Читать книгу Estonian Cultural Heritage. Preservation and Conservation. 2005-2012 - Tallinn Culture And Herit Arts - Страница 6

In Estonia, heritage has been treasured for almost five and half centuries. The Papal Bulls, for example, issued by Pope Paul II in 1468 and Pope Sixtus IV in 1474 requiring the preservation of valuable articles in ecclesiastical buildings applied also in these parts of Europe. Documents concerning the application of these bulls could probably be found in the Vatican archives.

It is also a fact that in 1616 and 1627, Martin Aschaneus who later became the State Archivist of Sweden surveyed the tombstones and windows of the churches of Tallinn and Pärnu. One of the most advanced laws concerning heritage protection in early modern Europe, the decree signed by King Charles XI of Sweden on November 28, 1666, also applied in the territories of Estonia and Livonia. Other examples worth mentioning are the floor plans and elevations of medieval castles drawn on the basis of surveys carried out by Samuel Waxelbergh, the accurate maps of towns from the 1680s and the model of the fortifications of Tallinn completed in 1683.

Romanticism that gained ground in Europe in the 18^th century also reached Estonia, Livonia and Latvia. Writings of many writers, clergymen and other public figures served as impetus for the local passion for Gothic Revival. Another priceless source of information are the works of the vice-principal and teacher at the Riga Imperial Lyceum, Johann Christoph Brotze, comprising ten volumes of drawings and descriptions of the towns, settlements, ancient strongholds, churches, manors, dwelling-houses, bridges, residents, clothing, tools, commodities, coins, coats-of-arms, etc. in Livonia (including Courland and South and Central Estonia). The Peter the Great House Museum in Kadriorg, Tallinn, is apparently the oldest museum in Estonia, the collections of which have been complemented since the end of the 18^th century.

The first half of the 19^th century saw the foundation of several scholarly organizations focused on studying Estonian history and culture, such as the Learned Estonian Society in 1838 in Tartu. What started out as a hobby gradually turned into academic work.

The first heritage protection laws in Russia were the imperial decrees of December 31, 1826 and December 14, 1827 prohibiting the unjustified demolition and reconstruction of old buildings. Unfortunately, the enforcement of these laws was insufficient as they lacked penal measures, resulting in the demolition of the Viru Gate (in 1843), Karja Gate (in 1849), Nunna Gate (in 1868), Harju Gate (in 1875) in the Tallinn town wall, etc.

The restoration of St Olaf’s Church in Tallinn after it was struck by lightning and destroyed in the resulting fire on June 16, 1820 is considered the beginning of systematic restoration activities in Estonia. The works lasted for 20 years and the church was re-consecrated on June 16, 1840. The stylistic restoration popular in Europe at the time also gained ground in Estonia. In the 1840s and 1850s, extensive renovation works were undertaken in several historic buildings, such as St Nicholas’ Church in Tallinn, St Mary’s Cathedral in Tallinn, the Cathedral of Haapsalu, Dominican Friary in Tallinn and Hermann Castle in Narva. In 1876, it was prohibited to erect buildings on the Tornide Square and the restoration of the town wall towers was commenced under the directions of Axel von Howen. At the beginning of the 20^th century, conservation and restoration works were carried out in Rakvere and Narva Castles, St Mary’s Chapel in Viru-Nigula, Pirita Convent and Kuressaare Castle. The oldest archive in Estonia, Tallinn City Archives, was founded in 1883.

Until the 19^th century, the restoration, conservation and protection of monuments as well as related research had been carried out by local Baltic-Germans, such as Wilhelm Neumann, Eugen von Nottbeck, Friedrich Amelung and Reinhold Guleke to name a few. It took considerable time for Estonians to accept as their own medieval or later works of architecture which were created in their homeland by non-Estonians. The situation was quite the opposite, however, regarding archaeology. In the 1880s, the registration of archaeological sites initiated by an Estonian school teacher, Jaan Jung (1835−1900), evolved into a large-scale campaign, encouraged by the folklore recording campaign launched previously by Jakob Hurt. By 1896, local correspondents had reported 428 archaeological sites. Jaan Jung compiled his work in a book called "Muinasaja teadus eestlaste maalt".

In the 1920s, there were serious discussions concerning the “Estonianization” or redesigning of architectural heritage in Tallinn, for example the Toompea Hill and the town wall. In 1924, architect Karl Burman drew up a design for erecting a Pantheon of Independence in place of the present Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Toompea. Many of the monuments in Tallinn were in bad shape, such as the Toompea Castle and the stronghold, the Suur Rannavärav gate and Paks Margareeta tower had been destroyed in fire, the town wall had collapsed in many places, Kadriorg Palace had been plundered, etc.

On June 19, 1925, the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu, adopted the Heritage Conservation Act comprising 21 articles and stipulating, among other things, concepts like “restrictions on ownership” and archaeological “finds”, prohibiting the destruction of or damage to monuments, establishing the procedure for supervision over and registration of antiquities and founding the Council of the Preservation of Antiquities.

