Helping to Rebuild Tartu's Stone Bridge

On the 16th September 1784 a new landmark graced the city of Tartu and was officially opened to the public, the Stone Bridge. It was built under the orders of Catherine the Great who wanted to present the city with a gift after the devastating fire of 1775. The Stone Bridge was once a famous landmark not only for its appearance but also because it was the first stone bridge ever to be built in the Baltic region. The bridge took two years to construct and was made from over 3000 granite blocks.

The bridge stood for nearly 160 years before being tragically destroyed during the ravages of World War Two. In 1941 the retreating Red Army blasted the centre of the bridge then in 1944 the German Army completely destroyed it and left it in ruins. The destruction of the bridge was a great loss for the city but today, the good citizens of Tartu hope to restore the bridge to its former glory.

In 1992 under the initative of Patrick von Glasenapp the Stone Bridge Foundation was created. This community initative aims to bring back Tartu's beloved Stone Bridge in this new modern era. von Glasenapp once famously said: "Let's restore the Stone Bridge! Because bridges connect not only two banks, they also connect people!"

It would be wonderful to see this bridge reconstructed in Tartu but it needs your help!

The site of the bridge today.

A replacement bridge made from concrete was built during the Soviet occupation of Estonia.

If your family is from Tartu or you have a love for Tartu and its surrounding area then you might want to contribute to this worthwhile project. I intend to make a donation soon in memory of my Estonian grandmother. As a young woman she would have walked across this bridge every day to get to work from her home in Kivi Street.

Donations can be made into the following Swed Bank (formerly Hansa Bank) account. Stone Bridge Foundation, account  number 221005140786. For enquries or further information, please contact kivisild@kodu.ee

Kala / Fish Festival 29 - 30 August 2015

My surname means 'flounder' in Estonian as in fish. 

It's not everyday I get to see a poster like this. Only in Estonia!

http://www.novavald.ee/index.php/6

Help Name Tallink's New Ship!

AS Tallinn Group have a new ship on their Tallinn to Helsinki route and need your help naming the vessel. The competition is now open and the winner will receive free tickets on its first official voyage.

To enter, please click here: http://www.tallinksilja.com/fi/web/fi/nimikilpailu

VIDEO: Town of Tartu and Its Surroundings (1912)

If you or your family are from Tartu then you will take great delight in watching this video.

This beautifully preserved film gives you a glimpse into a bygone era.

VIDEO: Estonian Memories

This stunning video was made by Norwegian filmmaker Erik Thomas Kirkman. Enjoy!

My Muhu Inspired Bench

When I returned home from my trip to Estonia I was very sad to discover that all my plants had died. I had a nice little garden coming along consisting of strawberries, mint, beans, spinach and dill. They were all growly well until I went away for two weeks. I have since replanted and hopefully my garden will spring to life again soon.

In the meanwhile I decided to finish another project I had been working on - my Muhu inspired bench. I was given this old bench some time ago and like many things in life I saw not only what it was but what it potentially could be.

I absolutely love the folk art from Muhu Island with all its colourful flowers set against a black background. I am no artist when it comes to painting but I do like to give things a shot! My bench is far from perfect but I am quite pleased with my first attempt in this area.

How the bench looked when it was first given to me.

It was a dusty / faded green colour.

I sanded it down then painted it with a glossy black outdoor paint.

Using some of the designs from my embrodiery books I created a stencil.

I first painted an undercoat layer then painted a colourful layer over the top.

It's not brilliant but it's always nice to create your own things!

Estonia is 100 Square Kilometres Larger Than Thought

The Estonian Land Board discovered that the total area of Estonia's landmass is 45,339 square kilometres, rather than the previously calculated 45,227 square kilometres.

The Land Board said that if before they used calculations made on paper maps dating back almost 20 years, then now they use electronic data which give more accurate numbers.

On the old maps, the borders were marked with a pen or marker, which resulted i inaccuracy of as much as 50 meters.

Main corrections are related to land areas bordering the sea, lakes or rivers, including the Baltic Sea, Lake Peipus and Narva River. Therefore, the area of Narva and Tallinn were also found to be larger than previously determined.

The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and over 1,500 islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, covering 45,339 square kilometres, by which it is the 132nd largest country in the world, just slightly bigger than Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Source: http://news.err.ee/v/scitech/5fa408c3-fa31-48c0-b2c6-041e25de8ae0