Nearly 6000 people visited the Riigikogu Open House Day

NordenBladet —

Many visitors came from foreign countries, like Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

The Open House Day started with a musical greeting by the Pipe Band of the Defence League Sakala Unit on the balcony of Toompea Castle. President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar welcomed the visitors in the courtyard of the Castle.

The representative rooms and working rooms of the Riigikogu as well as the offices of parliamentary groups, where the people could meet the members of the Riigikogu, were open all day. Guided tours of the Riigikogu and visits to the Tall Hermann Tower were very popular among guests. Members of the Riigikogu Yoko Alender, Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski, Eduard Odinets, Anti Poolamets, Pipi-Liis Siemann and Kristo Enn Vaga were among tour guides. The guided tours were conducted in Estonian, English and Russian, as well as Ukrainian and the Estonian sign language.

Members of the Riigikogu Vadim Belobrovtsev, Eduard Odinets, Liisa Pakosta, Henn Põlluaas, Pipi-Liis Siemann and Riina Solman participated in a debate on integration held in the café of the Riigikogu. The discussion was moderated by Urmas Vaino.

Five school teams and two Riigikogu teams took part in the traditional Open House Day Quiz. The first prize went to team Riigikogu 1, which consisted of members of the Riigikogu Arvo Aller, Andrei Korobeinik, Eerik-Niiles Kross and Peeter Tali. The third prize and the title of the best school team went to the team of Rakvere State Upper Secondary School (Ainar Tropp, Henri Ljaš, Mikk Bobõlski and Liisi Mülla). The quiz was prepared and conducted by acknowledged quiz players Indrek Salis and Aare Olander.

To mark the Cultural Diversity Year, the Estonian Open Air Museum had set up workshops by Kuie School, and offered a typical interwar selection of goods from Lau village shop. In the workshops of the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union, the guests had the possibility to make a good luck cross, a whirligig and a himmeli (reed decoration), and to weave a heart braid.

Tallinn Central Library with its activity and language games and Katarina Jee Mobile Library was also present. The National Library of Estonia gave guests the opportunity to test their knowledge. The State Elder August Rei Foundation offered the possibility to complete a crash course in Estonian history and take a picture against the backdrop of August Rei photo wall. The day was closed with Good Mood Concert by folk music group EHALE.

With the Open House Day, the Riigikogu celebrated its 105th anniversary. The first representative body elected by the people in independent Estonia – the Constituent Assembly – convened in Tallinn on 23 April 1919. Since 1999, the Riigikogu commemorates this event with an Open House Day. This year, the Open House Day took place for the 24th time.

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu).

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Nearly 6000 people visited the Riigikogu Open House Day

Source: Parliament of Estonia