The exhibition marks the university’s journey from 1918 to the restoration of independence in the 1990s. The university could have been located in the city centre, Juhkentali, Kopli, Hiiu or Pirita, but eventually it ended up in Mustamäe, where it remains to this day.

The exhibition provides the first comprehensive overview of how the academic environment of the Tallinn University of Technology developed in Mustamäe. The exhibition pays tribute to the architects and engineers who designed the school in the 1960s. In the foyer of the main building, you can see projects and interior elements from this decade, including the mosaic panel “Youth” by Enn Põldroos. The foyer has other surprises as well, which present the original details of the study buildings. In addition, unrealised plans and visions, such as the university’s large fountain, are exhibited.

The exhibition also gives an overview of how students and lecturers have studied and taught on these premises, played sports under the pines of Mustamäe, lived in dormitories, and partied in the hall and clubs.

For example, in addition to conferences and ceremonies, the university’s hall has hosted many major Estonian music events, from the world premiere of Arvo Pärt’s “Tabula rasa”, to jazz-rock concerts, not to mention shots in the film “Mehed ei nuta” (“Men Don’t Cry”). The hall with its sloped auditorium is a masterpiece of 1960s engineering, and its acoustics were once considered some of the best in Estonia.

Curator of the exhibition and architectural historian Epi Tohvri invites everyone to the exhibition, which is open until the end of December: “The Mustamäe campus is an Anglo-American style academic campus, which has remained one of the best and most comprehensive learning environments in Estonia. The primary feature of the campus is the uniform complex planned on the outskirts of the city in a location with a beautiful natural backdrop. The campus includes student dormitories, sports facilities and other recreational places. It is like an academic village, where people develop a strong sense of belonging and connection between the study atmosphere and natural environment.”

Kimmo Lylykangas, head of architecture and urban studies at the Tallinn University of Technology, also launched a scholarship in the name of Uno Tölpus, the architect who designed the historic main building, intended for students of the university studying the field.

The exhibition welcomes university alumni and student candidates, residents of Mustamäe and Nõmme, and of course, anyone interested in architecture. The exhibition is free of charge and also open in the summer.