Hamburg Estonian School 20
Kristi Grünberg, Head of the Hamburg Estonian School, writes about the school’s past and present.
The official first day of school was held at the Estonian School in Hamburg on 27 August 2005. It was the first extracurricular school in Germany since the 1970s, when the last Estonian School had ceased its activities. In its early years, the school operated as a project of the Estonian Society in Germany (Eesti Ühiskond Saksamaal, EÜSL), and in November 2006 the Estonian School in Hamburg was registered as a sub-organisation of the EÜSL.
The idea of the school was born out of the wish of members of the Hamburg HEA Society Liilika Mahhanssur-Allevi, Laura Balzer, Ira Widderich and Riina Leminsky to encourage Estonian-language contacts between children and families and to teach Estonian culture to children. In addition, there was a desire to assure the children that they are not ‘aliens’ – that Estonian is not a language that no one else knows. When it came to moving from the idea to analysis, it was discovered that there were more families with children in Hamburg and nearby than had been thought at the time, and there was also a breeding ground for the initial idea.
Since the members of the HEA Society were very busy with their jobs and other social commitments, they did not think it was possible for them to establish the school themselves at that moment. They turned to Tiina Kälissaare, who took on the important task with Reet Meyer.
Preliminary work for the opening of the school began in 2004 – at the EÜSL annual meeting on 20 November, Tiina Kälissaar presented the plan for the establishment of the school. For its part, the EÜSL decided to support the school with €100 per month. In the first half of 2005, suitable premises were found, cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research was established, parents were informed, students were registered. A trial day was also held on 21 May 2005.
Tiina Kälissaar looks back: “We had several conversations with the mothers Riina Leminsky, Laura Balzer, Ira Widderich, Liilika Mahhanssur-Allev about the desire to teach the Estonian language to the children. A decision matured together – we will establish the Estonian School in Hamburg. Having trained and worked as a primary school teacher, I accepted the challenge of leading the school.
The revival of the Estonian School was of special importance to me. In 1995, I wrote my thesis at Tallinn Pedagogical University on the topic of “The Life and Works of Herman Rajamaa”. Herman Rajamaa was the initiator of Estonian schools in Sweden, the coordinator of the global network of Estonian schools and the author of educational literature in Estonian.
In the course of writing my thesis, I became acquainted with the history of the formation and development of Estonian schools in post-war Estonian communities abroad. I was moved by people’s enthusiasm and their aspiration to maintain Estonianness while living abroad and to pass it on to their children. Despite the fact that in the political situation at the time they had no way of predicting whether they would ever return to their beloved homeland. While the Estonian schools in Germany were active in the 1950s and 1960s, they completely disappeared in the 1970s due to the growth of the third generation and the continued isolation of Estonia.
In 2005, there were quite different conditions for starting a school, but the idea and purpose remained the same. The youngsters who came to Germany to babysit or study in the 1990s after Estonia restored its independence had created families where children were bilingual. The rumour of a school being established spread verbally, Facebook and Co had not yet been invented.
We also found women with pedagogical education and work experience in the local Estonian community. Reet Meyer agreed to guide preschoolers and Larissa Nizker volunteered for singing lessons. I took it upon myself to manage the school and teach school-age children.
As an Estonian school, we first had to prove who we are and what we do. Over time, however, we became known and recognised. New Estonian Sunday schools and groups for children could be marked all across the map of Germany and Europe. Today, Estonian schools in Germany also operate in Munich, Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt. The pages of Eesti Rada are full of wonderful articles about events in our schools. The Institute of the Estonian Language has a separate department that deals with Estonian schools abroad. Developing the Estonian language for children in Estonian communities abroad has become a priority. The schools have received comprehensive support from the Estonian state and Estonian communities abroad.
I am very pleased that the Hamburg Estonian School has reached its 20th anniversary. I hope that the next few years will be just as successful. Happy school days in learning and teaching Estonian!”
Schoolwork took place from 2005 to 2006 in the premises of Kindervilla Fruchtallee e.V. Since 2006, due to a lack of space, the school has been moved to the premises of the Finnish Seamen’s Church, where the school still operates today.
The school met twice a month from 2005 to 2016, once a month from 2016 to 2022 and has met every three weeks since the autumn of 2022.
The school was managed by Tiina Kälissaar between 2005 and 2010, by Ave Vals between 2010 and 2016 and by Kristi Grünberg since 2016.
