Urbanites in the country. Spatio-cultural analysis of a summer house

The increase in leisure time has been one of the most critical factors shaping living environments and lifestyles in contemporary era. The movement between urban and rural areas reflects the need for city dwellers to maintain connections with the countryside. One such reference point is the summerhouse areas built in Estonia in the peri-urban zones during the Soviet period. By combining architectural history and ethnology, we aim to develop a comprehensive spatio-cultural understanding of the role of the second home in 20th-century Estonia. We will focus primarily on the Soviet-era summer cottage as a unique spatial complex, one of the focal points of everyday life and leisure. The research project will involve work with archival sources, oral histories, and material culture, along with interdisciplinary fieldwork. The project results will be applied in a museological context, preparing for the transfer and exhibition of a Soviet-era summer cottage to the Estonian Open Air Museum.