Jõhvi is the capital of Ida Viru, the eastern county of Estonia. At first glance, it is
tempting to write it off as a Soviet leftover, best driven through at the fastest speed
possible. Certainly other towns in the area still have a completely Russian feel but
Jõhvi is clearly trying to promote co-existence. This must be its future, with a
population one-third Estonian and two-thirds Russian. The town is re-establishing
an Estonian identity, without trying to hide a Russian past of half a century. This is
seen in the variety of shops recently established and the enormous rebuilding
programme under way in the town centre. The development of exports, such as
dairy products, is still geared to Russia. However, a reasonable hotel and a new
concert hall now provide an excellent pretext for staying.
Architecturally, the Town Hall, which dominates the centre,
can only be Estonian with its mixture of Functionalism and Classicism. Some
neighbouring Soviet horrors can therefore be forgiven. The nearby Lutheran
church has also survived the frequent changes in secular regimes and managed to
win support from all of them despite the execution of two vicars, one in 1918 and
one in 1941. This latter fact gives it the macabre distinction of being the only
church in Estonia with two martyrs. The Soviets in a small way redeemed themselves by keeping the church open and by rebuilding the organ in the early
1950s. This organ (the first of six produced in Soviet Estonia) was destroyed by the
installation of central heating in the 1980s. In 1984, the Soviets also rebuilt the
tower, which had been destroyed by the Germans in 1943. It should be open to the
public in 2007. A Swedish congregation presented a new organ in 1996.
As the church was as much a castle as a place of worship, it has a complex array
of tunnels and hiding places. The pulpit has frequently been repainted, but the
design is the original early 18th-century Baroque. The altar is modern, but the six
steps that lead up to it disguise a cover for an extended cellar which over many
centuries housed supplies and hid troops. Now it hosts exhibitions, and an audioguide
is available to give further background to the history of the church. As more
excavations are carried out, further 17th-18th century woodwork is being revealed
and some 19th-century Bibles have been discovered.
