Tartu Student Village celebrated it’s 25th birthday in 2022! On this occasion, we put together a brief overview of what has been achieved during these 25 years and what the history of the student residences is.
A bit of history
The history of Tartu Student Village dates back to 1991. In that year, a small company called the Student Village of the University of Tartu, was formed on the basis of the university student residences that were under the administration of the University of Tartu’s economics department. It was supposed to ensure the self-sufficiency of the residential buildings, improvement of living conditions, financial responsibility of students and release of faculties from dealing with the buildings. Previously, student residences were divided between faculties and students of the same faculty lived in a specific residence. 7 student residences went under the management of the Student Village.
In 1997, the small company became the non-profit organization Tartu Student Village, which continued to manage the buildings belonging to the University of Tartu. Most residential buildings have interesting backstories and even their own legends.
The first office of the Student Village was located on Vallikraavi street. In 2003, the office moved to the student residence in Narva mnt 25.
Student residences in Tartu
The first renovation project started in 1999 with Pepleri 14 student residence.
The construction year of the Pepler 14 building is 1968 and it was renovated in 2001. The renovation work took place in two parts – first, the 2nd-4th floor and a few years later also the 1st floor. The student residence is still popular among students due to its apartment-style rooms that offer more privacy. A bar called Kotka Kelder (the Eagel’s Cellar) operated for 21 years in the basement of the Pepler 14 student residence.
The construction of the Raatuse 22 student residence began in 2001 and the building was completed in September 2002. In the early years, the student residence housed a cafe, a video rental and the Raatuse Driving School. This building has the most rooms out of all the other student residences.
Next, the Tiigi 14 building, built in 1964, was renovated in 2002. It is the only student residence with large open windows and “French balconies” in the kitchens. In one of the basement rooms of the residence, the youth organization AIESEC operated for many years, and instead of the current bicycle room, a cafe-bar called Tööjuures (At Work) was a popular eatery.
In August 2003, the renovated Narva mnt 25 student residence was opened. The year of construction of the building is 1970, and during the renovation, the balconies, which are open before, were closed and used as extensions of the rooms. The residential buildings at Narva mnt 25 and Narva mnt 27 were the tallest buildings in Tartu in the year they were built and were even called skyscrapers.
The following year, the newly renovated Narva mnt 27 student residence, which was built a year later than Narva mnt 25, was opened to students. Until 2015, a night club called Club Tallinn and also a fast food restaurant operated at Narva mnt 27b.
The Purde 27 student residence was given for managing to the Tartu Student Village in 2001, and the 4th stairway of the residence was renovated and opened for accommodation in 2005. This was also the last part of the renovation project.
The student residence at Narva mnt 89 was built in 1968, but it did not fit into the initial renovation project. The city of Tartu also considered demolishing the building in order to extend Pikk street. In 2006, an access system was installed in the residence, and the shower rooms on the basement floor were renovated in the summer. In the early years, there was a cafe and a bar in the lobby.
The facade of the building was renovated in 2015-2016. New shower rooms and toilets were built on each floor at the ends of both wings, and a new kitchen was built on each floor.
The corridors and rooms of the short wing of the residence were renovated in 2020, and the rooms and corridors of the long wing were renovated in 2021.
The student residence was nicknamed Mordor among the students, and this nickname was probably also the inspiration for this room’s door.
The Nooruse 7 student residence also did not fit into the initial renovation project. In 2005, all kitchens were renovated and an access system was installed. The reconstruction of the building will take place in 2023 – 2024.
Student residences in Viljandi
Two student residences in Viljandi – Väike 6 and Jakobsoni 41 – were given to the Tartu Student Village for managing in 2016. Both student residences have been renovated before that.
Student residence in Narva
In 2020, a newly built student residence was opened in Narva at Kerese 14. The student residence won the 2020 Cultural Capital’s main prize in the field of architecture.
