Erika Nõva facts for kids
Erika Nõva (born Erika Volberg) was an important Estonian architect. She was born on April 4, 1905, in Muuksi and passed away on April 22, 1987, in Tallinn. Erika Nõva is best known for designing many farmhouses. She also made history as the very first woman to become a qualified architect in Estonia.
About Erika Nõva
Erika Nõva studied at the Tallinn College of Engineering. She became Estonia's first female architect to graduate in 1925.
Her first job was with the Settlement Office. This office was part of the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture. It helped create new living areas on land owned by the government.
Between 1933 and 1938, Erika Nõva designed hundreds of farmhouses. Her ideas came from old farm buildings. These traditional homes often had people living on one side and animals on the other. Her designs were simple and practical. She even designed furniture for these farmhouses.
Erika Nõva also designed schools. Some of these schools are in Pillapalu, Koiduküla, and Peressaare. After the Second World War, she continued her work. She helped plan towns and farming areas. She often went back to designing farmhouses.
In 2005, Erika Nõva's granddaughter, Siiri Nõva, organized an exhibition. It showed Erika Nõva's work at the Museum of Estonian Architecture in Tallinn. Erika's older brother, August Volberg, was also an architect.
Key Buildings She Designed
Erika Nõva helped design several important buildings:
- Tallinn Sports Hall (1938)
- Tallinn English College (1939): She designed this with Alar Kotli. Today, it is the main building of Tallinn University.
- Tallinn Central Hospital (1940)
- Kalev Stadium (1952): She also worked on this with Alar Kotli.
