Between Memory and Modernity: The Role of Young Estonians in Shaping the Future of Linnahall

This thesis explores the role of young Estonians in shaping the future of Linnahall, an abandoned building in Tallinn, within a post-Soviet context. The main research focuses on how the perspectives of Estonian youth on national identity, historical memory, and urban heritage influence the potential redevelopment of Linnahall, given that this generation never lived during the post-Soviet occupation. The findings are drawn upon systematic research of related academic literature. Then, through critical discourse analysis of Estonian local media sources and semi-structured interviews with Tallinn youth, the study investigates generational shifts in perception towards post-Soviet abandoned architecture in Estonia, using Linnahall as a case study. The study aims to understand how memories, nostalgia, and national identity of young Estonians can impact the future of decaying Linnahall and which discourses influence their opinions and views on post-socialist abandoned architecture. The...Show moreThis thesis explores the role of young Estonians in shaping the future of Linnahall, an abandoned building in Tallinn, within a post-Soviet context. The main research focuses on how the perspectives of Estonian youth on national identity, historical memory, and urban heritage influence the potential redevelopment of Linnahall, given that this generation never lived during the post-Soviet occupation. The findings are drawn upon systematic research of related academic literature. Then, through critical discourse analysis of Estonian local media sources and semi-structured interviews with Tallinn youth, the study investigates generational shifts in perception towards post-Soviet abandoned architecture in Estonia, using Linnahall as a case study. The study aims to understand how memories, nostalgia, and national identity of young Estonians can impact the future of decaying Linnahall and which discourses influence their opinions and views on post-socialist abandoned architecture. The paper discovered that young Estonians appropriated Linnahall’s rooftop as a public space for hangouts to escape the rules and restrictions of other urban areas in the city. They did not have any intergenerational or nostalgic memories connected to the building or the Soviet times when it was built but rather valued Linnahall as a cultural building. Personal connection and reappropriation of the building, lack of emotional connection to Soviet occupation, and forming national identity were highlighted as the main influences in views on Linnahall’s future.Show less

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Between Memory and Modernity: The Role of Young Estonians in Shaping the Future of Linnahall