1.
Estonian language
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Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken natively by about 922,000 people in Estonia and 160,000 outside Estonia. It belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family, Estonian belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages, along with Finnish, Karelian, and other nearby languages. The Uralic languages do not belong to the Indo-European languages, Estonian is distantly related to Hungarian and to the Sami languages. Estonian has been influenced by Swedish, German, and Russian, furthermore, the apocope of word-final sounds is extensive and has contributed to a shift from a purely agglutinative to a fusional language. The basic word order is subject–verb–object, modern standard Estonian has evolved on the basis of the dialects of Northern Estonia. The domination of Estonia after the Northern Crusades, from the 13th century to 1918 by Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the oldest written records of the Finnic languages of Estonia date from the 13th century. Originates Livoniae in Chronicle of Henry of Livonia contains Estonian place names, words, the earliest extant samples of connected Estonian are the so-called Kullamaa prayers dating from 1524 and 1528. In 1525 the first book published in the Estonian language was printed, the book was a Lutheran manuscript, which never reached the reader and was destroyed immediately after publication. The first extant Estonian book is a bilingual German-Estonian translation of the Lutheran catechism by S. Wanradt and J. Koell dating to 1535, an Estonian grammar book to be used by priests was printed in German in 1637. The New Testament was translated into southern Estonian in 1686, the two languages were united based on northern Estonian by Anton thor Helle. Writings in Estonian became more significant in the 19th century during the Estophile Enlightenment Period, the birth of native Estonian literature was in 1810 to 1820 when the patriotic and philosophical poems by Kristjan Jaak Peterson were published. His birthday on March 14 is celebrated in Estonia as the Mother Tongue Day, a fragment from Petersons poem Kuu expresses the claim reestablishing the birthright of the Estonian language, Kas siis selle maa keel Laulutuules ei või Taevani tõustes üles Igavikku omale otsida. In English, Can the language of this land In the wind of incantation Rising up to the heavens Not seek for eternity. Kristjan Jaak Peterson From 1525 to 191714,503 titles were published in Estonian, in modern times Jaan Kross and Jaan Kaplinski remain as two of Estonias best known and most translated writers. Writings in Estonian became significant only in the 19th century with the spread of the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment, after the Estonian War of Independence in 1919, the Estonian language became the state language of the newly independent country. In 1945,97. 3% of Estonia considered itself ethnic Estonian, when Estonia was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union in World War II, the status of the Estonian language changed to the first of two official languages. As with Latvia many immigrants entered Estonia under Soviet encouragement, in the second half of the 1970s, the pressure of bilingualism intensified, resulting in widespread knowledge of Russian throughout the country. The Russian language was termed as ‘the language of friendship of nations’ and was taught to Estonian children, although teaching Estonian to non-Estonians in schools was compulsory, in practice learning the language was often considered unnecessary
2.
Tallinn
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Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland,80 km south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm, from the 13th century until 1918, the city was known as Reval. Tallinn occupies an area of 159.2 km2 and has a population of 444,591, approximately 33% of Estonias total population lives in Tallinn. Tallinn was founded in 1248, but the earliest human settlements date back 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest capital cities of Northern Europe. The initial claim over the land was laid by the Danes in 1219 after a raid of Lyndanisse led by Valdemar II of Denmark. Due to its location, the city became a major trade hub, especially from the 14th to the 16th century. Tallinns Old Town is one of the best preserved cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tallinn is the political, financial, cultural and educational center of Estonia. Often dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of international companies. The city is to house the headquarters of the European Unions IT agency, providing to the global cybersecurity it is the home to the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. It is ranked as a city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland and it has been suggested that Quwri may have denoted a predecessor of the modern city. The earliest names of Tallinn include Kolyvan, which is known from East Slavic chronicles, up to the 13th century, the Scandinavians and Henry of Livonia in his chronicle called the town Lindanisa (or Lyndanisse in Danish, Lindanäs in Swedish and Ledenets in Old East Slavic. It has been suggested that the archaic Estonian word linda is similar to the Votic word lidna. According to this suggestion, nisa would have the meaning niemi, producing Kesoniemi, another ancient historical name for Tallinn in Finnish is Rääveli. The Icelandic Njals saga mentions Tallinn and calls it Rafala, which is a variant of the name Raphael, after the Danish conquest in 1219, the town became known in the German, Swedish and Danish languages as Reval. The name originated from Revelia Revala or Rävala, the adjacent ancient name of the surrounding area and it is usually thought to be derived from Taani-linn, after the Danes built the castle in place of the Estonian stronghold at Lindanisse. However, it could also have come from tali-linna, or talu-linna, the element -linna, like Germanic -burg and Slavic -grad / -gorod, originally meant fortress, but is used as a suffix in the formation of town names
3.
