Lasnamäe
Encyclopedia
Lasnamäe is the most populous administrative district of Tallinn
, the capital of Estonia
. The districts' population is about 115,000, the majority of which is Russian
-speaking. Local housing is mostly represented by 5-16 stories high panel blocks of flats, built in the 1970-1990s. Lasnamäe is usually referred to as a bedroom community.
The district lies in the eastern part of Tallinn. In the east it is bordered by the Pirita River
; in the north and northwest a limestone
escarpment
(part of the Baltic Klint
) separates Lasnamäe from Pirita
and Kesklinn. The district is situated on a flat limestone plateau that lies 30–52 m above sea level. The highest point in Lasnamäe is the Sõjamägi Hill at 54 m asl.
Lasnamäe can be divided into two distinct areas: the northern part is residential, while the southern part around Peterburi Road (Tallinn-Narva road, part of E20
) and up to the border with Rae Parish is mainly industrial. Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is also administratively located in Lasnamäe.
In the Middle Ages some small hamlets
were situated on the territory of present-day Lasnamäe. At that time Lasnamäe was mainly known for limestone quarries, as nearly the whole of Medieval Tallinn was built of local limestone.
In the end of 19th century, during the period of industrial expansion, some major factories were set up in Lasnamäe, including the Dvigatel factory, which had 2,260 workers in 1900. In 1904 Sikupilli
, the first residential suburb in Lasnamäe, was laid out. Sikupilli remained the main residential area of Lasnamäe until the construction of microdistricts started in the 1970s.
Construction of pre-fabricated concrete apartment blocks under the concept of microdistrict
, for which Lasnamäe is today best known, started first in 1973 and at a massive scale in 1977. This process lasted until the restoration of Estonian independence and completely changed the environment in Lasnamäe. According to the first concepts Lasnamäe was planned to house 160,000-180,000 inhabitants.
Several subdistricts – e.g. Katleri
, Mustakivi
, Priisle
, Seli
– inherited their names from the farms or hamlets on whose territory they were built.
During the Singing Revolution
in the late 1980s, the combination of the grim mass housing and dominant Russian-speaking migrant population led to calls among ethnic Estonians to ‘stop Lasnamäe’. The phrase "Peatage Lasnamäe!", taken from a popular song performed by Ivo Linna
(video on YouTube), become one of the slogans of the Singing Revolution.
During the 1990s there was little development in Lasnamäe and the district fell into a standstill. Compared with other ares in Tallinn, it attracted little investment and had the lowest real-estate prices. In recent years the situation has changed – many new apartment blocks, both by municipal government and private investors, and several hypermarkets have been built in the district.
, has 64,000 inhabitants. Lasnamäe is also the most densely populated district with an average density of .
The population of Lasnamäe is predominantly Russian-speaking – in 2009 58.2% of its inhabitants were Russian
, 6.0% Ukrainian
and 3.3% Belorussian
. Estonians make up 28.3% of the population, down from 31.1% in 2005.
65% of Lasnamäe's inhabitants have Estonian citizenship.
) and Tallinn ring road (E265
) at Väo
. For most of its course the road is situated in a cutting in the limestone plateau. This has earned the road its nickname – Lasnamäe Channel or simply The Channel.
and Ülemiste
subdistricts). The newer parts of Lasnamäe rely on a number of bus routes operated by the Tallinn Bus Company
. A light rail
line that would connect the bulk of Lasnamäe to the city centre was planned to be built already during the Soviet Era and with that in mind the Laagna Road was built with a wide central reservation
. Despite 30 years of talking, the light rail line remains to be built.
, Kurepõllu
, Kuristiku
, Laagna, Loopealse
, Mustakivi
, Pae
, Paevälja
, Priisle
, Seli
, Sikupilli
, Sõjamäe
, Tondiraba
, Uuslinn
, Väo
, Ülemiste
.
