Raine Karp / Riina Altmäe: Linnahall, 1976C–1980
- Tallinn, Estonia, Show on map
- #SPO #Eastern Europe
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Linnahall is a soviet megastructure which was built as Palace of Culture and Sports for the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980. It is a symmetrical, almost windowless building showing a distinctive material combination of concrete and limestone. It was intended to be a connection between the seaside and the town, which is why it had to be a low building to not obstruct the view of the historic town from the sea. With its many square meters of walkable rooftops and terraces and ample stairs it is reminiscent of South American native architecture though the architect Karp liked to compare it to Japanese metabolism during that time. (Text based on The Heritage. The Linnahall Concert Hall and the Post-Socialist Tallinn by Andres Kurg, 2018)
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Currently closed. The Linnahall was used as concert hall and sports center. Inside it held i.a. an ice rink and an amphitheatre shaped auditorium. Already in the 1990s it was in need of renovation and since the 2000s the town of Tallinn tried to sell it unsuccessfully. The Linnahall was finally closed in 2009 (ice rink) and 2010 (concert hall). It has been decaying ever since. Negotiations between the city of Tallinn and companies that wanted to revive the building as a conference and concert center did not result in any concrete plans for a long time.
On November 2, 2023, the City of Tallinn announced plans for the redevelopment of the Linnahall area, in which the demolition of the building was not ruled out. In exemplary visualizations, Linnahall was no longer visible as such. A public architectural competition for the project and a possible new development was still to be announced. The following day, the heritage protection authority (Muinsuskaitseamet), which had not been involved in the development of the new vision for the Linnahall area, came forward in complete surprise. Linnahall has been a listed cultural monument since 1999. In order to approve the demolition of the building, the preservation order would first have to be lifted. However, as the structural condition of the Linnahall is still satisfactory despite the leaking roof and dilapidated exterior details, there would be no basis for lifting the preservation order.
It remains to be seen how the case will proceed (last updated on November 11, 2024).
