ETVPLUS — broadcast
20260926 160000 UTC
233 transcript segments
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[00:00:45] we discuss the identity,
[00:00:47] the external image of Narva, its image, tourist,
[00:00:51] cultural, and even political. This is not
[00:00:54] the first time we've addressed this topic, and previously we were more likely to discuss
[00:00:58] our modesty and indecision to use
[00:01:02] what truly distinguishes us in Estonia:
[00:01:05] the Russian language, Khrushchev-era buildings, and dachas, Soviet and
[00:01:08] imperial heritage. But recently, we are increasingly
[00:01:12] dictated what Narva should be like, which
[00:01:15] historical events, personalities, images, and characteristic
[00:01:19] features can be displayed, and which
[00:01:22] should not be mentioned. Just a week ago,
[00:01:25] a capital official reprimanded us for
[00:01:28] the name, not even... an existing tourist
[00:01:31] route. In general, Narva's right to
[00:01:34] distinctiveness will be discussed with studio guests after a news
[00:01:38] selection:
[00:01:44] The tourist route has not yet appeared, but its name
[00:01:48] already had to be changed. The idea of the "Royal Road" drew criticism
[00:01:51] from Tallinn Vice Mayor Riina Solman, who, during
[00:01:55] a visit to Narva, stated that the time for such
[00:01:57] projects has passed. But the dispute over a single name quickly turned into
[00:02:01] a much broader conversation: what from
[00:02:04] Narva's past can be used today to promote
[00:02:07] the city, and who generally should define its
[00:02:11] image? This is covered in Yevgeny
[00:02:13] Parov's material.
[00:02:18] Narva has already abandoned the idea of the "Royal Road,"
[00:02:21] but the dispute itself remains. What part of
[00:02:24] history can become the city's image, and which
[00:02:27] turns tourism into politics? Who generally
[00:02:30] draws this line? The occasion was the visit to Narva
[00:02:34] by Tallinn Vice Mayor Riina Solman. While granting the city
[00:02:38] the title of Autumn Capital, she criticized the idea
[00:02:41] of the "Royal Road" tourist route. According to Solman,
[00:02:45] the time for such projects has passed, and Narva should promote
[00:02:48] values important to the Estonian state.
[00:02:51] We are standing near a Khrushchev-era building here, we won't rename it,
[00:02:55] right? I don't know, somehow differently. This is
[00:02:58] one part of history, and our own. We should not be ashamed of our history, we must
[00:03:02] present it correctly. But the most wrong thing is to use
[00:03:05] politics, our good ideas.
[00:03:09] The name was eventually decided to be changed, but the question
[00:03:12] remained: what from Narva's past can be used to
[00:03:15] promote the city? Soviet architecture,
[00:03:18] imperial past, Russian-speaking environment, the very
[00:03:21] border – all of this is part of its history. But where
[00:03:24] does the story about it end, and politics begin?
[00:03:28] Narva's history, in principle, like any other
[00:03:31] history, in my opinion,
[00:03:35] is first and foremost about people. I'm not accidentally
[00:03:38] repeating that the human
[00:03:42] factor here is extremely important. So when
[00:03:45] it ends, it ends, perhaps
[00:03:49] precisely with respect for the work of previous
[00:03:52] generations, some kind of
[00:03:55] manipulation begins in those or other interests, then
[00:03:59] there, probably,
[00:04:07] But is it even possible today to separate interest in controversial pages of history from politics and use them to promote the city without
[00:04:10] causing new disputes? I think that in today's, with our
[00:04:14] current foreign policy, in today's geopolitical situation, this is
[00:04:17] impossible. It's impossible to do without any losses, primarily
[00:04:21] image losses for those, say, representatives of political parties and forces who
[00:04:25] will promote this. Whether we like it or not,
[00:04:28] we are part of the world community.
[00:05:02] Kohtla-Järve plans to install more surveillance
[00:05:05] cameras. The issue of security once again came into
[00:05:09] focus after a conflict on September
[00:05:12] 13th in the territory of a garage cooperative on Endla Street. Several
[00:05:16] dozen people were involved in the clash. A 2-year-old
[00:05:20] Norwegian was killed. Several
[00:05:23] other people were injured. Four
[00:05:25] suspects in the case have been remanded in custody. Another
[00:05:28] is still being sought. A concrete plan to expand
[00:05:32] video surveillance already exists. There should be more
[00:05:35] cameras, and they will be more modern and
[00:05:38] of higher quality. After the incident, cameras are also planned to be installed
[00:05:42] at the garages on Endla
[00:05:44] Street. The detailed plan for the historical
[00:05:48] quarter of Rüütli Street was discussed this week in Narva
[00:05:51] City Hall. The plan provides for the restoration
[00:05:54] of the old street network, the formation of new quarters,
[00:05:58] and the development of public space. However, the citizens themselves
[00:06:01] seem not to be very interested in the future of this part
[00:06:05] of the old city yet. Only two
[00:06:08] people attended the public discussion. The next stage before.