In 1931, the Ministry of Communications proposed making the Heritage Conservation Act stricter. On August 12, 1936, the Estonian Prime Minister in duties of the State Elder, Konstantin Päts, declared by decree the new Heritage Conservation Act, now comprising 35 articles. The act stipulated the creation of network of trustees, specified restrictions, etc. In 1936, there were 1,327 pre-historic monuments, 380 historical buildings and 841 movable artworks under heritage protection. Between 1936 and 1939, the network of trustees was formed and by 1939 there were 362 trustees.

During World War II, numerous monuments were destroyed. The old town of Narva was practically bombed to the ground; seven per cent of the old town of Tallinn as well as the city centres of Tartu, Rakvere, Viljandi and Valga were destroyed. In 1944, the Heritage Protection Department was formed within the Administration on Architectural Affairs under the Council of Ministers, charged with the task of protecting architectural monuments. In 1947, the first post-war regulation and a list of 256 architectural monuments were adopted.

In 1945, the Committee for Cultural-Educational Institutions was formed. Between 1945 and 1949, the Department of Museums and later, between 1949 and 1953, the Department of Museums and for the Protection of Archaeological and Historical Monuments were operating at the Committee, being charged with the task of governing the protection, conservation and use of archaeological and historical monuments. From 1953 to 1988, the state managed museums and organised the protection of three types of monuments – historical, archaeological and artistic monuments – through the Ministry of Culture. In 1976, in addition to inspectors and experts working with the ministry, the Scientific Methodological Board of Museums and Cultural Monuments was formed, the main task of which was to draw up a concise data system of the three main types of monuments.

On June 15, 1950, the Scientific Restoration Workshop (TRT) was founded being the first specialised entity focusing on research, the drawing up of restoration designs and conservation. The predecessor of the Tallinn Inspectorate for Protecting Architectural Monuments that later served as one of the founding institutions of the present Tallinn Culture and Heritage Department was also formed in the 1950s. On October 20, 1956, the new statute for the protection of cultural monuments was adopted. In 1957, the Estonian Open Air Museum was founded. On June 8, 1961, the Law on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments was adopted, being the first of its kind in the former Soviet Union. In 1964, the first comprehensive list of cultural monuments was approved, comprising 3,572 historical, archaeological, artistic and architectural monuments. In 1966, the Heritage Conservation Area of Tallinn Old Town was established along with the approval of its statute which, again, was the first of its kind in the former Soviet Union. Architect Rein Zobel and art historian Helmi Üprus drew up a project for the spatial regeneration of the Tallinn old town, the most valuable part of which was, and still is, the inventory of buildings. In 1968, TRT was reorganised into the National Restoration Board (VRV).

Lahemaa National Park, being the first in the former Soviet Union, was established in 1971, focusing not only on the preservation of nature and ecosystems but also on the protection of national heritage. In 1973, protection zones for the historic centres of Tartu, Pärnu, Paide, Viljandi, Rakvere, Võru, Kuressaare, Haapsalu and Lihula were established and their statutes approved by government regulation. New lists comprising 5,513 historical and cultural monuments were approved the same year. In 1976, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union adopted the Law on the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Monuments. A similar law in Estonia (almost an identical copy of the above mentioned) was adopted in 1977, providing also for documents as monuments. In 1978, Polish restoration companies started restoration and conservation activities in Estonia. On October 6, 1980, Tallinn was awarded the European Gold Medal for the preservation of its architectural heritage. Tallinn was the eighth European city to receive this award.

In 1984, it was decided to celebrate every year the Heritage Protection Month lasting from April 18 to May 18. On December 12, 1987, the Estonian Heritage Society was founded as a bottom-up initiative. In 1988, national conservation company “Eesti Restauraator” was formed. As from February 1989, the first regional inspectors were appointed to deal with matters of architectural monuments (for other monument types, inspectors and advisors had already been appointed to either county museums or regional executive committees and later to county governments). The same year saw the establishment of a number of small restoration enterprises that later became either private or public companies.

On January 1, 1990, the State Conservation Centre “Kanut” was established on the basis of the restoration departments of the Estonian Art Museum and Estonian Open Air Museum for conservation, restoration and scientific research on objects of cultural value (the centre actually existed as from December 1986 as a national restoration centre). Today, conservation of movable works of art and objects of cultural value is also carried out in the University of Tartu, Estonian National Museum, preservation department of the National Archives of Estonia, the Preservation and Conservation Department of the National Library of Estonia, the Department of Archaeology within the Institute of History of Tallinn University and companies with the necessary activity license.

The decree of 1666 signed by King Charles XI of Sweden

A view near Viljandi in 1800 by J. Chr. Brotze

Heritage Day procession in Tartu on April 15, 1988. Photo by Raivo Lass

Conservators-restorers of furniture, leather, paintings and murals are trained at Tartu Art College. Tallinn Construction School prepares restorers of furniture as well as wood and stone buildings, Järva County Vocational Training Centre and Viljandi Joint Vocational Secondary School train restorers of wood and stone buildings and Valga County Vocational Training Centre teaches log house construction. As from 2005, the Department of Native Handicraft of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy teaches Estonian native construction. We should be thankful to the Estonian Academy of Arts for organising, as from 1995, courses in restoration for architectural and construction specialists with higher education. Since 2001, the academy offers BA MA and PhD programmes in cultural heritage and conservation focusing on three main areas: architectural conservation, conservation of artworks and protection of cultural heritage.

