Book about the Purje street villa

Story of the book

Even before the house was renovated, we were interested in the origins of the majestic building. The original builder was known, but we wanted more! During the renovation, we started researching and collecting information on our own, until it became clear that we had become overwhelmed by the amount of information available and our ability to process and interpret it. Luckily we had the help of Küllo Arjakas, who has plenty of previous experience in researching and writing history. Working together, the book became a truly interesting work, linking together the history of the house and the entire Pirita area through the ages.

In time for Christmas 2021, a total of 56 pages were bound, detailing the life of the house and the Pirita area over 400 years, with a more in-depth look at the last 100 years.

Here are some excerpts from the book

„The name Pirita was first mentioned in written sources in 1603 as ‘Pirrida’ (German: Brigitten).“
„The houses of Uus-Pirita were big and tall, with open spaces all around them. The new residents disparagingly called the village near the ruins of Pirita Convent and the mouth of the river Põrsaküla, while the peasants in turn called the residential area with the arrogant Uus-Pirita inhabitants Matsiküla.“
„The first documentary reference to the plot is a contract dated 12 May 1909. According to this, the owner of the 3,027.21 m² plot at 4 Pihlaka Street (now Purje Street, as in the following text) was Jaan Olbrei (1863–1918), a first-generation Estonian businessman, piano manufacturer, and member of the influential Estonia Society.“
„1. On (13) August 1910, the 50 m and 300 m swimming competitions of the Kalev Sports Club were held in Pirita, and are considered to be the beginning of Estonian swimming sports. The shorter distance was probably not timed, the long distance was won by Anton Õunapuu, who completed the distance in 7 minutes 47 seconds.“
„As noted, there was also an apartment building at 4 Purje Street during the Soviet period, but it was still a really small house. According to house registers and registration cards, 152 (!) people have lived there in nine flats in just under 30 years.“
„At the joint initiative of Pirita Selts MTÜ and Toivo Tootsen, who was repeatedly elected to the city council from the Pirita constituency, the house was declared an architectural monument on 30 August 2005, and was taken under protection.“
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Order the book

These are a few short passages from the book. Anyone who wishes to can support the renovation by buying this book. Buy the book by ordering online or by visiting our office.

To order, please fill in the order form below.

€ 10
  • Book at our office
  • Parcel delivery within Estonia 2€
Order

The house is completed, but the entire process is far from over. We are moving forward with both landscaping and plans to build an authentic gazebo. Ideas for the design of the gazebo are already being worked on, information is being gathered and we plan to start the designing process in 2023. It is also possible to support the restoration of the authentic gazebo simply by making a donation to our bank account.

If you would like to support the renovation, please contact.

Telli raamat

Täida vorm raamatu tellimiseks. Võtame tellimuse kätte saades kindlasti enne saatmist ühendust saatmise sihtkoha ja tasumise osas.

Order the book

To order, please fill in the form. We’ll contact you about the delivery address and payment after receiving the order.