A citizen with an interest in history, Toomas Mattson, wrote in ERR's opinion portal that renaming the Knighthood House to the Estonian Representative House reflects a growing trend in society to turn everything into a colorless, tasteless, scentless, soulless and seemingly empty world of appearances.

But no – it's not "formerly known as the Knighthood House." It was, is and will remain the Knighthood House," Mattson wrote.

According to Gert Uiboaed, a symbolism adviser at the Government Office, the building has borne many different names throughout its 300-year existence, not just the name Knighthood House.

"It was originally the Uexküll House. When it was used by the knighthood, the popular name for the building was Landstube. From the 1920s onward, it served as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then as the National Library and later as an art museum. The name Knighthood House began to be used in the early 1990s," Uiboaed explained.

"Looking at the building's long and winding history, the year 2024 marks an entirely new chapter, as the building is now used as the Estonian Representative House," Uiboaed added.

"We decided that it wouldn't make sense to use any of the previous historical names. The clearest option was to name the building based on its function: the Estonian Representative House. This way, it is immediately clear to everyone what the building is," Uiboaed said.

He noted that the term Knighthood House would have been more ambiguous, whereas the title Estonian Representative House provides a straightforward understanding of the building's purpose.

"We also didn't want to invent an entirely new name. The name Estonian Representative House gives the building the clearest possible meaning," Uiboaed stated.

The Government Office did not convene a formal naming committee when selecting a new name for the restored building. However, Uiboaed emphasized that the new name was not the result of just a single meeting.

"We did give it a lot of thought and for quite a long time. We also considered that changing the name would require people to get used to it again. Communication habits are ingrained in people — those who want to call it the Knighthood House will continue to do so. But the prime minister will invite guests to the Estonian Representative House," Uiboaed explained.

"Over time, the new name will either take hold or it won't. We'll see how that goes," Uiboaed concluded.

No more name changes planned

There are no plans to change the names of other state buildings on Toompea, such as the Stenbock House, Gert Uiboaed said.

"We're not going to engage in any large-scale renaming efforts. The Stenbock House has always been referred to as such in its cultural heritage documentation. If we look more broadly around Toompea, we don't call the Academy of Sciences building the Ungern-Sternberg Townhouse, nor do we refer to the Office of the Chancellor of Justice's building as the Kaulbars Palace. All these buildings have been adapted to their current use and others have also decided to provide clearer communication regarding their functions," Uiboaed explained.

The renaming of the Knighthood House has nothing to do with decolonization or cancel culture, Uiboaed added. "We are not afraid of Baltic German cultural heritage," he stated.

"That wasn't a consideration in the name change at all," he added.

The property on Toompea belonged to the Estonian Knighthood from 1652 onward. However, the buildings on the site, including what is now referred to as the former Knighthood House (located at Rahukohtu Street 3), were destroyed in the Great Fire of Toompea in 1684.

Originally, the Knighthood House's main façade faced Kohtu tänav. After two previous buildings were lost to fire, a new Neo-Renaissance-style building was constructed for the Estonian Knighthood between 1845 and 1848, based on designs by St. Petersburg architect Georg Winterhalter. It was one of the first buildings of its kind in Tallinn.

Between 1920 and 1940, the building housed Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1948 to 1992, it served as the State Library of the Estonian SSR, later known as the Estonian National Library, named after Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. On April 1, 1993, the building reopened as the exhibition space for the Estonian Art Museum.

From 2009 to 2016, the building was used by the Estonian Academy of Arts' Faculty of Fine Arts. After that, it remained empty and unused for several years.

In 2014, the government decided to renovate the building. The renovation work was completed in late autumn 2024. 

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!