The traditional spring-summer study trip in Estonian art took us to Võru and Põlva Counties. During three days, 7.-9. June, we visited manor houses and churches as well as kolkhoz and cultural centres with outstanding architecture.
Of the churches, we visited Räpina St. Michael’s Church, Vastseliina Church, Võru St. Catherine’s Church, Urvaste Church and Põlva St. Mary’s Church. The classicist interiors of Võru and Põlva churches were of particular interest. The new central squares in both cities also provoked discussions on their functionality, location and community ownership. We looked at three of the manors: Väimela and Ahja manors, which were in a state of disrepair and had been ravaged by fires, and the large Mooste manor complex, which had been revitalised in the 21st century.
A special focus was on Seto culture with the tsässonats and Saatse village and museum. Connecting the old and the new was discussed with the Vastseliina Fortress and the KAOS Architects’ House of Pilgrimage, completed in 2018. The Munamäe lookout tower and the Haanja people’s house-tourist home provided an opportunity to discuss tourism development in the 1930s. The students were deeply impressed by Toomas Rein’s work from the Soviet period, with the modernist architecture of the Linda collective farm central building, as well as the circular sauna-bathhouse in the same complex.
The annual KVI study trip is an important and welcome part of our undergraduate curriculum. The aim of the trips is to enhance knowledge of Estonian artistic and architectural heritage, develop skills in observing and analysing works of art and oral presentation, encourage the acquisition of specialist vocabulary and the application of what is learned in the classroom. Thorough preparation prior to the excursion binds the whole course together towards a common goal – to conduct an interesting, educational and enjoyable trip.
The trip was supervised by lecturers Ingrid Ruudi and Ragne Soosalu.