'Head of State' wins Konstantin Päts monument design competition
The winners of the design competition for the Konstantin Päts memorial were announced on Monday. The winning design will be erected behind the Estonian National Opera.
The winning design is called "Head of State".
"There has been a lot of controversy about Konstantin Päts, but one thing is clear - it is important," said Trivimi Velliste, chairman of the Konstantin Päts Museum, adding that it is difficult to imagine the Estonian state without Päts.
"So far, there is no monument to Konstantin Päts in the public space of our capital, it is a pity that many of the initiators of the idea of the monument, who had contact with Päts in their youth, could not wait to celebrate the monument."
Päts was the first president of the Republic of Estonia (1938–1940). He is considered to be the most remarkable politician of the pre-war Estonian Republic. He repeatedly led Estonian governments including during the most difficult time the state faced – the beginning of the War of Independence. He died in Siberia in 1956 after being deported by the Soviets.
The design competition for the Päts monument took place from December 2019 to April 2020. 24 ideas were submitted to the competition, of which 23 qualified for the jury's evaluation.
The jury included Trivimi Velliste, Chairman of the Konstantin Päts Museum, architects Ott Kadarik and Peeter Pere, sculptor Elo Liiv, writer Jaak Jõerüüt, art historian Krista Kodres, head of Tallinn Urban Planning Head of the Public Utilities Board Ain Valdmann and literary critic Maarja Vaino.
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Editor: Helen Wright