Battles in the air

Mladen Petrov Skyscrapers are no longer the exclusive symbols of big cosmopolitan cities – they are now being added to the skyline of many capitals across the CEE region, which up until now have been dominated by older architecture. City authorities may have no problem with this, but how do the general public feel, and does modernity always have to entail high-rise buildings? For many years Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius have been fighting it out for the title of ‘the most beautiful capital in the Baltics’. No matter which city you look at, you are sure to find a beautifully preserved old town, attracting a huge number of tourists all year-round. As the Baltic tigers continue their healthy economic growth, new high-rise buildings are also being developed, accompanied with anxiety from the locals over whether such buildings can actually fit into old cities more accustomed to low-rise buildings. Baltic vision The Estonian capital Tallinn is the destination for a large num