Subscribe to our newsletter
Stay updated year-round on Estonian Centre for Architecture’s tours and other activities here!
Address:Islandi väljak 1, Tallinn
Architects:1968, Mart Port, Uno Tölpus, Raine Karp, Olga Kontšajeva
Important information:
Please register only for the tours you are certain you can attend. Let’s respect the schedules and fellow participants.
A valid identification document is required for entry to the tour.
Estonian sign language tours are only in Estonian sign language. There is no simultaneous interpretation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia is located in the former Central Committee building of the Estonian Communist Party. It is situated in what is known as a cultural center, the planning of which began in 1945 following Stalinist urban planning principles. Originally, the location was planned for the main building of the Academy of Sciences. The Ministry building’s wing facing Iceland Square consists of an 11-story office block, with lower sections at the rear housing auxiliary rooms, a former cafeteria, and two conference halls. The façade is characterized by clear symmetrical division, with rows of horizontal windows balanced by a vertical wall along the central axis of the building. This solid wall helped create a visual backdrop for the Lenin statue that once stood in the middle of the promenade in front of the building. One of the most remarkable interior features is the hyperbolic paraboloid concrete ceiling of the large conference hall, which has a rhomboid-shaped floor plan. The current exterior finishing dates from a major renovation carried out in 2000.
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Meeting place:
15 minutes before the tour starts, meet at the guest entrance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the A. Lauteri Street side. Security check is required.
Tour route:
Guest entrance, lobby, “percent for art” installation, J. Poska Hall, 10th-floor panoramic view, and J. Tõnisson Hall
Maximum visitor count:15
Tour length:45-60 min
