The virtual Soviet Tallinn tour

Clicking through the photographs, I pause on one called View from Viru Hill. It’s a great vantage point overlooking the lively street, possibly noon time, a flood of pedestrians strolling on the right hand side, a black Volga entering the cross road. This is Tallinn in 1975.

H. Gustavson, Tallinn, 1975

Listening to Tomas Alexandersson, the author of the Tallinn Collector website, I am taken away by his passion for the capital of Estonia. He describes the era after the Cold War until 1991, when Estonia gained its independence, the time when Tallinn was very much alive. For someone who hasn’t gotten roots in Estonia he has successfully gathered a mesmerising collection of Tallinn under the Soviet regime.

From eclectic nightclubs to hotel bars, since 1980s onwards the scene is Tallinn was flourishing. What’s more, at the time, Estonia was known as the most western country of the Baltic States and avant-garde in the Republics of Soviet Union. Another photo of a bustling coffee shop portrays the design, fashion and colours characteristic to the Soviet era. Like back in the day, so is contemporary Tallinn, a mix of old and new architecture.

T. Tomberg, Photo Guide Tallinn, 1982 and H. Gustavson, Tallinn, 1975

Despite the recreational pictures in the tourist guidebooks, life under Soviet occupation formed our (grand)parents’ opinion of Russia when living under false identities. While the author admires the photographs for its aesthetical aspect, for some of the viewers it embodies propaganda. Ultimately, I believe the aim of the collection is to provide insights into the Signing Revolution, demonstrations, the Baltic Chain, and invite viewers’ on a virtual city tour of Tallinn under the Soviet regime.

Intourist, 1976

What fascinates me the most are the photographs’ thought provoking captions. For instance, one with a bus passing the Victory Square titled On June 21, 1940, the working people of Tallinn staged a mass demonstration here to demand the election of new government and the restoration of Soviet power. And foremost, how pioneering Tallinn was at the time.

T. Tomberg, Photo Guide Tallinn, 1982

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