Not an Ordinary Day in Lasnamäe

Lasnamäe, Tallinn. Explorations I did during COVID.

Living in Estonia as an expat, I've always been interested in Estonia's Soviet heritage. Once you arrive you quickly perceive that the relationship between Estonia and Russia is a sensible topic. Russians represent about 20% of the total population and are the largest ethnic minority group. Time has been healing wounds though. However, the current geo political affairs don't help to ease the atmosphere. 

Anyway, this essay is not about politics or the relationships within Estonia. It's about Lasnamäe, the most populous district of Tallinn, Estonia's capital, with a population of about 115.000, majority of them Russian-speaking. Lasnamäe's housing is mostly represented by the so called Soviet apartment blocks or Khrushchyovka. 5–16 stories high panel blocks of flats, built between the 1970 and 1990's. 

As in many other Soviet environments, the construction of pre-fabricated concrete apartment blocks started in Lasnamäe in the early 70s, under the concept of microdistrict, but it wasn't until 1977 when it adopted a massive scale. This process lasted until the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991 and completely changed the environment in Lasnamäe. The initial planing estimated to house a range of 160.00 to 180.000 inhabitants.

After Estonian Independence there was little development and the district fell into a standstill. Despite certain stigma, the current situation is very different and Lasnamäe is experiencing a fast development thanks to public and private investment.

That notion of 'standstill' is precisely this what I tried to capture in this essay. Lasnamäe was always present, just a few minutes from my apartment. However, it wasn't until COVID that I decided to explore it deeply. Perhaps because I couldn't go anywhere else. Or because it was the right time. But I really enjoyed this exploration, as if I was traveling in time. I sometimes fantasize with the idea of these photos helping to document life in Lasnamäe. The district is quickly changing and these blocks will no longer exist one day.