Park Tondi residential and business quarter

One of the most extensive construction projects in early 20th-century Tallinn was the Peter the Great Naval Fortress. Part of this large-scale endeavor was the Tondi military campus, covering nearly 44 hectares, along with its barracks, which began construction in 1910 on land expropriated from the Dunten Manor (the barracks themselves were established in 1914). In addition to the barracks, the campus includes a sauna and guardhouse, a clubhouse, a headquarters building, a stable, and more. The elongated, two-story barrack buildings with Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) decor feature symmetrical facades. The red-brick and limestone-detailed barracks have a rear wing intersecting the central part of the building. After Estonia gained independence, the campus was transferred to the Ministry of War, and from 1920, the War School was housed in the barracks. The Soviet army used the complex as a military base, where a tank regiment was stationed. The area was returned to the control of the Estonian Ministry of Defense in 1994, and redevelopment of the campus began in 2004. In total, there are 13 buildings under heritage protection. The complex also includes a monument dedicated to the cadets who were killed during the December 1, 1924, coup attempt.

Photo: Tõnu Tunnel

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