Pirita TOP

The most important building in the construction program of the 1980 Olympic sailing regatta was the Pirita Olympic Yachting Centre. The complex, designed by Avo-Himm Looveer, Henno Seppmann, and Peep Jänes, was completed in 1980. The symmetrical layout along a longitudinal axis, sectional structure, and multilayered volumes — including the rowing boathouse, chapel tower, and the so-called interclub — give the complex a strong spatial identity. The yacht club, along with the Olympic flame platform and ceremonial square, is located on the peninsula, while the spectator stands are situated on the opposite bank of the river. The hotel section stands out with its slanted wall surfaces and striking red balcony tubes. The complex also included a full-sized sports hall, a medical center, and boat-building workshops.
However, the significance of the heritage-listed building complex extends beyond the Olympics — it has become a symbol of the entire Pirita area.
Kiel is one of Tallinn’s oldest sister cities. The long-standing ties between Tallinn and Kiel began in the early 1970s in connection with the preparations for the sailing regattas of the Munich Olympics in Kiel and the Moscow Olympics in Tallinn in 1980. According to the then city chief architect Dmitri Bruns, the cooperation between architects from both cities was close, and through these connections, drawings of the Schilksee Yachting Centre in Kiel were used by architects in Tallinn during the planning of the Pirita Yachting Centre.