Page 83 - Lihula viinavabrik

8 Summary
In Estonia and elsewhere in the world, an abandoned and dilapidated building resource is gaining more and more ground. In Estonia, almost a quarter of our building heritage is in poor or even emergency condition. Regional spatial specificity and identity are in danger of extinction - the genius loci is in danger. These are not isolated problems, but the temporary consequence of shrinking population, which is most critical in rural areas.
In today's globalizing and changing age, the most important spatial issues are energy efficiency and the disappearing spatial identity. The advent of new technologies and the ever-changing needs of space require an adaptive approach. The best way to preserve something and extend its life is to find a new use for it. Adaptive reuse is about finding a new use for the existing that would help provide more flexible solutions to our dwindling spatial identity. The work analyzes different forms of adaptive reuse and creates a framework based on different examples of how interventions can bring out the best in existing ones.
The aim of this master's thesis is to find a sustainable solution for the Lihula vodka distillery and to offer the city of Lihula a positive outlook, both for the fading valuable environment and for the general consequences of shrinking population.
Shrinking small towns and a fading environment go hand in hand. Heritage protected areas do exist, but there is often no vision of how to reverse this situation. The work analyzes the city of Lihula, which dates to ancient times. During the analysis, the problem areas of Lihula are identified and the story of Lihula is described in more detail. As a result, it turns out that regardless of the slightly pessimistic outlook, there are potential places in Lihula to implement and highlight. Lihula needs its niche to stand out in the wider landscape in general and to attract a passing tourist to visit the city.
Tourism can be seen as a lifeline for a declining region. Therefore, the possibilities of food tourism are studied in both Estonian and foreign examples in the master's thesis to apply them in Lihula and Lääneranna rural municipalities. The work reveals that such an undertaking can have an important opportunity to better shape the overall image of Lihula and Lääneranna rural municipalities. Lihula's central location, proximity to Matsalu National Park and the rich history of tavern culture create good conditions for this. The Lihula vodka distillery had strong links with the development of regional taverns during vodka burning, as its production was resold to local taverns. It was a regional undertaking. By amplifying the development of tourism, it is possible to create preconditions that would help both the fading building heritage of Lihula and local businesses. No system can function as a separate element, but requires the cooperation of local communities, local government, and investors.
The architectural proposal created a rethink of the Lihula vodka distillery and the surrounding environment. In the architectural solution, the Lihula vodka distillery was adapted into the Lihula cidery. This restored the function of alcohol production in the former vodka distillery and opens the possibility of food tourism. The preconditions created by the Cider Chamber would help to create more solid points of reference to
82