Estonia : a history in architecture
Date
1985
Authors
Wieland, Helene Malvet
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Abstract
This thesis examines the history of Estonia through its architecture. Since 1219, except for a brief twenty-year period, Estonians have been ruled by a succession of foreign powers; it is they who have left their mark on the country by the buildings they chose to erect. By considering a limited number of structures as representative of approximately eight hundred years of written history, this paper focuses on an analysis of the function of architecture in Estonia, not only from a utilitarian and aesthetic perspective but also in terms of what could best be defined as "social function."
Thirteen buildings (or classes of buildings) were chosen for detailed examination in order to represent successive ruling powers and their important institutions. Each structure is discussed in terms of architectural style and purpose within its social, cultural and political context . Although an attempt was made to cover all principal areas of t he country, i.e., major towns, the countryside and the islands, the main consideration was to choose examples that are significant by their function to the historical development of the land as a whole.
Architecture in Estonia, as everywhere else, is "politics in three dimensions"; dominant institutions throughout Estonia's history, as throughout all history, have used architecture as a means of persuasion and an expression of conviction, sometimes deliberately and consciously, sometimes subliminally. This has been done through choice of building to be constructed, selection of site, and determination of architectural style. Through an examination of these factors within the proper context, one must conclude that architecture in Estonia was consistently employed to impress upon the people the will, the interests, and the belief of those in power.