Tallinn's 'Treaure Island'

  • 2008-01-09
  • In cooperation with BNS

TALLINN 's- Dubai has them in the shape of a palm tree, the Netherlands is planning them in the shape of tulip and now Tallinn is wonderingwhether it should get the must-have accessory of the modern nation state 's an artificialisland.

On Jan. 8, Tallinncity council announced it would establish acommission to look into building a man-made island in Paljassaare Bay.

A Centrist member of the city council, Mart Sults, made the proposal tostudy the possibility of such a project last November. As he sees it, an islandcould be built in the bay west of Paljassaare peninsula in northern Tallinn onwhich all the city's casino's should be relocated 's a sort of voluntary Alcatraz forhigh-rollers, in other words.

Sults sees himself as chairman of the future panel. The city governmentwould rather charge the municipal land board to appoint the commission andoversee its work.

The city government also thinks the commission should examine questions ofbuilding in the sea more broadly than just for 'casino island'.

According to Sults' idea, the cost of the construction would be borne bycasinos and other entertainment institutions settling on the island.

The council member says Tallinn would thus free itself of troublesome gaminghalls and they would no longer be an eyesore in the cityscape.

City council chairman Toomas Vitsut suggested in 2004 when he was serving asdeputy mayor of Tallinn that all casinos of the capital city be banished toexisting Aegna Island.