ESTONIA in the 1930s

The colour films (respectively from 1938 and 1939) are the property of Museum of Estonian Abroad (VEMU - Väliseesti Muuseum).

They were shot by an anonymous American film crew and distributed in the USA by Walter O. Gutlohn, Inc., 25 W. 45th St., New York City. There are some crude spelling mistakes (i.e."Tarter" instead of "Tartu", "Kradriorg" instead of "Kadriorg" etc), which gives evidence that these films were not either commissioned by Estonian authorities or made by Estonian studios.

The parts of Tallinn and Tartu that are shown, are mostly well preserved. The notable exceptions are the Oru Castle (residence of the Estonian President) and the historical Stone Bridge in Tartu, both destroyed by the retreating Red Army in August, 1941, and never restored. Some buildings (such as the Estonia National Theatre, St. Nicholas Church and others) were destroyed in the Soviet air raids in 1944 and rebuilt after the war. Narva, a beautiful baroque gem next to the Russian border, however, was completely levelled by the Soviet Army in 1944 and has never been restored to its former glory.

The main value of these films is in the fact that they are not propaganda pieces - not how WE wanted to show our country, but how OTHERS saw our country.