Students mapping Estonia’s Soviet-era decorative art have uncovered an unlikely national emblem hanging behind a rural bar: a 1963 glassblower etching by graphic artist Olev Soans. This artwork is part of a months-long project commissioned by Estonia’s Board of Heritage and organized by the Estonian Academy of Arts and Tallinn University, aimed at providing the first-ever overview of the country’s communist-era murals, mosaics, frescoes, and stained glass.
Mapping Estonia’s Occupied Past and Artistic Heritage
The collaborative academic project sends students across the country to scour schools, former factories, abandoned collective farms, and old townhouses. Because many buildings housing these works have been demolished, researchers must comb through archives, check newspapers, and speak directly with locals.
Siiri-Liis Huttunen, a coordinator for the project, told AFP that the initiative addresses a difficult chapter of history. “It’s a part of history for us that the Soviet Union was here and occupied us,” Huttunen said. “Life didn’t stop, and the artists also worked and did their studies during that time, which is also a collective heritage of ours.” Estonia has sought to distance itself from the Soviet period since regaining independence in 1991, but project organizers note that many communist-era works were created by local artists who bore no personal fault for the 51-year occupation.
Did You Know? The newly highlighted glassblower etching was completed in 1963 by graphic artist Olev Soans and currently hangs behind a rural bar in Estonia.
Geopolitical Tensions and the Removal of Soviet Symbols
The documentation effort unfolds against a backdrop of heightened regional security concerns. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Tallinn has been a staunch ally of Kyiv amid fears that it may be Moscow’s next target. Estonia shares a 294-kilometre-border (183 miles) with Russia and has experienced numerous drone incursions into its territory and probes by Russian fighter jets into its airspace, prompting repeated NATO interventions.
Alongside its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia is actively removing symbols of Soviet domination, including military monuments and Red Army graves, from public spaces. Reesi Sild, a Cultural Heritage adviser at Estonia’s Ministry of Culture, told AFP that military artworks containing political symbols have been removed or covered “to ensure that the occupying regime is not glorified in today’s public space.” A government-coordinated working group has recommended that approximately 240 ideologically charged monuments be removed or altered.
Distinguishing Ideology From Artistic Expression
Not all Soviet-era creations fall under the government’s removal directives. The heritage mapping project explicitly excludes military artworks with political symbols, focusing instead on monumental-decorative pieces that require preservation assessments.
Hilkka Hiiop, rector of Estonia’s Academy of Arts, told AFP that compiling data allows the heritage board to determine “which are valuable enough to preserve, and which need urgent preservation.” However, drawing the line between art and ideology remains complex. Maria Leemet, a doctoral student and project coordinator on-site, told AFP that ubiquitous industrial motifs in socialist realist art reflect “the ideology behind everything” including “the five-year plans and work as a central theme.” Meanwhile, younger students exploring the works suggest subtle forms of defiance survived under censorship, with 23-year-old Tallinn University student Martin Danilas noting in front of the glassblower piece that the subject’s hat resembles a traditional Estonian folk hat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who commissioned the project to map Soviet-era art in Estonia?
The months-long project was commissioned by Estonia’s Board of Heritage and organized by the Estonian Academy of Arts and Tallinn University.
Are all Soviet-era monuments being preserved by this project?
No. The project explicitly excludes military artworks containing Soviet-era political symbols, and a separate government working group has recommended removing or altering roughly 240 ideologically charged monuments.
How are researchers finding destroyed or hidden artworks?
Students travel across the country visiting schools, former factories, abandoned collective farms, and townhouses, while also searching archives, reading old newspapers, and interviewing locals.
How do you think communities should decide which historical artworks to preserve versus which to remove?
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