Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Palace of Culture and Sport
Linnahall

This huge complex of concrete in Tallinn, Estonia looks like a bunker for submarines but was designed by Estonian architects Raine Karp and Riina Altmäe as the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Palace of Culture and Sport. The complex was later renamed as Linnahall, which means city hall. But it is not a city hall at all.

The complex was built as a concert and sports venue in 1980 as a 5000-seat amphitheatre and a 3000-seat ice hall on the occasion of the 22nd Moscow Summer Olympic Games in 1980. At that time Tallinn was the capital of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic and the sailing events took place here. The monumental building is situated as part of the harbour, just outside the medieval Old Town. It looks like a fortress but access is also an element of the structure. It is a strange combination.

The building was completed in 1980 and in the 1980s the project won several international architectural awards. The quality of the construction is poor and it makes a dilapidated impression. The last public event was in April 2009 and since then it is closed to the public. It is now an enormous ‘modern’ ruin.
Nowadays the construction with its lines of symmetry appears strange in Tallinn and is used by young couples and graffiti artists. Regardless, in a certain way it is still attractive.

Sources:
architectuul.com, spottedbylocals.com, academia.edu and Wikipedia