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| Tallinn City Tourist Office & Convention Bureau | SEPTEMBER 2006 |
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| Vabaduse väljak 7, 15199 Tallinn, Estonia • www.tourism.tallinn.ee | |
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News briefs Cultural heritage award for the Town Hall Totally new life of the Russian Theatre Glory of the Estonian design classics Year of Design now in full swing Estonian Air’s winter schedule Sixth tourism workshop was held Overnight stays up in the first half of 2006 A big move for the TCTO&CB A special deal on Tallinn Cards! Tallinn Product Manual 2007 rolls off the presses |
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News briefsStarting on November 5, Scandinavian Airlines will double flights on the Stockholm–Tallinn route and fly 12 times a week. Two flights will be made on workdays, and one flight each on Saturdays and Sundays. For flight schedules and additional information: www.flysas.com. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tallinn is now home to a new Embassy of Portugal. Deputy Foreign Minister Manuel Lobo Antunes opened the embassy during an official visit to Estonia in September. The embassy is located in the Old Town at Kohtu 10. Contact information of the embassy is given on the website of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * At the beginning of August, Café Moskva’s restaurant and club, which received a new interior design, new sound and light equipment and new menus in the course of a makeover, reopened their doors. The club’s concept was also updated: during weekends, the entire second floor of the café will become an exclusive nightclub called Moskva After Dark. For more information: moskva@moskva.ee and phone +372 640 4694 (and www.moskva.ee). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Soul Heaven party series that was started in 2001 is now in Estonia. The parties with fresher, lighter, and healthier type of house-music take place on the first Friday of every month at the Club Privé. For the schedule of events and additional information: www.clubprive.ee. Cultural heritage award for the Town HallTallinn Town Hall received the Europa Nostra Medal – the European Union Cultural Heritage Award. The award was presented for the revival of Northern Europe’s only surviving Gothic-style town hall and for uncovering all the historical layers of the building as an outstanding symbol of the tradition of European municipal power. This time, 214 works applied for cultural heritage awards, the majority of them in the architectural landmark category. In the close competition in this category, the Tallinn Town Hall received the second prize. Overall, 34 laureates from 22 countries were honoured. The awards ceremony took place on June 27 in Madrid at the Real de El Pardo Palace. The Europa Nostra Medal was handed over to the Town Hall on September 15 in Tallinn. Europa Nostra is an association founded in 1963 that includes over 200 organisations dealing with the protection of cultural heritage. The association cooperates with European Union institutions, the Council of Europe, and UNESCO. Europa Nostra and the European Commission established the European Cultural Heritage Award in 2002. The prize is awarded for the preservation of architectural and archaeological landmarks, cultural landscapes and art collections, but also for researches on preservation of cultural values and for activities related to heritage preservation by individuals or organisations. Additional information about Tallinn Town Hall and the award: Totally new life of the Russian TheatreAugust marked the completion of renovation of the Russian Theatre which had undergone a major interior and exterior overhaul lasting 18 months. The updated Russian Theatre is more sumptuous and radiant than ever before. The theatre’s actors can again enjoy performing on their home stage, and excellent new working conditions. Every corner of the theatre was renovated ahead of the August 10 re-opening. According to the preliminary plans, the opening was to take place on International Theatre Day, March 27; however, the work took much longer than expected. The cost for the theatre’s construction and renovation work and the new stage equipment totalled 138 million kroons. The work at the theatre was very thorough, involving the entire building from the façade and roof to the backyard and cellars. The newer section of the building located behind the stage was demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. The new addition includes a 150-seat black box, rehearsal halls and actors’ rooms, studios for the preparation of scenery and costumes, and a spacious room for the use of guest directors, artists, and actors who come from abroad for longer periods. The old section of the theatre building and the furnishings are protected historical landmarks. Therefore, this