I finally broke into the interior grounds of the Tallinna Linnahall yesterday. I’ve been flirting with it for over a year. Saw an opening and I entered. This place is a ghostly symbol of Soviet times. Built in 1980 for the Moscow Olympics – they needed a suitable sailing ⛵️ regatta location – originally named V.I. Lenin Palace of Sports and Culture. It stands locked and boarded up and on its surface, tourists traipse to and fro gawking at the graffiti and getting a view of the Sea. The skating rink closed in 2009 and the concert hall closed in 2010. Amazing performers graced the concert hall within…Duran Duran, The Sugar Cubes, The Scorpions, ELO to name a few. Imagine a show in there! The city looked for investors from 2009-2015 to refurbish, renovate, and ultimately resurrect this iconic venue, but alas, to no avail. In June-July 2019, it actually served as the “Kyiv Opera House” for the movie, “Tenet.” So you know there’s a special hall in there somewhere. Which I have not gotten to yet, but yesterday was a major breakthrough getting to places the tourists can’t get to…the different sides and levels that had been out of reach for me until yesterday. Many more pics to come. For now, this place in the center of the city, just slowly decays in front of our eyes. We are witnessing a slow, beautiful death.
*Feel free to fact-check the historical info I provided. This is just the story I have conjured up through my various researching and frequent visits. I’m trying to know and understand it, rather than ‘visit’ it. ✌🏼
Goal: to get a guided tour of the inside. That’s not a thing, but I want it to be.
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Tallinn, Estonia 🇪🇪
28dec22
