This article covers thearchitecture of Estonia.
A distinguishing feature of early Estonian architecture are the many strongholds and hill-forts found throughout the country, for exampleVarbola andValjala strongholds. The more important of these, which could cover an area up to 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft) and were located at important crossroads, eventually developed into commercial hubs, likeTallinn,Tartu andOtepää.[1]
Christianity was brought to Estonia through thenorthern crusades, and brought about huge changes in the society, culture and architecture of Estonia. The influences came mainly from German-speaking areas andScandinavia. The new religion prompted the erection of churches throughout present-day Estonia, beginning in the 13th century. The first churches were probably wooden; of these none survive.[2] The earliest churches still surviving were strongly built and fortress-like;Valjala church onSaaremaa is one example. The master masons and sculptors who played a significant role in the early church architecture came mainly fromGotland.[2] Later, as Christianity became more firmly rooted, larger and more elaborate churches were built, especially in northern Estonia during the 15th century. The medieval churches in the old town of Tallinn, like theCathedral,St. Olaf's church (the tallest building in Europe in the 16th century[3]) or thechurch of the Holy Ghost, still testify to a highly developed Gothic style of architecture.[4] Outside of Tallinn, many churches were damaged during frequent wars, especially theLivonian War and theGreat Northern War, and negligence during theSoviet occupation caused much destruction among the churches of Estonia, thus few early churches survive unaltered to this day. In later years however intense restoration work has been carried out, and especially onSaaremaa and in northern Estonia there are still interesting examples of relatively well-preserved medieval churches.[2]
The crusaders also left their mark on the country by erecting a large number of castles as a means to gain military and administrative control over the country. Both large castle complexes, calledorder castles after theTeutonic and other crusading orders that erected them, andsmaller, local fortifications not intended for major military actions (known locally as 'vassal castles') were erected. Good examples of larger castles still extant includeHermann castle inNarva,Toompea castle in Tallinn andKuressaare castle on Saaremaa. Of smaller castles,Purtse castle,Kiiu tower andVao tower still exist today. Many of the castles erected during the Middle Ages were destroyed in later wars, and Estonia is abundant in castle ruins.[1]
The expansion and development of Estonian cities like Tallinn and Narva intoHanseatic cities during the Middle Ages also fuelled the development of civic architecture. Burgher's houses with gabled fronts, a large front hall with a fireplace and a smaller living room at the rear became popular; the style became known as 'Tallinn Gothic' and taken up by builders inFinland,Sweden andNovgorod. Other still existing medieval civic buildings testify to the importance of Tallinn as an important trading city;Tallinn Town Hall is today an important historical landmark, as is theRaeapteek (town hall pharmacy) and the buildings of the former guilds in Tallinn, i.e. theGreat Guild (1410), St. Olaf's Guild (1422) and the laterBrotherhood of Blackheads (c. 1597).[5] The extraordinarily well-preservedcity wall of Tallinn is also from this period. All in all, the old town of Tallinn is one of the world's best preserved medieval architectural ensembles, and is listed as one ofUNESCO'sWorld Heritage Sites since 1997.[6]
Baroque and Rococo architecture in Estonia is represented mostly by buildings erected by theRussian imperial administration and thelocal aristocracy.[5] The finest example still existing isKadriorg Palace, inPetrine Baroque style. BeforeWorld War II,Põltsamaa Castle was an unusually fine example ofRococo architecture in Estonia; the castle was destroyed during the war and only ruins remain.[7]
Ever since theNorthern crusades and the establishment of the German-speakingBaltic nobility as the landowning class, the countryside of Estonia had been characterised by themanorial system enforced by the upper classes. From the baroque and onwards, many manor houses survive and contribute to the architectural heritage of Estonia. The countryside of Estonia retains around 2000 historic manors, many in the baroque and rococo styles, e.g.Saue,Palmse orVääna manors, but also representing a range of styles fromNeo-Baroque andneo-Classicist toTudor.[8]
The center of preserved neo-Classicist architecture isTartu, theTown Hall and surrounding buildings from the 18th century. The main building of theUniversity of Tartu (1803–09) is an example ofHigh Classicism. Manor house architecture continue to dominate the countryside, with manors such asSaku,Kuremaa andSuure-Kõpu exemplifying the style. Some notable residences were also built in Tallinn, e.g.Stenbock House and the building on Kohtu street 8 (architectCarl Ludvig Engel, today housing the EstonianChancellor of Justice), both onToompea hill.
As in the rest of Europe, the late 19th century was a time of architectural experimentation of styles in Estonia. Different types ofhistoricism andeclecticism became common.Neo-Gothic became a popular style, not least among manor houses, as can be seen inAlatskivi orSangaste manors.[5]
At the end of the period,Art Nouveau influences reached Estonia. Major sources of inspiration came were partly the vibrant Art Nouveau scene inRiga and partly Finnishnational romanticism. Perhaps the most well-known architect who worked in Art Nouveau style in Estonia wasJacques Rosenbaum.[9]
TheAlexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn is an example ofRussian Revival style from the 19th century when Estonia was agovernorate of theRussian Empire.
Sillamäe city centre in its entirety is a noteworthy example ofStalinist architecture in Estonia.[10]
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