Two important cultural agreements were signed in Tartu
Tartu City Government Press Release
/ On 19 December 2022, the Mayor of Tartu, Urmas Klaas, and the Chairman of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Margus Allikmaa, signed an agreement at Tartu Town Hall to finance the Tartu Downtown Cultural Centre. In addition, Minister of Culture Piret Hartman and Mayor Urmas Klaas signed a Memorandum of Understanding, with which planning for the establishment of the Tartu Art Museum Foundation will begin.
According to the financing agreement for the Downtown Cultural Centre, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia will finance 67% of the construction cost of the Cultural Centre, while the City of Tartu will contribute 33%. The estimated cost of the Cultural Centre is EUR 73.7 million (EUR 88.4 million including VAT). The estimated cost will be adjusted by the construction price index before the contract for the construction of the Cultural Centre is signed, which is currently scheduled for the second half of 2026.
According to the Mayor of Tartu, Urmas Klaas, the recently signed financing agreement is one of the most important milestones in the process of planning the Downtown Cultural Centre. ‘We can now move ahead with complete confidence in the planning of the Cultural Centre and announce an architectural competition at the start of the New Year. Tartu has been Estonia’s cultural and spiritual capital for hundreds of years, and the intertwined cultural fields deserve a first-class new home here. I am certain that the Downtown Cultural Centre will bring a new breath of life and rhythm to the cultural life of South Estonia.’
Margus Allikmaa, Chairman of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia: ‘This is the fourth contract for the Cultural Endowment in support of the construction of a nationally important cultural building. I am incredibly grateful to the Tartu City Government for this negotiation process; it wasn’t easy, we learned together, but in the end, we learned a lot. It will be much easier for the Cultural Endowment of Estonia to conclude subsequent contracts, as four other nationally important cultural projects are still waiting their turn,’ added Allikmaa.
In the Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of the Tartu Art Museum Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the City of Tartu agreed on the expectations for the joint foundation.
‘The establishment of a foundation will not affect the substantive work of the Tartu Art Museum; however, operating as a foundation will give the museum a more flexible management model and will enable it to involve more and more local residents in its activities. In the future, visitors will hopefully enjoy an even better museum experience than today. The Tartu Art Museum is, was, and will continue to remain a guiding light in the art scene of South Estonia,’ said Minister of Culture Piret Hartman.
The main objectives of the Foundation are the long-term preservation and development of the state-owned museum collection, social responsibility and good governance, and sustainable management. Among other things, they agreed to work together on the creation of the Downtown Cultural Centre in Tartu, reducing the museum’s environmental footprint, making the museum’s collections and services accessible, and providing educational activities and an inspiring exhibition programme.
Last changed 20.12.2022
