Mustamäe, Residential subdistrict in Tallinn, Estonia.
Mustamäe is a residential subdistrict in the southwestern part of Tallinn, made up of long concrete apartment blocks separated by open green areas and schools. The streets follow a grid layout, and the buildings are typically several stories tall, giving the area a very consistent look across its entire surface.
Construction in Mustamäe started in 1962, making it the first large-scale housing project in Tallinn under Soviet urban planning, and it grew steadily until 1973. The buildings put up during that period are still standing today and define the overall look of the area.
The name Mustamäe means "Black Hill" in Estonian, though the area is flat and the name likely refers to the dark soil once found here. Today the streets are lined with long concrete apartment buildings, giving the place a very recognizable look that many Tallinn residents associate with everyday city life.
Mustamäe is well connected to central Tallinn by buses and trolleybuses, making it easy to reach from other parts of the city. Once there, the area is easy to walk around since the blocks are spread out and there is plenty of open space between them.
Tallinn University of Technology sits inside the district, bringing thousands of students into a neighborhood that was originally built purely for housing. The contrast between the university campus and the surrounding apartment blocks is quite noticeable when walking through the area.
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