Heritage authority approves covering of Soviet symbols at Mere Cultural Centre

The Soviet-era ceiling mural and Stalinist stucco décor in the hall of Mere Cultural Centre will be covered in the coming weeks, and the hammer-and-sickle emblem will be removed from above the stage. The centre's management explained that the ideologically charged space deters many visitors and potential tenants. The Heritage Board has approved the solution.

The ceiling mural in the hall of Mere Cultural Centre, which depicts warships and symbolism glorifying Soviet military power when viewed from below, will be covered over in the coming weeks. The Heritage Board has agreed to the solution.

Drop ceiling solves the ideology problem

According to building manager Kert Talistu, the least paint-damaging method will be used: "The simplest version was to install a drop ceiling here, which comes down a few centimetres from the ceiling and doesn't damage the painting in any way whatsoever, because no fastening points attach to the painting itself. It creates exactly the impression of simply being an ordinary white ceiling."

In addition to the ceiling mural, the pentagrams in the first gallery and around the stage areas will also be covered. The hammer-and-sickle emblem will be removed from above the stage and placed in a museum being established at Mere Cultural Centre.

Artistically valuable, but ideologically difficult to bear

Architectural historian Oliver Orro noted that the author of the ceiling mural is unknown, but it was based on approaches known in religious art, such as ceiling murals in Baroque-era Jesuit churches, which also used the upward perspective. "Back then in religious art, it was meant to convey how a person strives towards eternal values... here that religious transcendence is replaced by an ideal of a socialist or later even communist society," Orro explained.

According to Orro, the building's creators were artists and architects with an academic background from St Petersburg, who mastered design language at a high level, which is why covering the symbolism gives him mixed feelings. "This building was designed very thoughtfully at the time, artistically at a very high level, but of course also heavily ideologically," he said. According to Orro, the building was meant to present Soviet occupation as natural and represents Stalinism in its most terrible form.

Open to all visitors

Talistu emphasised that the changes are necessary to make the space more welcoming to all visitors, whether Estonian, Russian or ethnic minorities. "Today it has indeed encountered such a response that many people don't want to come, they feel a certain sense of fear and dread," he said.

The changes will not destroy the original painting or décor; these will be preserved under the drop ceiling and will become part of the cultural centre's museum exhibition in the future.