section was not reconstructed but rather renovated. In the golden interior of the 630-seat theatre, the chandeliers, loges, and red velvet chairs underwent a thorough restoration. During the course of the restoration, many valuable fragments of history were found. For instance, in the Fireplace Hall, where the audience promenades during intermission, beautiful murals and ceiling paintings, and even a fake window overlooking a couple walking in a garden, appeared from under the coats of paint. The fireplace itself became entirely visible – a bar previously hid it. The latter now locates in the new section of the building. The large hall of the theatre also has cinema equipment. The building, which initially operated as a cinema, will soon have an opportunity to be used for its original purpose, because the theatre is one of the locales for this year’s Black Nights Film Festival. In the basement of the theatre a cosy 50-seat café-restaurant Art Imperia is located. Every Saturday at 9 pm, musicians or actors from the theatre perform on the restaurant’s stage. One can also have lunch at the Art Imperia, since it is open from noon to midnight. On the opening day, the first premiere of the season was performed – The King is Cold, a satiric drama by Estonian classic A. H. Tammsaare. In September, there were three premieres, and October and December will see another six new productions. In December, two performances for children will also be added to the programme. By the end of the year, the theatre’s programme will include 13 performances. Besides the two main stages, the theatre’s corridor is used as an incidental third stage, where productions by young directors are performed. To date, Gotcha, a drama by Barry Keefe, is the only work to be presented in this alternative space, known as the Garage. Naturally, the performances in the Russian Theatre are in Russian, and only few have Estonian translations. However, concerts and other events also take place there, for which there is no language barrier. In any case, it is worth making a visit to this impressive building. The older section of the theatre building was completed in 1926 by project of Latvian architect Fridrihs Skujins. Until 1944, the luxury cinema Gloria Palace occupied the house and thereafter, temporarily the Estonia Theatre, whose building was seriously damaged during the war. In 1948, the house was given to the Russian-language theatre that had just been established. A simple mathematical calculation shows that in 2008, Estonia’s only professional Russian-language theatre will be 60 years old. More information on the programme, tickets, and restaurant: Glory of the Estonian design classicsAhead of the Year of Design, the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design has updated its permanent exposition. The new display, entitled Patterns of Time 2, provides a review of Estonian professional applied art, and for the first time brings to light the development of design in a narrower sense. The previous permanent exposition was arranged chronologically and separated by specialties. However, this time the artwork presented is important from the standpoint of the history of Estonian applied art. Great attention is paid to the State Applied Art School, the Stalinist period, the arrival of art in industry, the preference for subjects related to nature, and the expression of national feelings. Through these topics, the newest events in Estonian design are expressed. The oldest part of the exposition dates back to the 1920s and 30s, since this period is considered the starting point for professional Estonian applied art. The increase in national self-awareness that took place during those decades was accompanied by the separation of this field of art from peasant culture and Baltic-German handicrafts, and the success of a rapidly developing "authentic" applied art at home and abroad. The museum’s collections were primarily assembled in the second half of the 20th century. The active and systematic collection of applied art started in the 1950s, and for a long time, the focus was mostly on unique works. In 2000, a design collection was started to also preserve samples of product design. The new permanent display comprises of 14,000 items that are more or less unique. The comprehensive review of the classics of Estonian applied art and design will remain open for three years. The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm. Thematic catalogues and postcards, along with a small selection of the works of Estonian applied artists and designers, are on sale in the museum shop. For more information: Year of Design now in full swingThe Year of Design, a bold, Estonia-wide project involving design-related exhibits, festivals, seminars and conferences, kicked off this August and will continue through August 2007. The extensive mission will see design events and competitions taking place