PoundsEurosU S Dollars

Euros Selected

Tallinn- General Information

The City

Tallinn- Aerial view of city

Tallinn has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved capitals in Europe. The 13th-century Old Town is a magic kingdom of cobbled streets, secret courtyards, pastel-washed merchants’ houses and towering Lutheran spires. The more modern parts of the city feature a cluster sleek, glass skyscrapers built with Scandinavian money. The remaining Communist-era architecture has, for the most part, been relegated to the suburbs. Indeed, of all the states absorbed and controlled by the old Soviet Union, Estonia has been the most vigorous in throwing off the imperialist yoke.

Estonians don’t regard their nation as being part of Eastern Europe, and are even less enamoured of hearing it referred to as one of “the Baltic States” (a Soviet designation.) As far as they’re concerned, Estonia is a Nordic country, possessing far more in common with Finland and Sweden than with its Slavic neighbours, Lithuania and Latvia. But Estonia’s new self-determination is comprised of more than just strident talk. Its astonishing pace of development since 1991 has been accomplished through tough economic policies and liberal investment laws. In 2004 it joined both the EU and NATO.

History

In pre-Christian times Estonia was inhabited by the clan-like Rävala people, who subsisted on farming, fishing and trade with other Baltic tribes. The first mention of Tallinn as a centre of population came in the 12th century AD, when an Arab cartographer added the wooden fortress on Toompea Hill to his world map, referring to it as a “seasonal stronghold.” But the Estonians weren’t allowed to remain either pagan or independent for much longer. In the early 13th century the Pope called for a crusade against the peoples around the Baltic Sea. As a result the country came under Danish rule in 1219. Not long after, Toompea was occupied by German crusaders, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword.

Tallinn’s true ascendancy began when it joined the Hanseatic League around 1248. The league was a confederation of 100 German-founded trading cities stretching from the Norwegian fjords to the heartland of Russia, which operated something like the European Union does today, permitting free trade across national borders. Tallinn prospered because Hanseatic law required all trade passing through the Baltic between Eastern and Western Europe to be weighed and reloaded there.

Furs, barrels of honey and bales of flax passed westward through the city from Russia. Conversely, woven fabrics, silver, hops and sea salt headed east. The most valuable commodity that came through Tallinn, however, was salt, said to be worth its weight in gold at the time. In fact, so much profitable salt cargo changed hands here that Tallinn became known as a city ‘built on salt.’

Over the following centuries Tallinn’s fortunes waxed and waned, with both the Germans and the Russians controlling it. By the end of World War One the Russians were ousted and Estonians finally had their own state, though its development was hampered by economic troubles throughout the 1920s. An upturn in its fortunes finally arrived in the 1930s, but this was cruelly curtailed by the outbreak of World War Two.

In September 1944 Tallinn and the rest of Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union. Thousands of Estonians fled in boats to Sweden, establishing a strong émigré community that kept the culture alive in exile. The following decades saw Tallinn’s residents subject to the shortages, state persecution and, above all, boredom characteristic of life in Communist satellite countries, though television transmissions from Finland did provide some kind of window on the West.

During the decades of its control over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Soviet Union heavily polluted the Baltic Sea. This prompted environmental protests in the mid- to late-1980s that quickly grew into mass demonstrations for independence. The National Song Festival held in June 1988 became the centre of a new national awakening, when more than 100,000 people packed Tallinn’s festival grounds for several successive nights, singing traditional songs and calling for an end to the occupation. The events of the summer would be known as the ‘singing revolution.’

Tallinn Today

Today, the Old Town remains the heart and soul of the city. It is divided into two distinct parts: the limestone, thickly wooded Toompea Hill, which for centuries was home to the gentry and the representatives of Estonia’s ruling power, and the Lower Town, populated by merchants and craftsmen. The steep slopes of the former have always provided a natural defence against would-be invaders. It also has an uplifting, airy feel, with dreamy sea views and seagulls wheeling over the ramparts. The German landlords’ palatial homes, nowadays used mainly as embassies or government offices, create a formal, municipal atmosphere, at odds with the bustle of the lower town.

Tallinn- Toompea Castle

On the highest point of the Old Town sits Toompea Castle, with its 25 metre-high fortified walls. Built by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the early 13th century, it has been the seat of Estonian power ever since, though the current baroque structure was initiated by Catherine the Great in the 18th century. The castle forms part of a cluster of historical monuments that also include the Orthodox Cathedral and the Dome Church. These sights draw most visitors to Toompea, but the hill’s other great asset is the views it offers. Heading down Kohtu Street from the Dome Church will take you to the Kohtuotsa viewing platform. From here you can enjoy a spectacular panorama, which encompasses not only the red-tiled roofs of the medieval Lower Town, but also the ultra-modern skyscrapers beyond the city walls, the arched rim of the Tallinn Song Festival Arena and the spire of Tallinn’s TV Tower.

Two picturesque paths connect Toompea Hill to the Lower Town – Pikk jalg (‘Long Leg’ Street) and Lühike jalg (‘Short Leg’ Street.) The former starts at the end of Pikk Street at the curious-looking Long Leg Gate Tower and continues in a straight, steady climb upward to Castle Square (Lossi plats). The latter was historically the main pedestrian passage into Toompea. Though officially a street, it is really just a narrow, winding lane with a staircase. The Lower Town itself has always been the mercantile part of Tallinn, and even today it’s far livelier than Toompea. The historical sights are just as fascinating, but they’re intermingled with cafés, restaurants and shops selling all sorts of historical curiosities.

Outside the city walls, the rest of Tallinn, with its skyscrapers, apartment blocks and shopping malls is a more modern, and, hence, anonymous, experience. However, east of the centre lies Kadriorg, a leafy neighbourhood of palaces, parks, ponds and villas. It is dominated by Kadriorg Palace, built in the early 18th century by Tsar Peter the Great as his summer estate. However, in spite of its exclusivity, the Tsar allowed the public to wander among its forests and gardens and it rapidly became the town’s favourite place to stroll. Following his example wealthy Tallinn residents began to build grand, wooden villas in the area during the 19th. Through the years, the area never lost its upper class appeal; even today Kadriorg is one of Tallinn’s most prestigious neighbourhoods.

Venture even further east and you’ll come to the space-age Television Tower. Built by the Soviets for the 1980 Olympics, it rises more than 1000 feet above the surrounding forests. Its observation deck offers stunning; indeed on a clear day, you can see Helsinki, 50 miles away. A monument to overbearing kitsch, it’s the prefect symbol of the drab old days that Tallinn has so energetically thrown off.