This tavern was reportedly built at the same time as the Kalev Factory, in 1832. Travellers waiting to cross the river had to pass the time whenever the leather bridge was opened to let ships or log rafts through. The tavern also served as a stop for teamsters who needed to repair vehicles damaged on the poorly planked ‘leather bridge’ or to rest their horses, tired from climbing up and down the steep riverbanks.
The tavern, like the bridge, belonged to Sindi Manor. It was leased out, serving as an important source of income for the landlord – even to the extent that the failure to build a more permanent bridge here instead of a floating one was seen as deliberate obstruction on the part of the landlord, Stael von Holstein. After all, if travellers could cross the bridge without delay, both the tavern’s profits and, consequently, the landlord’s rental income would decrease.
In the early 20th century, the tavern’s income was supplemented not only by travellers but also by the wages of workers who had moved nearby to work at the Sindi Brick Factory. Over time, the tavern became notorious nationwide its brawls and rowdy behaviour, prompting both local residents and the brick factory’s management to petition for its closure, or at least for a permanent police presence in the tavern. In 1924, by decision of the municipal council, the tavern was permanently closed. Despite repeated requests from restaurateurs, permission to reopen it was never granted.
In 1927, the building was renovated and a summer camp for children was set up here by the county government, taking in children aged 5-15 from less well-off families across the county. The children spent the summer here in two groups of 50 at a time, with special emphasis on games, walks and other outdoor activities.
As soon as the following autumn, the county government, which had previously rented the building from the state, decided to purchase it and to house the local road master’s office and machinery depot here. In addition, a small workshop was set up to make cement road blocks, as the old wooden bridges along the roads were being replaced with pipes.
The tavern caught fire on 8 July 1941, during an exchange of fire as German troops arrived. Although the partially burned building was initially restored, it was completely destroyed in wartime fighting in September 1944.
Near the Sindi-Lodja tavern, on the right-hand side of the open field when descending from the bridge coming from the town, on the pastures of Kodara village, the Sindi Fair was held each autumn, at the end of October (31 October). By this time of year, most farm work had been completed, giving people more free time, which is why the Sindi fairs in Lodja were quite crowded. Visitors from further away often stayed overnight on the surrounding farms.
Traditionally, the Sindi Fair traded in livestock and agricultural products, with people from the town trading their goods from stalls built specifically for the event.
The fair ceased to be held here with the establishment of collective farms in the early 1950s.
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