Helen Sooväli-Sepping

Are There Counter-Landscapes? On Milk Trestles and Invisible Power Lines

Abstract The paper takes its starting point from the duality in the Estonian rural landscape shaped by social practices. On the one hand, the changes and management of landscapes follow a political decision. At the same time, the old patterns of semi-legal activity offer a resistant practice. The study is illustrated with the milk trestle, a now-disappeared symbol of recent history in the Soviet countryside. The milk trestles and their role in Estonian country life are studied from a threefold perspective—their functions, meanings and the values behind this symbol. The article is based on ethnographic field work carried out between the years of 2001 and 2002 and traces the phenomenon of how living landscape transforms into deserted landscape; in other words, how story becomes history. The paper shows how the milk trestle landscape functioned as a prolongation of the former landscape behind the ideological layers of the Soviet landscapes.

‘Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten’: Cultural sustainability in ruptured landscapes in Estonia

ABSTRACT The author considers landscape heritage from a cultural sustainability perspective in order to develop an understanding of genealogy, cultural politics, and practices of the World War II heritage construction in the Soviet Union. The primary research question was: What were the mechanisms of heritage construction from a mnemohistoric point of view, as conceptualised by Jan Assmann? With this in mind, a detailed investigation analysis of Soviet World War II memorials in Estonia was performed, taking into account examples of Soviet propaganda texts, visual representations, and war commemoration practices, as well as site visits to commemoration places. The analysis traces social change as landscapes of rupture. One outcome considered is cultural sustainability as a strategy for social cohesion in situations in which a landscape heritage discourse changes. The author concludes that multiethnic societies may see new opportunities to find common values in forgotten landscape heritage.

From sacrum to profanum: reinterpretation of communist places of power in Baltic cities

ABSTRACT Places always represent the social and cultural dimensions of societies, seen through relationships between ideas, beliefs, and hopes. Places and their social practices are interwoven into the urban fabric and have become vital components of urban and ideological identities. Ideological systems create unique arrangements and classifications of those special places, which can be called “hallowed” or “profaned.” This project focuses on the recent transformation of the communist system of “sacral” spaces and their recent “profanation.” The transformation of meaning, together with the use and attitude toward landscape, has become visible due to spatial and functional manifestations of post-socialist cities.

Introduction—Ruptured Landscapes

This chapter outlines the ambitions and key theoretical terms of the collection, and presents the various themes explored over the following chapters.

Landmarks of Old Livonia – Church Towers, Their Symbols and Meaning

Church towers are among the most prominent features of landscape and contain both significant architectural and symbolic value. Religion and its various beliefs and ideologies bring symbolism and meaning into the everyday lives of people. This geographical study deals with the iconography of church towers, looking closer into their regional distribution pattern and analyzing their connotation within the former territory of Old Livonia (now encompassed by present-day Estonia and present-day Latvia, except for Latgale) and within the European religious context. The analysis of the distribution pattern of church tower symbols in Estonia shows significant regional variance. In the former Province of Estonia, governed by Tallinn, the cross is a dominant symbol on church towers, whereas the use of the cockerel is more widespread in the former Province of Livonia, the historic capital of which was Riga. A third historical region of Livonia, Kurland (governed by Jelgava), shares similarities in church tower symbolism with the Province of Estonia. We believe that the variance in distribution could be due to the influence of urban centers (Tallinn and Riga) in shaping the use of symbols throughout their administrative borders.

Imaginary Landscapes-or is the Truth out there? Dynamics in Landscape Representations in Relation to ‘Real’ Landscapes on Saaremaa Island, Estonia

Imaginary Landscapes-or is the Truth out there? Dynamics in Landscape Representations in Relation to ‘Real’ Landscapes on Saaremaa Island, Estonia The emergence of a particular future landscape, among the numerous potential landscapes, depends on policy options, on prevailing attitudes in society, and on cultural values. This is particularly the case for the countries that have recently joined the European Union-specifically the implementation of new policies has changed the function of the rural countryside significantly. In an empirical illustrative case we discuss the change in values on landscape and the conflicting attitudes to landscape in the society on Saaremaa Island (Estonia) in the 20th century. As a background explanation we present the dynamics of the physical landscape and explore the reasons for changes. We then move on to multiple perspectives of how the landscape has been represented in the past as well as today and perceived by different interest groups. Based on that, we finally argue that landscape representations differ from the physical landscape and discuss whether contemporary landscape policy decisions support the actual situation or rather the historical visual imagery. Maastike tulevik sõltub muuhulgas poliitilistest otsustest, ühiskonnas valdavatest hoiakutest ja kultuurilistest väärtustest. See mõju avaldub iseäranis selgesti hiljuti Euroopa Liiduga liitunud maades, kus uute poliitikate rakendumine on maapiirkondade talitlust märgatavalt muutnud. Käesoleva artikli huvifookuses on füüsilise maastiku ja maastiku representatsioonide vahekord, mida uurimuse empiirika osa lahkab maastikke puudutavate väärtushinnangute ning hoiakute kaudu 20. sajandi Saaremaal. Selle taustaks on esitatud maastikumuutuste dünaamika ning muutuste põhjused. Uuritud representatsioonid väljendavad selgelt maastikke puudutavate arvamuste paljusust ning maastiku representatsiooni ja tegelikkuse lahknevust. Selle põhjal tõstatub küsimus, kas tänased maastikupoliitilised otsused toetavad reaalsust või pigem minevikku suunatud kuvandit Saaremaast.