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, the capital of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. The districts' population is about 115,000, the majority of which is Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
-speaking. Local housing is mostly represented by 5-16 stories high panel blocks of flats, built in the 1970-1990s. Lasnamäe is usually referred to as a bedroom community.
The district lies in the eastern part of Tallinn. In the east it is bordered by the Pirita River
Pirita River
The Pirita River is a long river in northern Estonia that drains into the Gulf of Finland in Pirita, Tallinn. The basin area of Pirita is 799 km²....
; in the north and northwest a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
(part of the Baltic Klint
Baltic Klint
The Baltic Klint is an erosional limestone escarpment on several islands of the Baltic Sea, in Estonia and in Leningrad Oblast of Russia...
) separates Lasnamäe from Pirita
Pirita
Pirita is one of the eight administrative districts of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It had a population of 15,379 .Pirita occupies a relatively big area, but compared to other districts of Tallinn its population of 15,379 is relatively small...
and Kesklinn. The district is situated on a flat limestone plateau that lies 30–52 m above sea level. The highest point in Lasnamäe is the Sõjamägi Hill at 54 m asl.
Lasnamäe can be divided into two distinct areas: the northern part is residential, while the southern part around Peterburi Road (Tallinn-Narva road, part of E20
European route E20
The European route E 20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network.It runs roughly west-east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally Russia. The length is . The road is not continuous, at three points, a sea crossing is required. ...
) and up to the border with Rae Parish is mainly industrial. Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is also administratively located in Lasnamäe.
History
The oldest traces of human activity in the Lasnamäe area date from Early Neolithic.In the Middle Ages some small hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
were situated on the territory of present-day Lasnamäe. At that time Lasnamäe was mainly known for limestone quarries, as nearly the whole of Medieval Tallinn was built of local limestone.
In the end of 19th century, during the period of industrial expansion, some major factories were set up in Lasnamäe, including the Dvigatel factory, which had 2,260 workers in 1900. In 1904 Sikupilli
Sikupilli
Sikupilli is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 10,938 .-References:...
, the first residential suburb in Lasnamäe, was laid out. Sikupilli remained the main residential area of Lasnamäe until the construction of microdistricts started in the 1970s.
Construction of pre-fabricated concrete apartment blocks under the concept of microdistrict
Microdistrict
Microdistrict, or microraion , is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Communist states...
, for which Lasnamäe is today best known, started first in 1973 and at a massive scale in 1977. This process lasted until the restoration of Estonian independence and completely changed the environment in Lasnamäe. According to the first concepts Lasnamäe was planned to house 160,000-180,000 inhabitants.
Several subdistricts – e.g. Katleri
Katleri
Katleri is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 5,045 .-References:...
, Mustakivi
Mustakivi
Mustakivi is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 16,610.- References :...
, Priisle
Priisle
Priisle is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 10,612.-References:...
, Seli
Seli, Tallinn
Seli is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 13,102 .-References:...
– inherited their names from the farms or hamlets on whose territory they were built.
During the Singing Revolution
Singing Revolution
The Singing Revolution is a commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1991 that led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...
in the late 1980s, the combination of the grim mass housing and dominant Russian-speaking migrant population led to calls among ethnic Estonians to ‘stop Lasnamäe’. The phrase "Peatage Lasnamäe!", taken from a popular song performed by Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna is an Estonian singer.He represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "Kaelakee Hääl" which would go onto finish 5th at the contest, held in Oslo that year....
(video on YouTube), become one of the slogans of the Singing Revolution.
During the 1990s there was little development in Lasnamäe and the district fell into a standstill. Compared with other ares in Tallinn, it attracted little investment and had the lowest real-estate prices. In recent years the situation has changed – many new apartment blocks, both by municipal government and private investors, and several hypermarkets have been built in the district.
Population
The population of Lasnamäe is 115,189 (as of 1 June 2010), which makes 28% of the total population of Tallinn. Lasnamäe is by far the most populous district of Tallinn – the next largest, MustamäeMustamäe
Mustamäe is one of the 8 administrative districts of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The smallest by area , it is at the same time the second largest district by population with 64,450 inhabitants ....
