On 13 September the Estonian government announced its decision to allocate 17.7 million euros to complete the construction and furnishing of the National Library of Estonia. Funds for completing the renovation work will come from the state budget, with a portion of the funds coming from resources already allocated to the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research.

“My goal has been to complete unfinished construction projects before starting new ones. The Tõnismägi building of the National Library is celebrating its anniversary this week, with its grand opening having taken place on 11 September 1993. Therefore, it is symbolic and especially gratifying that the government has made this long-awaited decision now,” said Estonian Minister of Culture Heidy Purga.

The renovation work of the National Library’s Tõnismägi building is expected to be completed by the summer of 2025.

According to Martin Öövel, Director General of the National Library, the library is planned to open to visitors in 2027, as the entire procurement and moving process will take approximately two years from the funding decision.

Another significant change is that various institutions will also have space in the National Library. The National Archives will move into the renovated building, occupying one wing of the building. They hope to partially move in by 2026, although the cinema hall planned in the building will likely not open until the rest of the facility is ready. “The cinema is intended to showcase the Estonian film heritage more broadly, and in this 87-seat theater, visitors can enjoy both old films from reels and digitised film heritage,” explained National Archivist Priit Pirsko.

A cooperation agreement has also been signed with the innovation lab Vivita, and negotiations are ongoing with both the Tallinn University of Technology and EdTech Estonia which brings together and represents Estonian education technology companies.

According to Öövel, such a cooperation model could help distribute the limited budget for furnishing. “Once we reach the phase where we have taken possession of the building and can move forward with more concrete negotiations, we will know exactly how the space will be divided,” he explained.