Construction, Estonia, History, Legislation, Real Estate

The panel of judges also deemed works involving such keywords as "Esimese Wabariigi nägu" ("Face of the First Republic"), "Nurgakivi" ("Cornerstone"), "Piir" ("Border"), "Puhkav president" ("Resting President") and "Patsi Plats" ("Pats' Square") as worthy of the prize of the idea competition.

Tallinn University professor emeritus and head of the panel of judges Rein Veidemann said that reaching a decision required in-depth discussions. "There was debate among the judges over which work best conveys Pats' role and meaning to Estonian society, no real consensus was reached, but the artistic value and effectiveness of the work in urban space proved to be the decisive factor," he said.

"There has been a lot of debate about Konstantin Pats, but one thing is clear -- he is important," Trivimi Velliste, chairman of the board of Konstantin Patsi Muuseum, said. He added that it is difficult to imagine Estonian statehood without Pats. "So far, there is no monument to Konstantin Pats in the public space of our capital, it is a pity that many of the initiators of the idea of the monument, who came into contact with Pats in their youth, were unable to wait for the celebration of the monument."

The idea competition was held from December 2019 to April 2020. Altogether 24 designs were submitted, of which 23 qualified to be assessed by a panel of judges consisting of Tallinn University professor emeritus Rein Veidemann, chairman of the board of Konstantin Patsi Muuseum Trivimi Velliste, members of the Estonian Association of Architects Ott Kadarik and Peeter Pere, 

representatives of the Estonian Artists' Association Krista Kodres and Elo Liiv, head of Tallinn's city planning department Ignar Fjuk, writer and diplomat Jaak Joeruut, head of the Tallinn environment and public utilities board Ain Valdmann and head of A. H. Tammsaare Museum Maarja Vaino. 

Konstantin Pats (1874-1956) was one of the fathers of Estonia's independence and served five times as the country's head of government following independence. Pats also served as prime minister of Estonia in duties of the state elder and as president regent before becoming president in April 1938. Pats's actions in staging a coup in 1934 which saw the banning of all political parties and ushered in a period known as "Era of Silence," and especially his actions during the run-up to the Soviet takeover and at the time of the takeover itself in 1940 have earned him a controversial status in Estonia's history.