, has 64,000 inhabitants. Lasnamäe is also the most densely populated district with an average density of .
The population of Lasnamäe is predominantly Russian-speaking – in 2009 58.2% of its inhabitants were Russian
Baltic Russians
The term Baltic Russians is usually used to refer to the Russian-speaking communities in the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.The term "Baltic Russians" does not imply a separate ethnic subcategory among the Russians. It came into use in the context of discussions of their fate after...
, 6.0% Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
and 3.3% Belorussian
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
. Estonians make up 28.3% of the population, down from 31.1% in 2005.
65% of Lasnamäe's inhabitants have Estonian citizenship.
Transport
The main road in Lasnamäe is the 4- to 8-lane Laagna Road, which runs in east-west direction through the district and connects it from one end the city centre, from the other end to Tallinn-Narva highway (E20European route E20
The European route E 20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network.It runs roughly west-east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally Russia. The length is . The road is not continuous, at three points, a sea crossing is required. ...
) and Tallinn ring road (E265
European route E265
European route E 265 is a B-class E-road, part of the inter-European road system. It connects Tallinn, Paldiski, and from Paldiski on ferry to Kapellskär. In Estonia, E 265 follows the Estonian National Road 11 and part of Estonian National Road 8 . In Sweden, it continues as European...
) at Väo
Väo
Väo is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 129 .- References :...
. For most of its course the road is situated in a cutting in the limestone plateau. This has earned the road its nickname – Lasnamäe Channel or simply The Channel.
Public transport
A tram line services the older part of Lasnamäe (SikupilliSikupilli
Sikupilli is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 10,938 .-References:...
and Ülemiste
Ülemiste
Ülemiste is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 1,453 .Ülemiste has a station on the Elektriraudtee rail line.- References :...
subdistricts). The newer parts of Lasnamäe rely on a number of bus routes operated by the Tallinn Bus Company
Tallinna Autobussikoondis
Tallinna Autobussikoondis is the largest bus operator in Tallinn, Estonia.TAK was founded in 1945 as a state-owned company, under which status it operated until 1993, when it was reorganised as a public limited company owned by the City of Tallinn...
. A light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line that would connect the bulk of Lasnamäe to the city centre was planned to be built already during the Soviet Era and with that in mind the Laagna Road was built with a wide central reservation
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
. Despite 30 years of talking, the light rail line remains to be built.
Subdistricts
Lasnamäe is divided into 16 subdistricts: KatleriKatleri
Katleri is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 5,045 .-References:...
, Kurepõllu
Kurepõllu
Kurepõllu is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 3,608 .- References :...
, Kuristiku
Kuristiku
Kuristiku is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 11,110 .-References:...
, Laagna, Loopealse
Loopealse
Loopealse is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 1,772 .- References :...
, Mustakivi
Mustakivi
Mustakivi is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 16,610.- References :...
, Pae
Pae, Tallinn
Pae is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 14,043 ....
, Paevälja
Paevälja
Paevälja is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 151 .-References:...
, Priisle
Priisle
Priisle is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 10,612.-References:...
, Seli
Seli, Tallinn
Seli is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 13,102 .-References:...
, Sikupilli
Sikupilli
Sikupilli is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 10,938 .-References:...
, Sõjamäe
Sõjamäe
Sõjamäe is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 114 .Sõjamäe has a station named "Vesse" on the Elektriraudtee rail line.- References :...
, Tondiraba
Tondiraba
Tondiraba is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 18 .-References:...
, Uuslinn
Uuslinn
Uuslinn is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 356 .The headquarters of Estonian Maritime Administration is located at Valge 4 in Uuslinn....
, Väo
Väo
Väo is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 129 .- References :...
, Ülemiste
Ülemiste
Ülemiste is a subdistrict in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 1,453 .Ülemiste has a station on the Elektriraudtee rail line.- References :...
.