[00:06:42] begin building. However, citizens still have
[00:06:46] time to influence the possible future appearance of the quarter.
[00:06:49] How actively they will engage in the discussion will become
[00:06:52] clearer if projects in this
[00:06:55] quarter someday begin to take on more concrete
[00:06:59] outlines. The abandoned building of the former kindergarten
[00:07:01] on Gerasimova A5, the city secured it with its
[00:07:05] own efforts. The building is in private ownership, but
[00:07:08] it was impossible to get the owner to comply. Despite
[00:07:12] the abandoned building remained
[00:07:16] numerous warnings, open for a long time, access inside
[00:07:22] which was used, among others, by students of the nearby
[00:07:25] Kreenholm School. The bailiff arrested this
[00:07:28] property,
[00:07:31] then announced auctions for the alienation of this property,
[00:07:34] but no one was willing to acquire it, since the object is located
[00:07:38] in close proximity to the school institution, to Kreenholm
[00:07:41] School, so... when it was decided to carry out the so-called substitute
[00:07:45] enforcement,
[00:07:47] this is when we ourselves perform part of the work that the owner
[00:07:51] should have performed within the framework of the order, but the expenses
[00:07:55] for these works will then be claimed through the bailiff.
[00:07:59] Narva theater center Vabalava is once
[00:08:02] again under threat of closure, there is not enough money
[00:08:06] for operations. At the same time, the theater Südalinna, formerly the Russian
[00:08:09] Theater, plans to work more actively in...
[00:09:42] this is a very heavy and serious burden, and the theater
[00:09:45] cannot cope with it independently for the sole reason that we don't have
[00:09:49] a permanent representative here, we don't have employees working
[00:09:53] here. Of course, that's why we appealed to the mayor's office for
[00:09:56] help. Yes, the agreement
[00:09:59] is financial, without financial obligations. We help
[00:10:02] them with information, meaning we help
[00:10:05] disseminate information in our city's posters, in our
[00:10:09] educational institutions, and that is wonderful. The discussion about
[00:10:25] Narva together with Narva residents addresses
[00:10:28] current, and sometimes pressing issues. Furthermore,
[00:10:31] Vabalava hosts the only youth theater in the city
[00:10:35] in Estonian. We are all
[00:10:38] taxpayers, quite generously
[00:10:41] financing various theaters in small towns in Estonia, like Rakvere
[00:10:44] and Viljandi. We thought that if there was
[00:10:48] one permanent,
[00:10:51] primarily Estonian-speaking theater,
[00:10:55] the only one to the east of
[00:10:58] Rakvere, then it would just be, well,
[00:11:02] logical and correct, everyone would understand without
[00:11:04] explanations. Uh, but it turned out not to be that
[00:11:08] simple. Vabalava certainly does not want to oppose the Südalinna
[00:11:11] theater. These are two different theaters with different tasks;
[00:11:15] one cannot replace the other. But that is precisely
[00:11:18] why the question arises: if Vaba Lava truly leaves Narva,
[00:11:22] who will fill the resulting void? And is the state
[00:11:25] prepared to lose a platform that has worked for years where
[00:11:29] culture, language, and integration are especially
[00:11:41] for the construction of a new gas station. The city government
[00:11:44] issued a permit for work on the territory of the Baltic
[00:11:47] Power Plant. The project, worth about 100 million euros,
[00:11:51] is planned to be completed in 2028.
[00:11:59] It is intended primarily for electricity
[00:12:01] production and maintaining energy system
[00:12:04] reserves. The generated heat
[00:12:07] can be directed to the city's district heating system, up to
[00:12:10] 85 MW. However, the new station will not
[00:12:14] become the main source of heating for Narva. Natural gas
[00:12:17] or biomethane will be used as fuel. The technology
[00:12:21] allows for the future addition of hydrogen.
[00:12:25] We return to the main topic of the program. Not only Narva residents themselves
[00:12:29] discuss what Narva should be like; there is also plenty of advice
[00:12:32] from outsiders. But who should be listened to
[00:12:36] when it comes to the city's image, and how much should
[00:12:39] outside opinion influence it? We asked
[00:12:43] active Narva residents about
[00:12:44] this.
