe, the oldest and the first, and hence the best planned commieblock area (1962-1975), where I live; 9 microdistricts. Looks better for living than Lasnamäe, but Lasnamäe is more impressive. I am really really happy and thankful to God that I can live in such a great area like Mustamäe!! Four different commieblocks, of which two of them are 15-storey are nicely visible from my windows!
1: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=327670 (updated 15.08.08)
2: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=411532

Väike-Õismäe, the newest commieblock area (around 1978-1990 I think, but not before Lasnamäe), right beside the Mustamäe. It's actually a huge circle if you look at it on the air, I'll post some day that picture. It has the longest commieblock in Tallinn with 20 entrances, I hope you understand, what I mean (I don't know the right word, usually commieblocks have 2, 4, 6 or 8 entrances-doors).
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=348594 (updated 06.10.07)

Astangu, a little district between Mustamäe and Väike-Õismäe, perhaps actually a part of Väike-Õismäe. Once russian soldiers lived here (and built the buildings?).
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=396106

Haabneeme, in Viimsi peninsula. Older commieblocks and newer buildings.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=426197

Paldiski - little town 50 km from Tallinn, almost full of commieblocks.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=524008 (updated 06.10.07)

Other commieblocks and modern blocks from Tallinn. The next 6 are not dedicated to commieblocks, but in every one of them there are commieblock pictures which are single or just different views of those four mentioned before.
1: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=350109 (with outstanding views in Mustamäe!)
2: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=360848 (commieblocks in Keldrimäe area)
3: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=365765 (many views from Lasnamäe and some from Mustamäe)
4: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=368907 (Pelgurand, Väike-Õismäe, Mustamäe)
5: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=384259 (Kristiine, Mustamäe)
6: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=401777 (Nõmme, Mustamäe, Männiku way, ...) (updated 11.03.2010)

Tartu has a two-district commieblock area called Annelinn ("Annetown"), which is mostly seen in the first thread.
1: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=341894 (updated 15.09.07)
2: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=314643

Below in this thread are also pics from Tallinn area called Pelguranna, from Southern Estonian cities Võru and Põlva, from Northern Estonian towns Jäneda and Kohila.

[Blok]

good work echo Estonian commies are quite impressive!
Too bad most of them is not renovated yet

Sadly we dont have red-brick commies in poland
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5512/p22628764iu.jpg
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/5112/p22629344wa.jpg

I'm so jelous...

I liked Mustamäe and Väike-Õismäe the most

[Marek.kvackaj]

hmm what about to post Here few pics...people are lazy to open LInk!

[echo]

OK, Marek, I made a phototour in ... my books. I made many photos of my Tallinn pictorial books which were released in soviet times and which I have bought during many years. Some pictures show the construction of those commieblock areas in progress. Pictures are in chronological order, copyrighted to publishing houses "Valgus", "Eesti Raamat", "Perioodika" and Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus.

Väike-Õismäe
On or before 1983 (construction in progress).




As you can see the little pond in the center didn't exist yet.


On or before 1985.


On or before 1987. One of the best views of Väike-Õismäe.







Lasnamäe
On 1961. This is closer to the midtown, that's why so early.


On or before 1985; construction in progress. Actually there wasn't mentioned where this is taken from, but balconies look like in Lasnamäe. But there's a railway on front so it might also be Väike-Õismäe.


Nearly finished...






On or before 1987.



Mustamäe
On or before 1965.






As you can compare with the next picture, that empty area is already filled 7 years later!


On or before 1972.




This is right near the Lehola trolley station. Very nice view of V microdistrict. ABC-shops nicely visible, at the moment Maxima market is in those.


On or before 1973.


This is a building I still don't know where it is actually (in VI microdistrict).


On or before 1976.


On cross of Mustamäe way and Vilde way. Now there are much taller trees.






On or before 1983. As you can see in the meantime three red beauties appeared! The rightmost one is visible from my window, just 100 m away from me when I am writing this text :-) Two on the left are nearer in the next picture.


On or before 1987.


This is a perfect view of Sõpruse ("Friendship") avenue!





