What would be a trip to Tallinn without buying some beer and hiking on top of the Linnahall, the monstrous, abandoned concert palace and ice rink located near the harbor in Tallinn?
Well, nothing. I told my colleague, that I’d take her to a place she would really enjoy, bought a few beers and headed towards the destination.
It was rainy again, and so the building was even darker than during my previous visit. It was also probably dirtier and more worn, as it had been abandoned for five more years, double the time it had been the previous time I saw it.
The same steel net still blocks the entrance to the ice rink. The stairs have started growing all kinds of weed.
But it was just a magic feeling, when we climbed the stairs while some ship in the harbor was playing Happy Birthday To You with its horn.
And there we were, on the top and opened our beers.
Just a half a year prior to our visit new plans had emerged. The cruise giant Tallink bought a share from the building and along with the city they started planning its reuse. It was supposed to be renovated into a conference centre, and a new port for Tallink ships was to be built next to it.
In 2021 it still looked good with the EU commission giving a green light for funding the project, but it was put on hold in the spring of 2022. It remains on hold and the building deteriorates further.
For a more comprehensive gallery from the Linnahall in 2015, click here.