Estonia
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Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia, across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden in the west and Finland in the north. The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and 2,222 islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, covering 45,339 km2 of land and water, and is influenced by a humid continental climate. The territory of Estonia has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC, in 1988, during the Singing Revolution, the Estonian Supreme Soviet issued the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration in defiance of Soviet rule, and independence was restored on 20 August 1991. Estonia is a parliamentary republic divided into fifteen counties. Its capital and largest city is Tallinn, with a population of 1.3 million, it is one of the least-populous member states of the European Union, Eurozone, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, OECD and Schengen Area. Estonia is a country with an advanced, high-income economy that is among the fastest growing in the EU. Its Human Development Index ranks very highly, and it performs favourably in measurements of economic freedom, civil liberties, the 2015 PISA test places Estonian high school students 3rd in the world, behind Singapore and Japan. Citizens of Estonia are provided with health care, free education. Since independence the country has developed its IT sector, becoming one of the worlds most digitally advanced societies. In 2005 Estonia became the first nation to hold elections over the Internet, in the Estonian language, the oldest known endonym of the Estonians was maarahvas, meaning country people or people of the land. The land inhabited by Estonians was called Maavald meaning Country Parish or Land Parish, one hypothesis regarding the modern name of Estonia is that it originated from the Aesti, a people described by the Roman historian Tacitus in his Germania. The historic Aesti were allegedly Baltic people, whereas the modern Estonians are Finno-Ugric, the geographical areas between Aesti and Estonia do not match, with Aesti being further down south. Ancient Scandinavian sagas refer to a land called Eistland, as the country is called in Icelandic. Early Latin and other ancient versions of the name are Estia and Hestia, esthonia was a common alternative English spelling prior to 1921. Human settlement in Estonia became possible 13,000 to 11,000 years ago, the oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement, which was on the banks of the river Pärnu, near the town of Sindi, in south-western Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating it was settled around 11,000 years ago, the earliest human inhabitation during the Mesolithic period is connected to Kunda culture, which is named after the town of Kunda in northern Estonia. At that time the country was covered with forests, and people lived in communities near bodies of water
4.
Weather vane
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A weather vane, wind vane, or weathercock is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an ornament to the highest point of a building. Although partly functional, weather vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional design with letters indicating the points of the compass. Other common motifs include ships, arrows and horses, not all weather vanes have pointers. The word vane comes from the Old English word fana meaning flag, below this was a frieze adorned with the eight Greek wind deities. The eight-metre-high structure also featured sundials, and a clock inside. It dates from around 50 BCE, the oldest existing weather vane with the shape of a rooster is the Gallo di Ramperto, made in 820 CE and now preserved in the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia, Lombardy. Pope Leo IV had a cock placed on the Old St. Peters Basilica or old Constantinian basilica. As a result of this, the cock gradually began to be used as a weather vane on church steeples, the Bayeux Tapestry of the 1070s depicts a man installing a cock on Westminster Abbey. One alternative theory about the origin of weathercocks on church steeples is that it was an emblem of the vigilance of the calling the people to prayer. Another theory says that the cock was not a Christian symbol, a few churches used weather vanes in the shape of the emblems of their patron saints. The City of London has two surviving examples, the weather vane of St Peter upon Cornhill is not in the shape of a rooster, but a key, while St Lawrence Jewrys weather vane is in the form of a gridiron. Early weather vanes had very ornamental pointers, but modern wind vanes are usually simple arrows that dispense with the directionals because the instrument is connected to a remote reading station, modern aerovanes combine the directional vane with an anemometer. Co-locating both instruments allows them to use the same axis and provides a coordinated readout, according to the Guinness World Records, the worlds largest weather vane is a Tío Pepe sherry advertisement located in Jerez, Spain. The city of Montague, Michigan also claims to have the largest standard-design weather vane, being a ship and arrow which measures 48 feet tall, a challenger for the title of worlds largest weather vane is located in Whitehorse, Yukon. The weather vane is a retired Douglas DC-3 CF-CPY atop a swiveling support, the weather vane only requires a 5 knot wind to rotate. The term weathervane is also a word for a politician who has frequent changes of opinion. The National Assembly of Quebec has banned use of this term as a slur after its use by members of the legislature
5.