Pelguranna
This is a commieblock area I haven't made a special phototour in yet. Because it's too near to Kopli, perhaps. But I will make it one day.

On or before 1965.


On or before 1985. A really nice picture. That highrise in the center is not that nice anymore... I have some pictures of it in some of my Tallinn threads. The lower left 9-storey building --- my friend lives there and I have visited him a lot.


This is just a perfect example (from 1965) of the perfectly nice style of drafts used in 60's and 70's. I have many such drafts in some books.


This is a draft of the Talinn Service-house (1973), where at the moment is Hotel Tallink in A. Laikmaa street, next to Viru Center.


As I can see in 1973 thay planned another building in the corner of Mustamäe way and Tammsaare way, but today there's only one. Sad. Actually good that even that one is there.

[Marek.kvackaj]

nice im hope a lot of forumers will see them..:-)

[Blok]

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5...e198701cd7.jpg
Väike-Õismäe is even more impessive from that perspective what a planning!
Their don't build like that anymore

[renco]

Originally Posted by Blok

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5...e198701cd7.jpg
Väike-Õismäe is even more impessive from that perspective what a planning!
Their don't build like that anymore

I agree

[Rivkin]

Echo, do you remember this building ? I've seen some shots of it done by you at the time it was not renewed( didn't find'em from your treads anyway, it would be great if you'd put the former look pic next to these shots). It is one of the best in Tartu IMHO and now almost renewed(balconies are unfinished) Pics done in 26th of november this year.

[echo]

If this is the one in Ropka street then I actually have one picture, which I will include in the next Tartu thread in another forum.



Perhaps I was blind or something that I didn't picture it before!

[echo]

I put here pictures of a certain commieblock addressed Sõpruse avenue 182, which is partly a school (http://www.tthk.ee/) and partly guesthouse (Pääsu külalistemaja) where I have been one night in May 6, 2005! That was really a night... in a really sovietish formerly students living room. It is located right in the edge of Mustamäe, in the border of Mustamäe and Kristiine. Views from windows remind me Wolfenstein 3D game in late 90's empy Other pictures are done in April 9, 2006, after a church (thay gather in that house, in a large room!). I like that building. You may cut your hair there.

These pictures remind me that really sovietish communist feeling of many buildings here in Estonia. But that feeling goes away after euro-renovation inside...

06.05.05:











09.04.06:

[echo]

Now I'll add more pictures of Estonian commieblocks. Me and Jarmo took a special phototour in that area today on 31.03.2007. I planned such tour long time ago. I was there for the first time today and we discovered nice places and nice buildings! The weather has been nice for all of the previous week and also today. I put on my headphones, start listening a hard techno radio broadcast and... let's go!







These cut trees remind me the Estonian supercool syrrealistic film named "Vernanda", which is the best film I know.




Sad but I don't understand what that text says. Whatever, but this is a very stoopid habit to scratch some message to nicely renovated walls!














OK, now these beautiful Randla street buildings appear. Like copys of Tartu's student's living houses in Narva mnt. And here are two of them - also in Tartu!




Renovation in progress.


Before renovation - the building next to the one in previous picture.




That white building far away looks really cool! Also Jarmo liked that a lot!








Pretty strange one in Randla street...


That's beautiful again in Randla street! This and those twins before are also visible in my book-photo-thread above in Pelguranna section.












Most of the buildings of this type are four-floorers, but rarely I see five-floorers like this today.






Reaching beautiful Puhangu street.
















Now that place reminds me Väike-Õismäe. Very nice place!












Near Sõle street.




Jarmo made more pictures of these buildings because he liked them more. But... area filled with such stalinistic buildings looks almost... awsome! I didn't make pictures of them though because thay look too depressive to me. Perhaps another day I'll do. This area looks like a first "commiedistrict" in Tallinn, then Pelguranna (another part) appeared and then Mustamäe, Lasnamäe, Väike-Õismäe, Keldrimäe.


Some views from the beach.


Väike-Õismäe towers!


Moving forward to the Pelguranna highrises!




