“Have you found Linnahall the concrete monstrosity yet?”, Host asked.
Under normal circumstances I’m not sure “concrete monstrosity” would necessarily make it particularly high up my list of things to visit, but I guessed it was probably something old, chunky, and Soviet and therefore in need of exploration. And today was quite a lazy day, so I thought I should at least do something. When Host asked, the highlight of the day had been going to the supermarket and putting empty bottles and tins into the hungry recycling machine to collect the 0,10€ deposits. It asked us to “enter with bottom first.”
The concrete monstrosity (or perhaps brutalist wonder) is a 6000-square-metre multi-purpose venue on the harbour, first built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics to host the sailing events that landlocked Moscow could not. Originally called the V. I. Lenin Palace of Culture and Sport, it’s now called the Tallinna Linnahall (Tallinn City Hall) but has been all-but abandoned since 2010 when the 4,200-seat concert hall closed, one year after the indoor ice-rink.
It’s fallen into a state of disrepair.
To get there, I took a leisurely stroll through the old town and the Creative Hub — an old power plant — down to the seafront. Despite the interior of the building being closed, it’s possible to walk around it and over it, although actually walking over it was slightly tricky as the roof was covered in ice. The stairs are still covered in somewhat treacherous snow, but you can see where people have walked before you and made things easier.
The views from the roof of the old town and the sea are actually rather nice, and from the detritus lying around it’s also a good place for people to drink and set off fireworks. Today, children were enjoying skating around on the roof and couples were out for a stroll. It was quite cold. It’s difficult to convey the sheer size of the thing, as a lot of it is underground and it’s more spread out than it is tall.
Most recently, it featured in the film Tenet, as a double for the Kyiv National Opera.
Host also suggested, and I quote, that it was “a lovely day for the seaside!” The last time I went to the seaside was in Cap Ferret at the end of the summer, and that was a lovely day for the seaside. In fact, I was quite excited when I stumbled upon the sign at the ferryport (which in itself should’ve set off some kind of alarm bells) proudly welcoming me to the promenade.
“Welcome to the seaside,” it said.
The breeze was probably best-described as “bracing”, yet hardcore tallinlane were out walking their dogs and pushing their kids on the swings in the playground. I tried very hard to enjoy the seaside but decided I had had enough when I could no longer feel my ears.
All roads lead to Flabby Marge, and my walk back along Pikk to the Freedom Square was glorious as the light started to fade. I took a few minutes out for a pint of Guinness, and made it back to the appartment for left-overs and Ukrainian vodka.
After all the excitement of Linnahall, it transpires there is possibly a guided tour of the interior tomorrow. Host has been charged with seeing whether we’re too late.
