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Estonia aavo Kokk Andres eilart

2012 Editor: Vilve Torn Designer: Helen Kokk Translator: Peeter Ristsoo Proofreader: Penelope Piip Maps: Regio, © Regio 2012, www.regio.ee/kaardid Publisher: Hea Lugu Printer: Tallinna Raamatutrükikoda www.maastikumaal.ee Reproductions © EAÜ 2012 © Aavo Kokk and Andres Eilart ISBN 978-9949-489-19-0

An Estonian City and an Estonian Artist Andres: Does Barcelona sound like an Estonian city?

Aavo: I enjoy going there, and there are always Estonians there. But, is it an Estonian city? All of Europe is full of half-Estonian towns like that.

tures that Estonians have experienced all over the world. What amazing tales can be told through art! It can pass on news, distribute ideas, present questions, and also offer answers.

Andres: %HVLGHV ZH PDQDJHG WR ¿QG VRPH WRS rate artists whom local art historians and critics, perhaps, haven’t even heard of. An incredible QXPEHURIVXUSULVLQJ¿QGV

Andres: Quite right. But Estonia went to the Barcelona Olympics, in 1992, after many years, as an independent nation again. And Erika Salumäe, right away, brought home a Gold Medal! Do you Aavo: ,Q RXU ¿UVW ERRN ‡%UXVKVWURNH (VWRQLD· remember how we all shook our heads, along with we put onto a map the landscape paintings, creatWKH2O\PSLFFKDPSLRQZKHQWKHDJZDVUDLVHG ed in Estonia, with the result being a cultural tour onto the mast upside down? guide. Compared to that one, there has been a lot of fuss with putting this book together. We were Aavo: Yeah, a Barcelona like that is a noteworthy DZDUH WKDW VRPH FLW\ GH¿QLWHO\ KDV WR EH LQ WKH city for Estonia. So let’s include it! But what do ERRNEXWWKHQWU\LQJWR¿QGDQDSSURSULDWHZRUN you think about Chicago? of art was hard.

Andres: A city of slaughterhouses, and Al CaAndres: There was quite a bit of sleuthing inpone’s town… But what about Estonians? volved, even with smaller domestic Estonian Aavo: There’s a very active Estonian community WRZQV:HWRRNDGLI¿FXOWWDVNXSRQRXUVHOYHV– there - an Estonian House, and an Estonian street. to show, with artists’ help, in addition to cities Besides, Chicago is as noteworthy as Barcelona. It abroad, all of present-day Estonia’s cities. I was was in the university there that the economic ideYHU\VXUSULVHGWR¿QGRXWKRZUDUHO\(VWRQLDQDUWRORJ\ZDVZRUNHGRXWWRLWV¿QHVWGHJUHHZKLFK ists have actually visited some small towns. But has helped to establish us as Europe’s fastestnature doesn’t tolerate a vacuum. Every town has growing economy. its own craftsmen, and quite a few of them are in this book.

Andres: Impressive! And one reason for publishing this book is to broaden people’s minds. There Aavo: And we rediscovered some interesting are many communities of exiled Estonians all works of art and talented artists. Our sincerest over the world – in Canada, Sweden, Australia thanks also goes to those dozens of people who and Germany – that need to be brought forth. And aided us in our endeavours.

LWVIXQWRSXWDORQJVLGHWKHPZKDWZRXOGDW¿UVW Andres: Plus, there are quite a few works of art seem to be unexpected choices. Marrakech, for inhere, dealing with Estonian cities, which were VWDQFHZKLFKKDVDYHU\GH¿QLWHFRQQHFWLRQZLWK made especially for this book. Completely new the history of Estonian culture. Or even how much material that may become famous works of the money Estonians have made in far-off Caracas! future, and will be admired through time, are in Aavo: Yes, Estonians have managed to live evhere. erywhere. And fortunately, there have been artAavo: Thus we accumulated 150 cities and towns, ists who have painted pictures of these cities. Art 159 artists, and lots of Estonian stories! gives a completely new nuance to the adven2

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Abja-Paluoja, Viljandi County

The road to the right leads to the Central Estonian town of Viljandi, and, straight ahead, lies the centre of Abja-Paluoja. We are standing, with the artist, on the old railway embankment. This is where the trains ran, from 1897 to 1973, that connected Mõisaküla and Viljandi, and made Abja-Paluoja into a city. Although it was not granted city status until 1993.

Abja-Paluoja, in Viljandi County, might be an even bigger town if the plan for building a railway line to Valga, on the Latvian border, had been carried out. The problem was that there had been a rail connection between Pärnu, the resort and harbour town on the west coast, and Valga, but, it passed WKURXJK/DWYLD$QGGXULQJWKH¿UVWSHULRGRILQGHSHQGHQFH–WKLVFUHDWHGFXVWRPVSURElems, as well as facilitated petty smuggling. Thus was born the idea of building a railway line straight to Valga, via Abja-Paluoja. But the start of World War II, and the subsequent Soviet occupation –SXWDQHQGWRWKLVSURMHFW Originally, Abja-Paluoja got its start from a roadside tavern beside the Paluoja River. The road was XVHGIRUKDXOLQJD[WRWKH3lUQXKDUERXUIRUH[SRUW$QGWKLVORFDWLRQSURYHGWREHLGHDOIRUKR ing an annual autumn fair, which developed into Estonia’s biggest livestock fair. Latvian livestock dealers were willing to pay good prices for the animals, which were then herded, from the Paluoja tavern, to the slaughterhouses in Riga.

The name Abja comes from the local manor, which is not far from the crossroad that we can see LQ(QQR$OOLN¶VERUQLQSDLQWLQJ7KHPDQRULVORFDWHGDIHZNLORPHWUHVEHKLQGXV7KH$EMD VTXLUHZDVRQHRIWKH¿UVWPDQRURZQHUVLQ(VWRQLDZKRVWDUWHGVHOOLQJIDUPVWRWKHORFDOVRQ VFDOH6RLWFDQEHVDLGWKDW(VWRQLDQFDSLWDOLVPJRWLWVVWDUWULJKWKHUHLQ$EMD7KLVLVHYH LQ(VWRQLDQOLWHUDWXUHGHDOLQJZLWKWKDWSHULRGDQGWKLVDUHDZKLFKPDNHVUHIHUHQFHVW ness, avarice, and arrogance that early capitalism brought forth.

It is also worth noting the character standing just to the left of the crossroad – a wooden man wearing the local men’s folk costume.

A few more of these statues can be seen in various spots in this region, known as Mulgimaa. This one is regarded as a symbol of this area, and the ORFDO SHRSOH UHIHU WR KLP DV ‡7KH 3UHVLGHQW· VLQFH WKH SUHVHQW 3UHVLGHQW Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, likes to wear a folk costume like this, at appropriate festive events. His traditional family homestead, Ärma Farm, is close to Abja-Paluoja.

Abja is also the birthplace of several other well-known artists. Allik himself is from a nearby township, and presently, seems to be the most active artist from this region.

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