Viljandi planning to build new tourist facilities at castle complex
Viljandi City Government wants to build several viewing platforms and bridges to expand the complex at the ruins of the Order Castle. But not all residents support the new plan.
Last year, the council called for ideas to develop tourist facilities at the site. It stressed that the ruins would be preserved.
The competition was won by architecture firm 3+1 which proposed three viewing platforms and two bridges over the moat.
"A viewpoint-oriented structure, whether it is a platform or a stepped terrace, offers a beautiful view. The fourth and fifth structures are bridges over the hills, which again create views and add value to the landscape — something unique in the context of Estonia, particularly in Viljandi," Architect Gert Guriev told Saturday's "Aktuaalne kaamera."
New lighting systems and furniture, such as benches, will also be installed at the site.
Monika Vestmann, Heritage Board adviser in Viljandi County, did not want to comment on the design. She said a study must take place before the construction works begin.
"The medieval Viljandi Order Castle has a very rich and abundant cultural heritage, and all excavation work is linked to archaeological research, whether it involves archaeological monitoring or full-scale excavations," Vestmann said.
Those who spoke at a public engagement event in the Sakala Center introducing the plans stressed the importance of the area's natural environment.
However, historian Jaak Pihlak thinks the plan is completely unacceptable.
He said the construction of new facilities must be completely abandoned. Instead, a thorough excavation and study of the main fortress should take place.
"And then we can say exactly what it looked like and even potentially reconstruct parts of it if we have the resources, opportunities, and the necessary knowledge," he said.
A preliminary design project for a visitor center must be finished by the end of 2024, but funding is still being sought to build it.
"During the design process, it has been discussed that the project will be designed in such a way that we can implement it in stages," said Are Tints, deputy mayor of Viljandi.
You can see the designs in the broadcast below (in Estonian).
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Editor: Valner Väino, Helen Wright
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera