Moscow Olympics’ ruins in Tallinn? Weird but true.

The 1980 Summer Olympics were hosted in Moscow, the USSR. There have been some exceptions though. Moscow is situated inland and has no suitable venue for a sailing event. Therefore, Tallinn was chosen for the task and Linnahall, originally called the “V. I. Lenin Palace of Culture and Sport,” was designed to host the Olympic regatta. The complex included a 5000-seat amphitheater, an ice hall, a small seaport, and a heliport. As many other Olympic objects around the world, the place was soon forgotten and left to decay. The skating rink was closed in 2009, followed by the concert hall in 2010. Today, it is abandoned and mostly visited by graffiti artists and sometimes locals and curious tourists. Most of the structure is blocked off by safety fences, but the rooftop with its magnificent view over the bay can still be accessed. 

In 2019 the City of Tallinn announced plans to renovate and convert the former Olympic complex into a conference center, including an opera and concert hall.

Bonus fact: during summer 2019, Linnahall served as a stand-in for a Kyiv opera house during the filming of film Tenet by Christopher Nolan.

Sources: Wikipedia, Atlas Obscura