Pärnu District Court director Toomas Talviste said the Rüütli courthouse could be considered the most magnificent courthouse in Estonia.

"The Rüütli tänav courthouse was actually built around 1835 — and originally as a single-story building," Talviste said.

"In the final decade of the 19th century, Pskov Bank bought the building," he continued. "When tsarist rule came to an end, some little renovations were done here in the 1920s. Since 1928, and up until now, this building has served as a courthouse."

Renovations of the heritage-protected building preserved various original features, such as its grand windows and tiled masonry heaters. In recent decades, the building was only used for civil cases, but it had previously served as the venue for criminal cases as well.

In the early 1990s, older, veteran judges recalled how during one criminal trial, a defendant had jumped out through two windows and run off. While the defendant wasn't injured in the jump, despite the high drop, they were nonetheless caught.

Several safes still remain on site as well — testaments to the time the building served as a bank.

"Considering there's a safe here, this was probably the bank manager's office," Talviste explained. "The bank president or branch director, whoever they were here in Pärnu, probably sat here. The door is massive, heavy and still bears its original sticker. The safe was made in 1871, and was probably brought here about 30 years later."

One safe used to store bullets. "In the 1990s, judges would go shooting at the range once a year," he noted. "Those bullets, and weapons logs, were stored here."

The court director recalled that he himself worked in the room he stood — his office, at the time — for two years.

"And one morning it was discovered that the safe we were using, holding these very copies of the State Gazette, was locked and the key had gone missing," he described. "To this day, I don't know where the administrative director at the time found those two men — I'd never seen them before or since, and I was completely convinced the safe couldn't be cracked open — but they managed to do it in half an hour."

Even more impressive than the safes is the former bank vault, which the court used as an archive.

"There are still a few old archive files back there, and the windows have bars on them — all originals," Talviste highlighted. "Easily more than 100 years old."

A stately balcony

The Rüütli courthouse's stately balcony has hosted guests during both its bank and courthouse eras.

"Maybe during the summer, the bank director or some other important figures were here, and surely they would've invited their guests out onto this balcony," the court director said. "I don't think there's another balcony like it in Pärnu — certainly not on Rüütli tänav."

As of last week, no more hearings are being held at this courthouse, and the building must be vacated by the end of the month.

"Some of the furniture will be moved to the Kuninga tänav building," Talviste noted. "Of course, not everything will fit there, so some of the furniture will be donated to the congregation at St. Elizabeth's Church."

Nonetheless, he was hopeful a building with such a long history won't be left to sit idle.

"This could be turned into a justice or court museum," Talviste suggested. "This building is incredibly stately, and most resembles a courthouse — it's more a courthouse than any other building I know."

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!