throughout Estonia, as well as Estonian designers participating in events abroad. Organised by the Design Innovation Centre of the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design and the Estonian Association of Designers, the Year of Design aims to raise the public’s design awareness by calling attention to design as a process that influences people’s well being. The Year of Design’s widest-ranging event is a travelling exhibit entitled Design Comes to Visit, a collection of posters that provide a quick overview of what is taking place and has taken place in the world of Estonian design. The exhibit will stop in every one of Estonia’s counties on its tour, and will also be displayed in Tallinn’s shopping centres. Meanwhile, design aficionados in Tallinn should be on the lookout for bright yellow stickers on everyday objects – mailboxes, roadblocks, traffic signs, benches, etc – concentrated in certain, seemingly random, areas of the city. This is an undertaking called Design in Urban Space wherein specific areas of town are designated, then for two to three days thereafter, their fixtures are covered with the stickers. The goal of the project is to point out the fact that design is everywhere, and that just about everything we see in our city environments is design in one form or another. People with a deeper interest in design can pick up a copy of The Design Map, a guide to public spaces in Tallinn such as galleries, museums, hotels, restaurants, cafés, shops and salons that have designs worth seeing. In compiling the map, emphasis has been placed on modern spaces or those with recently completed interiors. The Design Map is available at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design and the Tallinn Tourist Information Centre. Some of the exhibits and foreign events have already finished, but more is yet to come. Information on the Year of Design events can be found on Tallinn’s tourism website. There is also a copious pdf-format brochure (in Estonian and English) that introduces Estonian designers and all of the Year of Design events. Additional information from the main organiser: Estonian Air’s winter scheduleThe winter schedule of the Estonian national airline will take effect on October 29. In addition to the usual seasonal changes, Estonian Air will change its destination airport in Milan and reinstate the Dublin route on that date. On its Tallinn-Milan route, Estonian Air will begin to use the Malpensa Airport instead of Bergamo Airport as its Milan base. Milan’s Malpensa Airport has more possibilities for transfer flights, and the organisation of local transport is significantly more convenient. Every 30 minutes, the Malpensa Express (ticket 9 EUR) departs for Milan, which is located 48 km away. The flights from Tallinn to Milan are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 10:40 am. The flights to Tallinn will depart on the same days at 1:40 pm. The flight will last 3 hours. The one-way tickets before taxes will start at 1,250 EEK. In response to customer demand, the Tallinn–Dublin route will be reinstated. Flights to Dublin are scheduled for Thursdays and Sundays at 10:30 pm, and back to Tallinn on Mondays and Fridays at 12:35 am. The journey will last 3 hours. One-way tickets will start at 1,500 EEK (before taxes). The Dublin route is the only one without a business class. Generally, the winter schedule is geared toward working travellers. The weekend flights of the most active routes will be reduced and the emphasis will be on business travel. The schedules on the Frankfurt and Brussels routes will intensify, when flights will start 4 and 7 times a week respectively. The Stockholm flights will take place five times a day on workdays. The Paris, Dubrovnik and Simferopol routes will go on winter vacation. Estonian Air offers direct flights to 12 destinations throughout Europe during the winter, and 15 destinations in the summer. In 2005, 642,700 passengers flew on Estonian Air flights. During the first six months of the current year, 331,830 passengers have used the company’s services, which is 13% more than in the same period of 2005. Flight schedules and additional information: Sixth tourism workshop was heldOn September 11-14, the 6th International Workshop and Fam Trip Estonia. Positively Transforming was held. The workshop was organised by Estonian Tourist Board, Tallinn City Tourist Office & Convention Bureau, Estonian Association of Travel Agents and Estonian Air. In this year’s workshop, 24 travel agents from 10 foreign countries (Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, and Ukraine) participated. Nineteen travel and incentive companies and 12 accommodation establishments participated from Estonia. On September 11, the visitors had the possibility to participate in a pre-tour to the Estonian Open Air Museum or become familiar with Tallinn on their own with the help of the VIP Tallinn Card. On