Background

Karksi-Nuia, an ancient settlement in South Estonia, is situated on the southwestern slope of a pre-historic valley and is particularly known for its beautiful nature and rich cultural life. The Halliste River, glittering in the bottom of the valley, is popular with holidaymakers, fishermen and people who enjoy recreational sports. Its interesting cultural history and old traditions attract local and foreign visitors.

Objectives

The Karksi-Nuia Future City Game focused on ideas that could be implemented in the town and its surrounding areas. The players represented a wide spectrum of bodies and institutions, ranging from the chairman and members of the town council, directors of the culture centre and Open Youth Club to students. Many of the players had no experience of working across sectors, so as well as the ideas generated, the game also aimed to encourage working and networking across a range of skills and disciplines.

The chairman of the town council was impressed by the creativity of the ideas generated during the game and students’ interest in the town’s development. It was agreed that the young players would present the winning idea to the City Council during the next meeting. The residents were invited to the Open Youth Centre to take a look at the ideas on display. During the weeks that followed, the teams continued to meet regularly to discuss further the possible development of the ideas. Not surprisingly, all final ideas were related to the cultural history and tourism in the area.

The game was co-organised by the Karksi-Nuia Municipality, the Karksi-Nuia Open Youth Centre, and sponsored by the Estonian Open Youth Club Union.

Winning idea

August Kitzberg Grammar School

The winning idea transforms the current local grammar school, named after the famous Estonian playwright August Kitzberg, into a secondary school specialising on literature and theatre studies. The school would be unique in Estonia, and would attract young talents who could continue their studies at the Tartu University Viljandi Culture Academy, located only 35km from Karksi-Nuia. It would also become a practice base for students of the Academy and the Viljandi Ugala Theatre. Due to the reform of Estonian education, many schools are being closed or merged, and the same might happen to the school in Karksi-Nuia. However, the new school’s profile would ensure its existence.

Winning ideas from the other teams

Multi-functional Tourist Centre

This team presented a detailed plan on how to transform Karksi-Nuia into a tourist attraction by combining private and state funding and by encouraging local initiatives. Their idea was to make the most of the beautiful valley surroundings and the Castle Hill and design new services around the already existing attractions.

Karksi-Nuia Castle Hill Theme Park

An essential feature of Karksi-Nuia is a deep valley and the Castle Hill area with the ruins of a stronghold. The area is still used for recreational purposes by local residents. The idea provides new content for the Castle Hill area that would appeal to locals, as well as Estonian and international tourists. The team developed a new infrastructure for the area, including catering, sports and accommodation facilities.