OPPORTUNITY FROM THE VIRUS by Māra Liepa-Zemeša | mara.liepa@riga.lv
Rakvere is one of the oldest towns in Estonia. Fifth largest town in Estonia, Rakvere draws in visitors with its impressive 13th century castle ruins, contemporary town square and spa culture. The area of the municipality is 10.73 km2 and the population is approximately 15 000. Good Public Space The architectural program called “Good Public Space” renovated the downtowns, main squares, main streets and adjacent areas of 15 cities in honour of the 100th birthday of the Republic of Estonia. In Rakvere, with this support, we reconstructed the historic main street of the Old Town, Pikk Street, turning it into a modern pedestrian-friendly promenade that connects the modern city center with the embankment hill of Rakvere’s main attraction. Promoting sustainable tourism Rakvere has joined the pilot program of the global Green Destinations movement promoting sustainable tourism. The program provides support to associated regions in planning for sustainable and responsible development and in applying for the Green Destination Quality Label. The green destination must correspond to approx. 100 criteria concerning nature (whole ecosystem), environment (water management, air quality, waste management), climate, culture and traditions, social well-being of the population (including population health, employment), business environment and hospitality, and population involvement and management.
New ways to organise large events In the summer of 2020, a spectacular open-air centre on nearly seven hectares was completed in Vallimägi. The unique performance venue created between the slopes of Vallimägi upland has a main stage area with 4,200 seats and a forum stage with 800 seats. The area is not only for organising events, but has several corners and viewing platforms for spending free time and having a picnic. The construction of the Vallimäe open-air center is the largest recent investment not only to the city of Rakvere, but also the entire Lääne-Viru county and Estonian tourism. An important development project for the city of Rakvere has created modern opportunities for organizing large events. We contribute to the creation of a better living environment every day through our construction activities, and we are especially pleased with projects that successfully fulfill their main goal, but also become part of the city’s landmarks and an actively used place to spend time. The Vallimäe openair center, which is located in an extremely geotechnically complex location, is a great example of an interesting project that will strongly boost the city’s cultural life. The cost of the construction project of the “Rakvere vallimäe complex construction” was 5.5 million euros, which was co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund application round “Supporting the development of tourism products and attractions and destinations as a network” in the amount of 2.455 million euros. The contribution of the city of Rakvere to the project was 3 million euros. In August 2020, 9,700 people attended the events of the open-air center despite the virus. 25