September 12, the city’s sights, hotels, as well as conference and catering establishments were introduced, and a reception offering taste experiences and entertainment was held in the Tallinn Town Hall. On September 13, the program continued with ETB, TCTO&CB and Estonian Air presentations at the Three Sisters Hotel. Thereafter, the participants gathered in the old headquarters of the Tallinn Airport, where Estonian travel agents and tourism organisations introduced their products and services. In the evening, a party with a national flavour was held at the Tugamanni Mill. The last day of the workshop was filled with a post-tour to Lahemaa National Park. The international tourism workshop has been organised in Tallinn since 2001. Starting in 2003, the main initiator has been the Estonian Tourist Board. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce Estonia as a new and developing tourism destination to foreign travel agents and to provide Estonian tourism companies with the opportunity to find new cooperation partners. Further information: Overnight stays up in the first half of 2006During the first six months of 2006 the number of overnight stays in Tallinn rose, benefiting from more Estonian overnighters and longer stays by tourists from neighbouring countries. From January to June 2006, 509,000 tourists spent a total of 927,000 nights in Tallinn’s accommodation establishments, which is 74,000, or 9%, more overnights than in the same period of 2005. The greatest portion of this increase came from Estonian residents, whose number of overnight stays in Tallinn’s accommodation establishments rose sharply. At the same time, the number of trips by foreign tourists during this period actually dropped, but since the average length of the trips was longer than previously, the overall number of nights they spent in Tallinn in fact increased by 8%. Counting total nights spent in Tallinn, the fastest percent increase during this period was seen in tourists from nearby countries, with overnight stays by Russian tourists making the sharpest increase, followed by those of Latvians and Lithuanians. Tallinn visits by Finns, who traditionally account for the largest number of visitors, decreased, as did the number of their overnight stays. Regarding the number of visits, as opposed to overnight stays, the share of those made by British, Russian, German and Swedish tourists saw the largest increases. Statistics also show that during this period, the greatest increase among foreign visitors to Tallinn has been in holiday travellers, while the number of business travellers has decreased. However, the number of conference tourists continues to increase steadily. As always, tourists prefer to visit Tallinn in the summer, although visits have also increased rapidly at the beginning of the year – January is no longer the month with the least visitors. Additional information: A big move for the TCTO&CBIn September, the Tallinn City Tourist Office & Convention Bureau moved to new offices on the 7th floor of the City Hall building, Vabaduse väljak 7. The move unites all staff who previously worked on the City Hall’s 5th floor, as well as those whose offices were on Mündi 2, finally putting the entire TCTO&CB under one roof. On September 20, the Vabaduse väljak 7 building took in Tallinn Card Project Manager Annika Prangli, Tallinn Card Specialist Piret Tuzova, Tourism Development and Hospitality Manager Leelo Ilbis, Tallinn Tourist Information Centre Manager Maia Mardo and Webmaster Ave Rand. Note that the change of address means these employees have new phone numbers. See our website for updated contacts. Naturally, the Tallinn Tourist Information Centre remains in the same convenient, Old Town location: Kullassepa 4 / Niguliste 2. Additional information: A special deal on Tallinn Cards!The Tallinn Tourist Information Centre is now offering a special bargain price for anyone buying two 24-hour Tallinn Cards. The deal means that visitors buying a pair of 24-hour Tallinn Cards from the Tourist Information Centre will pay just 500 EEK, as compared to the full price of 700 EEK. The special price is available only at the Tourist Information Centre and is valid only until December 31. The Tallinn Tourist Information Centre is located at Kullassepa 4 / Niguliste 2. Its opening hours can be found on Tallinn’s tourism web. Additional information: Tallinn Product Manual 2007 rolls off the pressesThis year’s Tallinn Product Manual, an annually-produced handbook aimed at tourism professionals, was published in September. The 2007 Manual covers exactly the same topics as the previous version, though it’s supplemented with up-to-date information, and the new edition includes a fresh list of the year’s major cultural events. Anyone interested can peruse the publication on our website. Copies of the manual can be ordered by e-mailing tourism.marketing@tallinnlv.ee. Additional information: |