Mart Sander performance at the Estonian House in London

An Estonian House () is a center of

Estonian culture The culture of Estonia combines an indigenous heritage, represented by the country's Finnic languages, Finnic national language Estonian language, Estonian, with Nordic countries, Nordic and German culture, German cultural aspects. Over the cen ...

, usually overseas. Numerous Estonian Houses were set up after the

Soviet occupation of Estonia The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit ( union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the occupied and annexed territory of Estonia ...

led to tens of thousands of Estonian people fleeing the war and the occupation and settling overseas.

London

On 30 May 2009, the London Estonian House opened Estonian School in London, a volunteer-supported Estonian language school teaching based on Estonian curricula employing fully qualified teachers with teaching experience from Estonian comprehensive and high schools.

New York

New York Estonian House The Civic Club building, now the New York Estonian House (), is a four-story Beaux-Arts building located at 243 East 34th Street between Second and Third Avenues in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The house was ...

was bought in 1946 by Estonian-Americans. It is located at 243 East 34th Street in the

Kips Bay Kips Bay, or Kip's Bay, is a neighborhood on the east side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by 34th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 23rd Street to the south, and Third Avenue to the west. Kips B ...

neighborhood on

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. It houses a number of Estonian organizations such as the New York Estonian School, the editorial office of Estonian language newspaper ''

Vaba Eesti Sõna ''Vaba Eesti Sõna'' (Estonian for ''Free Estonian Word'') is an Estonian expatriate weekly newspaper published in New York City, United States established in 1949. The Nordic Press was founded on 18 January 1949 by August Waldman, August Salo ...

'', choruses for men and women and a folk dancing group.

Toronto

The Toronto Estonian House was purchased on April 1, 1960. The house is located at 958 Broadview Avenue, in what was the Chester Public School house, built in 1891. Two additions were built, the first in 1963, when a 400-seat hall was built at the rear of the building, and the second in 1976, when a four-storey facade was constructed. It houses a number of Estonian organizations such as the Toronto Estonian School, the Toronto Estonian scout troop Kalev, the Põhjala Tütred Guides, the Estonian Toronto Credit Union, Heinsoo Insurance, the Estonian Central Council in Canada, choruses for men and women and a folk dancing group, and the Estonian Consulate in Toronto.

Sydney

Sydney Estonian House was the first house built by Estonians outside of Estonia. The Estonian Society of Sydney held its first Annual General Meeting under its own roof on 14 September 1940. Sydney Eesti Maja houses many cultural groups such as Lõke and Kooskõlas Choir, Virmalised, Rebased and Rukkiklilled Folk Dancing Groups, Mudilasring children's playgroup, Kunsti-käsitöö ja Etnograafiaring and formerly Meie Kodu, the Australian-Estonian newsletter. The house holds many events throughout the year and is one of several located in Australia, others located in Adelaide, Melbourne and Thirlmere 'vanadekodu' (NSW) The Estonian society “Eesti Kodu” stonian Homewas established on 17 April 1925, at the instigation of Mr Jakob Lukats. Two years later, some members of “Eesti Kodu”, wanting greater emphasis on cultural activities, decided to form a parallel society, “Linda”, which was established on 19 June 1927. Less than three months passed, before the two societies decided to merge, forming the Estonian Society of Sydney (Sydney Eesti Selts “Eesti Kodu Linda”) on 9 October 1927.

London

New York

Toronto

Sydney

References

External links