On October 1, 1993, heritage conservation workers of different authorities (in the field of historical, archaeological and artistic monuments from the Ministry of Culture and Education and in the field of architectural monuments from the Ministry of the Environment) were brought together to form the National Heritage Board. Chief Inspector of Archaeological Monuments, Ants Kraut, compiled together with his assistants the draft Conservation Act that was approved by the Government of the Republic on December 21, 1993. The act was adopted by the Riigikogu on March 9, 1994 and it entered into force in April 1994. The National Registry of Cultural Heritage was also established in 1994.

Meanwhile, Tallinn Heritage Board (presently Tallinn Culture and Heritage Department) was formed by Tallinn City Government regulation on November 25, 1994 by merging the Tallinn Inspectorate for Protecting Architectural Monuments and Tallinn Inspectorate of Cultural Heritage. The Republic of Estonia also acceded to several international conventions on heritage protection.

In addition to the main activity i.e. state supervision, lists of monuments were reviewed over the course of several years and secondary legislation arising from law was drawn up and introduced.

Due to the austerity policy imposed by the state, the Heritage Board was reorganised into the Heritage Conservation Inspectorate on December 1, 1997. It was a populist approach as no fundamental changes followed, except that the same tasks had to be carried out with ten less workers. The task of “organising heritage protection work” provided for in the Conservation Act was dropped from the list of tasks, while in practice the work continued. In 1998, the first administrative agreement on handing over national responsibilities to local governments was concluded with the municipality of Haapsalu.

On March 5, 1998, the Union of Estonian Architects sent an open letter to the Minister of Culture presenting a proposal for improving heritage protection. These proposals served as an impetus for the events of the years to come. Amendment of the Conservation Act was launched and the draft act was presented to the Riigikogu in 2001. During the discussions at the Cultural Affairs Committee concerning the draft act, different ideas were proposed including the dissolution of the Heritage Conservation Inspectorate and handing over the responsibilities to three officials at the Ministry of Culture. On the other hand, the drafting committee proposed to reorganise the inspectorate again to a board with more power. In order to make its point, the Riigikogu was presented with the list of state responsibilities imposed by law, including international conventions ratified by the Republic of Estonia, especially the 1974 Paris Convention, requiring in article 5(b): “to set up within its territories, where such services do not exist, one or more services for the protection, conservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage with an appropriate staff and possessing the means to discharge their functions.” The entire process that at times seemed to take forever finally came to an end on December 20, 2001 with the re-establishment of the National Heritage Board.

On February 27, 2002, the Riigikogu adopted a new Conservation Act that, in essence, was the 1994 version with some changes. The act was amended on March 21, 2011 to include clauses concerning underwater heritage and the use of a search devices for searching monuments of cultural value.

The Republic of Estonia has acceded to several international, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations dealing with matters of heritage protection, such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICOM, ICCROM, DOCOMOMO, the Council of Europe, the European Commission (projects), EAC (archaeology), EAA (archaeologists) and ASCE (cemeteries). Every autumn, Estonia celebrates together with the rest of Europe the European Heritage Days. Tallinn Old Town was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and the Struve Geodetic Arc with three main station points in Estonia was included in the same list in 2005. The Kihnu Cultural Space (in 2003), Seto Culture (in 2009) and the Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations (in 2003) have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

In addition to the Estonian Heritage Society, several other organisations have been established aiming toprotect and oversee the use of monuments, including the Association of Estonian Manor Schools, the Estonian Manor Association, the non-profit organisation MTÜ Eesti Veskivaramu uniting people treasuring Estonian mills and the Estonian Heritage Protection Roundtable. Following the example of the centres for building maintenance in Sweden and with direct help from the Kingdom of Sweden, Information Centre for Sustainable Renovation (SRIK) was established.

The Government of the Republic has approved several state programmes for preserving various monuments. The development agenda of the National Heritage Board has been approved stemming from the notion that intangible and tangible heritage are inseparable and that there should be a move from the protection of individual monuments towards environmental protection. There is nothing new in this notion, however, as it was in 1966 that this approach was first adopted.

As of December 1, 2012 the number of monuments under protection amounted to 26,727, including 1,267 historical, 6,624 archaeological, 5,254 architectural, 13,516 artistic and 50 technological monuments and 12 conservation areas. The main issue posing problems is, and most likely will be in the nearest future, the lack of resources, including lack of human recourses. In addition to the administrative agreements with Haapsalu and Tallinn, similar agreements have been concluded with Tartu and Pärnu. Cooperation agreements with universities, other civil services, NGOs, etc. have also been concluded.

Ülo Puustak is the former Head of the Conservation Department of the National Heritage Board