Kalamaja wooden district

Kalamaja is a district of weathered, two-story wooden houses covered in horizontal siding. These buildings served as housing for workers at the nearby shipyards and factories during the late nineteenth century. Many residents spent their lives here in cramped quarters, sharing outdoor toilets and kitchens while the industrial hum of the city grew around them. Today, these same narrow streets feature brightly painted facades and quiet courtyards that stand in stark contrast to the district’s grit and soot of a century ago.