[00:12:49] I think it's always good when we also hear signals
[00:12:52] from outside, so that we can...
[00:13:25] beat this bad with that good and not want to talk about
[00:13:28] the bad. We must somehow promote, sell that period,
[00:13:32] which was, among other things, Soviet monuments, non-monuments,
[00:13:35] we still have cool architecture left from those times, why not
[00:13:39] implement it and use it, because after all, it exists, it's
[00:13:43] part of our history. The other question is how we
[00:13:46] do it. It's one thing when we do it for ourselves, and another thing to flirt with
[00:13:49] a neighbor who hasn't done much good for us
[00:13:53] lately, especially. Therefore, here again, we need to maintain
[00:13:56] a balance and not abandon it, but also develop it in a new way, in a new
[00:14:00] direction, listening also to the opinion of the state. Narva
[00:14:04] is a very clean, very beautiful city, we have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of,
[00:14:08] especially if we are talking about tourists.
[00:14:11] We also shouldn't be ashamed that we are the autumn capital,
[00:14:15] it doesn't in any way take away Tallinn's status
[00:14:17] as capital, although it sounds as if
[00:14:21] we are claiming something of the sort. In reality,
[00:14:24] it's a shame for the people, it's a shame
[00:14:27] for the organizers, because this year, well, probably the most
[00:14:30] massive autumn capital we had, the widest
[00:14:34] advertising of these events, well, there were very many events themselves, they
[00:14:38] literally piled on top of each other, and one must understand that behind all this
[00:14:41] stands the work of people, the work of our
[00:14:45] Narva people. Suddenly,
[00:14:48] the platform they created for celebrating, for
[00:14:52] rejoicing, for enjoying the autumn – this autumn
[00:14:55] is very pleasant this year for us, at least for now –
[00:14:59] this platform was used for
[00:15:02] some teachings, for
[00:15:05] some political statements. This, perhaps,
[00:15:08] one would like, one would like to avoid.
[00:15:11] I will quote: next time it's better just with flowers,
[00:15:14] indeed.
[00:15:19] And we move on to the studio discussion. I will introduce our guests: the director
[00:15:23] of the Narva Museum. Hello, good evening. And the chairman
[00:15:27] of the Narva City Council, chairman
[00:15:30] of the Tourism Commission, member of the Narva Museum Council,
[00:15:34] one of the authors of the idea, as I understand it,
[00:15:44] Narva already has a tourist slogan, or
[00:15:47] the city's slogan: Europe begins
[00:15:50] here. There were many disputes about the factual accuracy
[00:15:53] of such a statement. But we want to ask you about something else. If we were
[00:15:57] choosing such a slogan for Narva now, would
[00:16:01] you vote for the option "Narva - the most Russian
[00:16:05] city in Estonia"? Yes or?
[00:17:07] on the border. Narva is a border town. But this does not negate
[00:17:11] what is embedded in our slogan, "Europe
[00:17:14] begins here," a slogan that was, among other things, chosen through a public vote
[00:17:17] in 2021. Indeed, it is so.
[00:17:21] Urba, how would you vote?
[00:17:24] If you changed the words a bit and added
[00:17:27] additional words, the word "Russian" itself isn't the problem. The problem is how you
[00:17:31] raised the question. And if you look at it that way, I
[00:17:35] would say, then how about for...
[00:18:08] a rather strange concept, in my opinion, at least that's how it seems to me. But
[00:18:12] the case, or incident, with Riina Solman, who
[00:18:15] reprimanded us for such an initiative, was that
[00:18:19] appropriate at all, Maria?
[00:18:22] Well, listen, Riina Solman is a politician. All politicians tend
[00:18:26] to make loud statements, often resonant, expecting a specific
[00:18:30] reaction, primarily from their electorate. I think that
[00:18:33] this is already a priori inherent in a certain political
[00:18:37] game, one might say. At the same time, during the
[00:18:40] ceremony, the official ceremony of opening Narva as the Autumn Capital, nothing similar
[00:18:44] was said. It was a very beautiful ceremony, with wonderful
[00:18:47] wishes, with the transfer of symbolic
[00:18:50] attributes to the interim mayor of the city, Jan Todts. And I
[00:18:54] think that here one should treat it
[00:18:56] as such a loud political statement, on
[00:19:00] which, including the person Riina Solman, but she is first and foremost a politician here,
[00:19:04] certainly has the right to. Remember that, of course...