Tallinn - Rotermann and Russians, Tallinn, Estonia

As I had already explored the old town of Tallinn, capital of Estonia I was delighted when Katrin, our city guide, offered to show us a different area of Tallinn. The Rotermann Quarter was established by the Rotermann dynasty during the nineteenth century. It flourished during the early twentieth century under the leadership of Christian Barthold Rotermann. The Rotermann Quarter was home to flour and bread factories, a timber plant, roofing paperboard mill, lumber mill, wool factory, raw linen processing plant, porcelain and decorative glass workshop, weaving workshop, refrigeration house, a department store and the Rosen & Co Tallinn Vodka Factory. This industrial island, separated from the old town by a main road leading to the port is now receiving a face-lift as old industrial buildings are being turned into modern buildings that now house apartments, offices, shops and cafés. A good example of this transformation is the addition of three glass towers to a carpenters’ workshop by Koko architects.

During the Russian occupation this area had been largely neglected and several buildings, abandoned by their original owners were dismantled. However, in 1979 the Russians did allow this decaying area to be used as the set for Andrei Tarkovsky’s world famous movie, Stalker. In 2001 the National Heritage Board designated the area as being historically valuable and the old industrial buildings found their new function. By then the salt storage building, built in 1908, and one of the most distinctive Estonian limestone buildings had already been reconstructed. Since 1996 this building has housed the Museum of Estonian Architecture. This museum has a permanent exhibition presenting an over-view of Estonian architecture and also features temporary exhibitions. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).