These are very nice buildings so I made many photos of them.






















Leaving that area we saw new buildings. I liked them a lot but Jarmo didn't.

[xAKxRUSx]

Those ones with the pine trees look great.

[skylinearth]

What a strange picture!

[/IMG]

[echo]

Hah, strange picture!
Today I visited this Väike-Õismäe - I met a friend there. I went there with a bus with which I have never before have gone to Väike-Õismäe. And... it went a little wrong way! So I had to come out of bus in it's end station and wait for some other. But that bus-stop where I came out - that had an astonishing beautiful view! Sunset somewhere behind the tall buildings, lake in the edge of the district, nice view along the street, sun-golden windows in some of the buildings, spring, evening, blue sky, tall commieblocks here and there, many lower commieblocks... That was so enjoyable! I thought I'd make photo, but... I didn't. I wanted to enjoy the moment and keep it in my mind rather than in a photograph. It was just perfect... And I am happy I live in a city where I can have such moments in many places and different times! These moments are really adorable...

[Slartibartfas]

Is this Väike-Õismäe more than a sleeping town?

Anyways, for a commieblock quarter its actually very nice.

[echo]

Hmm, what do you mean with "more"? Yes, people call Mustamäe, Lasnamäe and Väike-Õismäe "sleeping districts" ("magala" in Estonian, perhaps "sleepery" would be some similar word), but for me thay are like specially designed new different worlds, worlds to discover more and more and enjoy them

[Slartibartfas]

Originally Posted by echo

Hmm, what do you mean with "more"? Yes, people call Mustamäe, Lasnamäe and Väike-Õismäe "sleeping districts" ("magala" in Estonian, perhaps "sleepery" would be some similar word), but for me thay are like specially designed new different worlds, worlds to discover more and more and enjoy them

Well, "more" means, living is not sleeping and communiting to work alone. There are plenty of things a mixed urban area serves more than just a room to sleep.

A good indicator if something is a sleeping town and nothing else is, that its spooky during the day with this empty look like it would have been abandoned. Also a lack on equivalent places to do shopping or to go out, or of all the other urban services that exist is an indicator.

I personally dont like sleeping towns, they are a misconcept that does not only reduce the quality of life of its inhabitants but are also creating extrem amounts of totally unnecessary traffic as people have to leave the "sleeping town" for nearly everything they want to do.

The good thing with sleeping towns is however, that one can upgrade them to real city quarters, but taking care of developing more services normal quarters take for granted.

[Rebasepoiss]

^I'd say that ATM these are not more than sleeping towns. Of course there are a couple of supermarkets around but when people want to spend their free time somewhere else(outdoors, in cinemas, in theatres etc.)they still have to leave the district.

[echo]

Now I will add some commieblock pictures from Southern Estonian city called Võru. I visited my grandmother in Valga county and then went to visit my mother in Põlva county. Võru county is in between them and when I arrived to Võru in the morning, I noticed that the weather is just awesome and... I have a very good chance to take a commietour in Võru! That happened in 11.10.2007. Six pics below are from 05.2006 when I was there with my bike and was going through Võru again (to algebra seminary). 100 pics total.

First type of blocks right behind the bus station.






















Now second type of blocks in the same area.














It should be tha same area.


Now we enter another area of commieblocks on the other edge of the city.














And now across the street where the commieblock area is even bigger!








































Really goodlooking blocks!
































And leaving that nice area...






Now to the higher commieblocks near the Tamula lake and in the middle of the city! There are just... three of higher blocks?














In next two pictures is one of the most beautiful commieblock in Võru.










Now some older blocks (chrushtshevkas) from tha same area and other areas.












Two identically painted ones.










But this one is much better. See how simply a grey brick-built chrushtshevka can be made beautiful!


And this one (in next three pics) near the center of the city is really awesome! The best one like that I've ever seen!






And in the end some other buildings from soviet times.












Really beautiful hotel! I hope it will not be renovated outside for some time...

[Rebasepoiss]

Really sad pictures. Government should at least partly fund renovation of commieblocks.