The winning entry, "Pööripäev" ("Equinox") links together phases in Sõmeru's history and strikes a balance between them, the competition jury found, and also reconciles the legacy both of the Baltic German-era manor house, and of the Soviet era collective farm, which have both been significant in the town's history.

Jury chair Peep Vassiljev said that the winning entry comprises: "A strong, sympathetic solution with all the important components. The square focuses on the historic fence building," referring to one of the design features.

"The use of plenty of greenery takes into account the local context," Vassiljev went on.

The competition was a follow-up project from an initiative introduced when Estonia marked its centennial of independence, in 2018, and of the nine entrants,  architects Eek & Mutso were the winners.

The competition's brief had been to find a representative and modern architectural solution for Sõmeru's new, central square, and to integrate it with the existing main street, into an attractive public space to be used all year round.

Other features include old school tractors and bus shelters.

Sõmeru lies just to the east of Rakvere and falls under that municipality's governance. The municipality says the project will be completed by 2024.

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