Tallinn Town Hall
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The Tallinn Town Hall is a building in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia, next to the Town Hall Square. It is the oldest town hall in the whole of the Baltic region, the building is located in the south side of the ancient market square and is 36.8 metres long. The west wall is 14.5 metres in length, and it is a two-storey building with a spacious basement. The vane Old Thomas on the top of the Town Halls tower, the height of the tower is 64 metres. Tallinn Town Hall is located on the Town Hall Square, where the streets Kullassepa street, Dunkri street, one of the shortest streets of Tallinn is Raekoja tänav, which is located behind the Town Hall. The town hall was built by what was then the market square, the town hall square got its current length in the 1370s. Covered with a roof in 1374, the town hall was probably a single-decked stone building with a basement. The attic was used as a storeroom, the facade of this long and narrow building is now a rear wall of the arcade, where you can still see some of the simple statuary framed windows from this time. A Town Hall with a meeting room was firstly mentioned in a Real Estate book in 1322 as a consistorium. Some walls in the part of the modern town hall and seven windows in the basement. In 1364, it was called a playhouse and in 1372 a town hall, the Town council controlled the towns political, economic and partly even parlour action. The Town Hall was often a courthouse and a place to introduce goods, sometimes it was used as a room for theatre. Therefore, it was important to be placed in the heart of the town. In conjunction with the Tallinn Old Town, the Town Hall has been on the UNESCO world Heritage Sites list since 1997, in 2004, Tallinn Town Hall celebrated its 600th birthday. Europa Nostra medal was presented to Tallinn Town Hall at the ceremony on 15 September 2006 by Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission, the Town Hall was initially a building where urban citizens held meetings. It was later used as a government building, a court, the building process of representational town halls started in the 12th century. Usually they were built in the centre of the town, near the market square, the Lübeck Town Hall, the Venetian Doge’s Palace, in Estonia the Town Hall of Narva and of course the Tallinn Town Hall are the most famous ones. The town hall is built out of limestone and the roof out of clay roof tiles
6.
Popinjay (sport)
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Popinjay or Papingo, also called pole archery, is a shooting sport that can be performed with either rifles or archery equipment. The rifle form is a diversion in Denmark, a Scottish variant is also known. The archery form is popular in Belgium and is occasionally in the United Kingdom under the governance of the Grand National Archery Society. In Germany a traditional shooting at wooden birds placed on a pole is called Vogelschießen. These are carried out either with small bore rifles or crossbows, the archery form of popinjay dates back to at least the fifteenth century. The event is believed to have been running since 1483, though the records are only reliable from 1688 when some archers left The Irvine Archers to form kilwinning archers the year previous. In a tradition dating back to 1488, the winner is awarded the Captains Benn, a ribbon worn over the shoulder and across the chest. The prize of an arrow was introduced in 1724, and following that became a perpetual trophy, with a medallion attached each year by the winner commemorating his name. It is officially known as the Papingo Arrow, Popinjay archery is popular in Belgium, but is less common elsewhere. Many Belgian clubs have permanently erected popinjay masts, Popinjay can also be shot horizontally rather than vertically, though this form is even less common. There are no standard rules of popinjay. The definition of rules is left to national archery organisations, the format and rules of popinjay given below are drawn from those defined for the United Kingdom by the Grand National Archery Society. The specific rules are given in the GNAS Rules of Shooting 2006, the object of popinjay is to knock artificial birds off their perches. The perches are cross-pieces on top of a 90-foot mast, the cock is set on the top cross piece. Four smaller hens are set on the next crosspiece down, two dozen or so chicks are set on the lower cross pieces. The archer stands near the base of the mast and shoots arrows upwards at the birds, the arrows are tipped with rubber blunts rather than sharp points. The blunts are between 0.75 inches and 1-inch in diameter, points are scored for each bird knocked off. Typically, the archer scores 5 points for the cock,3 points for a hen and 1 point for a chick, in Manitoba, Canada, the sport is called Pole Archery & there are currently 3 clubs shooting Vertical
7.
