Ukuaru Music Hall Opens to Public

Text Timo Raussi
Photo City of Rakvere / Kaupo Kalda

The music hall Ukuaru, dedicated to the work of master composer Arvo Pärt, who spent his childhood and youth in Rakvere, will open to the public this weekend. Long standing in Rakvere’s streetscape looking rather abandoned, the twin-towered “torso” had in fact functioned for decades as a sports hall and youth centre. Originally, it was a church building.

The church was designed in 1935 by architect Alar Kotli, but construction work begun a couple of years later was never completed to its intended extent due to lack of funds. When Bishop Johann Kõpp of the Estonian Lutheran Church consecrated the Church of St Paul in June 1940, its towers lacked the planned tall spires, and a separate wing for parish offices was never built. Almost miraculously, the building was not damaged during the Second World War.

The organ for the church, however, was completed in 1942, although history now seems to be repeating itself in this respect. Last spring, the City of Rakvere stated that it does not have the funds to equip Ukuaru with concert organs costing more than two million euros, at least not right away. City leaders have also argued that the indoor climate of the building must first stabilise and be completely dust-free before organ installation can begin.

In 1951, the church was handed over to the use of the then Soviet-occupied city following the merger of two congregations. The main hall was converted into two levels, and the spaces were used for playing both basketball and volleyball. Some rooms served as a weightlifting gym, others as youth facilities, right up until 2016.

A lesser-known detail is that in the early 1990s, after Estonia had regained its independence, a tiny Torni Bar also operated in one of the towers. Furnished with room for only a couple of tables, it became a place where young athletes and the local underground crowd spent time together in easy harmony—fans of punk and rock, as well as blues and rockabilly. Some drank beer, others ate the bar’s only “food”, grilled sandwiches, while others listened to music and talked about everything worldly and impossible. Photographs of the bar reportedly exist, but only in private family albums.

And where does the name Ukuaru come from? Klarika Sander-Komulainen, who organises language and cultural trips to Estonia, explains: “Ukuaru is not only an Estonian place name in Järva County, but also the title of a novel by Veera Saare, set in the 1930s, and of a film based on the book. The film’s signature music is the Ukuaru Waltz composed by Arvo Pärt. The word symbolises home, nature, and inner resilience—a place where a person builds their own life despite difficulties.”

As a result of persistent effort, Rakvere has gained a new venue for concerts and events, already praised by experts for its acoustics. The opening weekend concerts sold out long ago, but winter and spring events can be browsed, for example, here. News related to Rakvere, as well as sightseeing and travel tips, can in turn be found in our own news archive.

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Arvo Pärt Church Concert events music Rakvere Ukuaru