Ave Vals recalls: “The Estonian School in Hamburg was born out of a love for language and culture. I took over the management of the school from Tiina because I felt that this place was very important for our community. This is how Saturday’s school days became our heart – full of songs, games and learning. Estonian was not just a subject for children, but a connection with parents and grandparents, our stories, songs and identity.
It has been a place where families get together – where children learn the language, sing, play and keep in touch with their roots. Friendships have emerged here, new generations have grown, and a community has emerged that makes me truly delighted and proud.
I had the honour of leading this school for six years. These years were full of warmth, creativity and cooperation – with the joint strength of teachers, children and parents. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who has contributed to this journey – be it at the desk in class, cooking cakes, organising events or simply being there. The journey included joy as well as challenges, small steps and big leaps. But every teacher, parent and student did their part to keep the school alive. Looking back now, my heart is full of gratitude.”
In 20 years, 15 teachers, two substitute teachers and one visiting teacher have been active in the school:
- Since 2005 Reet Meyer
- 2005-2010 Tiina Kälissaar
- 2005-2009 Larissa Nizker
- 2005-2011 Ülle Röber
- 2006-2009, 2011-2015 Liilika M. Allev
- 2006-2010 Kaja Telschow
- 2007-2019 Ave Vals
- 2007-2008 Erge Weinert
- Since 2009 Triin Engelke
- 2010-2012 Kerttu River
- 2012-2016 Anniki Nugis
- 2012-2013 Kadri Reichard
- 2013, since 2016 Kristi Grünberg
- 2013-2015, since 2017 Kaur Kask
- 2015-2017 Susan Lahesalu
Laura Balzer and Jette Vood assisted as substitute teachers, Ivo Reinok acted as a guest teacher once. Students have included babies, toddlers, preschoolers, young school groups, school-age children, teenagers and even adult Estonians abroad and their German parents.
In total, 159 children have attended school in 20 years. Last year it was an honour to welcome the first child of an alumni of the Estonian School in Hamburg.
In the past nine months, Sigrit Vetter, a parent and head of the Hamburg Estonian Society, and I have been compiling a book marking the anniversary of the Hamburg Estonian School. Looking back at my nine years as headmaster and more than ten years as a teacher at the Estonian School in Hamburg, I would like to highlight ‘concerted’ as the biggest keyword (in all senses of the phrase).
In 20 years, a lot has changed – we have gone through the digital revolution, we can write instant messages to each other, we no longer have to pay huge sums of money to talk to each other on the phone and all the news reach us instantly. However, there is also an overabundance of it, sometimes so much so that our hard work is buried under other events and entertainment. I must also admit, however, that the basics of our voluntary work have remained the same – the love for the community and its sustainability has guided us from the very beginning. On the day of the celebration, it is, of course, pleasant to remember all the good things, to list all the successes and success stories. However, life happens with ups and downs, and I would also like to remind you that all this work is sometimes very difficult and nerve-wracking.
When we look at active communities from the outside, it often feels like we have a tremendous amount of free time as individuals to organize everything. When the state issues subsidies, it gives the impression that we like to waste taxpayers’ money. If we want to invite guests from Estonia to perform, there is often a presumption in the air that our wallets are bulging with money and that the sky is the limit – transport, accommodation, fees, daily allowances...
The reality, however, is that all active members of the community have exactly the same 24 hours a day and a non-existent financial background. Having written a book and managed a school, I can describe the reality: The lion’s share of tasks is done by burning the midnight oil when the mind is numb and eyes are sleepy. This work is unpaid – our projects become a reality thanks to grants, which, of course, we are extremely grateful for, but which in turn require preparation and thorough follow-up in the form of reports. For example, we started the book project in December 2024, when we spent the Christmas holidays writing an application for publishing the book.
However, our true reward lies in good words, recognition, appreciation by the state and the people, our conscience reassuring us that we have done something important for the sustainability of our small Estonian community – what could be more important than teaching our children Estonian language and culture? Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people who want to take on such work ‘free of charge’. I often get frustrated and feel like nobody cares. In Hamburg, we are blessed with parents and community members who often remind us, managers and teachers, of how grateful they are for our work.
Hence my great wish for the future: Let us remind all those who nurture our nation, language and culture every day in expatriate Estonian communities – THANK YOU! Thank you for doing what can be the subject of another 350-page book in twenty years, articles and anniversary celebrations. Thank you for being there.
Kristi Grünberg, Head of the Hamburg Estonian School