Baltic Germans
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The Baltic Germans are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their resettling from Estonia and Latvia during the upheavals and aftermath of the Second World War, the largest groups of present-day descendants of the Baltic Germans are found in Germany and Canada. It is estimated that several thousand still reside in Latvia and Estonia, for centuries Baltic Germans and the Baltic nobility were a ruling class over native “Undeutsche” serfs. The emerging Baltic-German middle class was mostly urban and professional, in the 12th and 13th centuries Germans, both traders and crusaders, began settling in the eastern Baltics. After the Livonian Crusade they assumed control of government, politics, economics, education, with the decline of Latin, German became the language of all official documents, commerce, education and government. After 1710 many of these increasingly took high positions in the military, political and civilian life of the Russian Empire, Baltic Germans held citizenship of the Russian Empire until 1918 and Estonian or Latvian citizenship until 1939–40. The Baltic German population never surpassed more than 10% of the total population, in 1881 there were 180,000 Baltic Germans in Russias Baltic provinces, but by 1914 this number had declined to 162,000. In 1881 there were approximately 46,700 Germans in Estonia, according to the Russian Empire Census of 1897, there were 120,191 Germans in Latvia, or 6. 2% of the population. Baltic German history and presence in the Baltics came to an end in late 1939, following the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, almost all the Baltic Germans were resettled by Nazi Germany under the Heim ins Reich program into the newly formed Reichsgaue Wartheland and Danzig-West Prussia. In 1945, most were expelled from these lands by the Soviet army, ethnic Germans from East Prussia and Lithuania are sometimes incorrectly considered Baltic Germans for reasons of cultural, linguistic, and historical affinities. However, the Germans of East Prussia held Prussian, and after 1871, Baltic Germans were not a purely German ethnic group. The early crusaders, tradesmen and craftsmen often married local females, some noble families, like Lievens, even claimed descent from native chieftains. Many of the German Livonian Order soldiers died during the Livonian war, during this time the Low German of the original settlers was replaced by the High German. In those cases where intermarriage occurred, the ethnic group frequently assimilated into German culture, adopting language, customs. They were then considered Germans, leading to the ethnogenesis of the Baltic Germans, barclay de Tolly and George Armitstead, who arrived from the British Isles, became part of the Baltic-German community. Livland, roughly the half of present-day Estonia and the northern and eastern part of todays Latvia, major towns, Riga, Wenden, Wolmar, Walk, Dorpat, Pernau. Kurland, roughly the half of present-day Latvia, major towns. Ösel belonging to present-day Estonia, major town, Arensburg, after the heavy defeat in the 1236 Battle of Saule the Livonian Brothers of the Sword became a part of the Teutonic Order
8.
