The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, said the planned extension of the Estonia Opera House should be reduced or built in a new location.

For several years, the Estonian National Opera, which is based at the Estonia Theater in Tallinn, has been pushing to expand the building. Plans for a sizeable – and controversial – extension have already been drawn up.

In March, the Riigikogu’s Cultural Affairs Committee submitted to UNESCO a heritage impact assessment of the proposed extension to the Estonia Opera House.

In the document, the Heritage Board said the extension would negatively effect Tallinn’s Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The agency recommended making the extension smaller or building a new facility elsewhere.

The Estonia theater extension project. Source: QP arhitektid

ICOMOS agreed with the agency, saying the extension would set a dangerous precedent and put the World Heritage-listed site at risk.

“ICOMOS fully supports the original heritage impact assessment, which also aligns with the 2024 technical review, and emphasizes that the planned extension of the National Opera should be abandoned because it endangers the authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage-listed site and could set a dangerous precedent for heritage and environmental protection in Estonia,” it said in a reply to Estonia’s ambassador to UNESCO.

“ICOMOS concludes that if the National Opera cannot meet its needs with more modest modifications that comply with the conditions of the Heritage Board, a new location in Tallinn should be considered,” it added.

Tallinn’s Old Town has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997 as an example of a well-preserved medieval Northern European trading city.

—

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!