Tomorrow, on 27 September at 15.00 the Estonian Embassy building will be ceremoniously re-opened in Berlin. President Lennart Meri will take part in the opening as well. Estonia is one of the few countries, which has the embassy situated in the same building in Berlin, where it worked already before World War II.
The Republic of Estonia bought a dwelling-house completed in 1895 in Berlin in the city quarter of Tiergarten in 1920. The same year the Estonian Embassy was opened in it, also the dwelling rooms of diplomats were located in the building. President Meri spent part of his childhood in the present embassy building, since his father Georg Meri worked during the years 1934-1936 in the embassy as a diplomat.
After the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union the embassy had to cease its work in August 1940 and the building was given over to the Soviet Union. In connection with the war between Germany and the Soviet Union having started the following summer the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany moved into the building. In the course of the war almost the whole block of buildings in Hildebrandstraße was destroyed, only three houses remained standing, house No. 5 among them.
After the end of World War II the occupation authorities obligated the city administration of Berlin to administer the house, that in its turn obligated a lawyer to run it as a house to let. The entry in the register of real estate of Berlin remained unchanged - the owner of Hildebrandstraße 5 was Republik Eesti.
Since 1991 the Republic of Estonia is again the plenipotentiary owner of the house together with all the obligations proceeding from it. The last tenant moved out of the house in May 1999 and in August 2000 after a long preparation period reconstruction works were started. Since 1 June 2001 the building houses working rooms of the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia and the residence of the ambassador.
Additional information on the past and present of the embassy, as well as photos available for reading and seeing on the home page of the Estonian Berlin-embassy at the address http://www.estemb.de
PRESS SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE
Tel (372) 6317654
The Republic of Estonia bought a dwelling-house completed in 1895 in Berlin in the city quarter of Tiergarten in 1920. The same year the Estonian Embassy was opened in it, also the dwelling rooms of diplomats were located in the building. President Meri spent part of his childhood in the present embassy building, since his father Georg Meri worked during the years 1934-1936 in the embassy as a diplomat.
After the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union the embassy had to cease its work in August 1940 and the building was given over to the Soviet Union. In connection with the war between Germany and the Soviet Union having started the following summer the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany moved into the building. In the course of the war almost the whole block of buildings in Hildebrandstraße was destroyed, only three houses remained standing, house No. 5 among them.
After the end of World War II the occupation authorities obligated the city administration of Berlin to administer the house, that in its turn obligated a lawyer to run it as a house to let. The entry in the register of real estate of Berlin remained unchanged - the owner of Hildebrandstraße 5 was Republik Eesti.
Since 1991 the Republic of Estonia is again the plenipotentiary owner of the house together with all the obligations proceeding from it. The last tenant moved out of the house in May 1999 and in August 2000 after a long preparation period reconstruction works were started. Since 1 June 2001 the building houses working rooms of the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia and the residence of the ambassador.
Additional information on the past and present of the embassy, as well as photos available for reading and seeing on the home page of the Estonian Berlin-embassy at the address http://www.estemb.de
PRESS SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE
Tel (372) 6317654
