People from many countries visited the Riigikogu on its Open House Day
Thousands of guests from both Estonia and many other countries visited Toompea Castle today, on 25 April, during the Riigikogu Open House Day to learn about the work of the Parliament of Estonia the Riigikogu and meet with members of parliament. Among them were visitors from Spain, England, Japan, Ireland, India, Poland, Algeria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Chile.
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. This year’s special programme was dedicated to the upcoming 35th anniversary of the restoration of the independence of Estonia.
In his welcoming speech, President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar expressed his delight that people continued to show great interest in both the historic Toompea Castle building and the work of parliament. “You can go and count all the steps of the stairs of the Tall Hermann tower, visit the parliamentary groups, and take part in tours. And, of course, you can grab any member of Riigikogu here by the lapel and ask what they have accomplished and what they still want to achieve in the coming year before the next Riigikogu elections,” Hussar said.
The Open House Day program was filled with activities, and as usual, the guided tours were very popular. Members of the Riigikogu Anti Poolamets and Raimond Kaljulaid were also among the tour guides.
During the traditional café discussion, members of the Riigikogu Luisa Värk, Madis Kallas, Lauri Laats, Arvo Aller, Irja Lutsar and Aivar Kokk discussed the threats and benefits of social media. The discussion was moderated by Urmas Vaino.
Four school teams and two Riigikogu teams took part in the traditional Open House Day Quiz. Team Riigikogu 2 (Arvo Aller, Toivo Mängel, Peeter Tali and Eerik-Niiles Kross) won the first place. Team Riigikogu 1 came the second. The third place and the title of the best school team was awarded to Gustav Adolf Grammar School (Kristo Marten Muru, Kert Kaspar Kukk, Otto Samuel Kahar and Paul Holger Luhtein). The quiz was prepared and conducted by acknowledged quiz players Indrek Salis and Aare Olander.
The activities relating to the special programme dedicated to restoration of independence were be provided by the August 20th Club, VABAMU Museum of Occupations and Freedom, TV Tower, National Library of Estonia, and Tallinn Libraries. Katariina Jee Mobile Library was also at Toompea. Visitors could listen to history lectures by Jaak Juske and State Elder August Rei Foundation. Volunteers of the Women’s Home Defence sold the Blue Hepatica Campaign souvenirs to support the Estonian war veterans. The day ended with a concert by the Estonian TV Children’s Choir.
The Riigikogu celebrated its 107th anniversary on this year’s Open House Day. The first representative body elected by the people in independent Estonia – the Constituent Assembly – convened in Tallinn on 23 April 1919. The Riigikogu has been holding an annual Open House Day to celebrate that event since 1999. This year, the Open House Day took place for the 26th time.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu).
Riigikogu Press Service
Maiki Vaikla
+372 631 6456
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