Bombing of Tallinn in World War II
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The German Luftwaffe and Soviet Long Range Aviation bombed the Estonian capital Tallinn several times during World War II. The first instance was during the Summer War of 1941, a number of bombing missions followed in 1942–43. The largest of the bombings occurred in March 1944 in connection with the Battle of Narva and is known as March bombing. Thousands of Soviet bombs set the town on fire, killed 757 people, of whom 586 were civilians and 75 prisoners of war, wounded 659, Tallinn was bombed on several occasions during May and September,1942. During 1943, several bombing missions were performed by the Red Air Force on Tallinn in February, March, May, August, the heaviest of the air assaults was on 9 March. A week before, the Mayor of Tallinn had given an order to the city dwellers to leave the town, the extent of the attack was beyond the expectations of the local people and the headquarters of the Army Group North. A bombing run consisting of 300 aircraft dropping 3068 bombs,1725 of them explosive and 1300 incendiary, the fire brigades were scarce on water, as Soviet saboteurs had blown up the city pumping station before the air raid. Military damage was minor, with a few military installations and supply stores destroyed, the major military loss was the burning of a million litres of fuel in the fuel depot. Of the enterprises with some importance, the Luther plywood factory. Most of the fell on the dwellings and public buildings, including the Estonia Theatre, St. Nicholas Church, the city synagogue, four cinemas. A large part of the wooden suburbs burnt down and the city suffered major damage. According to the report,757 people were killed, of whom 586 were civilians,50 were military personnel. 213 had serious injuries,446 had minor injuries, amongst the injured were 65 military servicemen and 75 prisoners-of-war. Later, more victims were found, with the number of estimated at up to 800. More than 20,000 people were left without a shelter in the spring thaw, immediately after the bombing raid Finnish air force bombers followed returning Soviet bombers to three military airbases near Leningrad and bombed them. Regardless of Soviet intentions, the civilian casualty toll of the raids had significantly increased the hostility of the Estonian public towards the Soviet army. On 27 February, a Soviet air raid had hit children playing in the yard of Luunja Parish. The date of their burial was turned into a memorial day
9.
Toompea Castle
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Toompea Castle is a castle on Toompea hill in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The castle, an ancient stronghold site in use since at least the 9th century, according to a myth, the whole hill of Toompea was made by Linda, who built it boulder-by-boulder with her own hands. For reasons associated with this legend, Tallinn is sometimes referred to as Lyndanisse in Estonian. The more prosaic truth is that settlers during the time of ancient Estonia made use of the hill as an easily defended stronghold. Over time, the place developed into a commercial hub. It was probably one of the first inhabited areas of what later became Tallinn, in 1219, the castle was taken over by Danish crusaders led by Valdemar II. According to a popular Danish legend, the very first flag of Denmark fell from the sky during a stage of the battle. This first proper castle was referred to as the Castle of the Danes, in Latin Castrum Danorum, from the latter, the modern name of the city of Tallinn is possibly derived. In 1227, the castle was taken over by the Order of the Brethren of the Sword, the castle they started building is to a large extent the castle that is visible today. The castle again befell the Danes just ten years later, but was sold to the Teutonic Order in 1346, as the crusading Teutonic Order was a religious order, the castle came to resemble a monastery in several ways. It included a chapel, a house and a dormitory for the knights. Tall Hermann is 48 metres tall and dominates the castle skyline, the flag of Estonia is hoisted at the top of the tower every day at sunrise, to the sound of the national anthem, and lowered at sunset. By 1561, northern Estonia had become a Swedish dominion, the Swedes transformed the castle from a crusaders fortress into a ceremonial and administrative centre of political power in Estonia, a purpose the castle has served ever since. In 1710, Sweden lost the territory of modern-day Estonia to the Russian Empire, the Russian administration eventually carried out large reconstruction schemes and turned the castle definitively into a palace. A new dominating wing in Baroque and Neoclassical style, designed by Johann Schultz, was added in the part of the castle complex. It housed the administration of the Governorate and the quarters of the governor. During the czarist era, a park was also laid out to the south-east of the castle. Following the Estonian Declaration of Independence in 1918, a building to house the parliament of the republic was erected at the site of the convent building of the Teutonic Order
10.
St Mary's Cathedral, Tallinn
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St Marys Cathedral, Tallinn is a cathedral church located on Toompea Hill in Tallinn, Estonia. Originally established by Danes in the 13th century, it is the oldest church in Tallinn and it is also the only building in Toompea which survived a 17th-century fire. Originally a Roman Catholic cathedral, it became Lutheran in 1561 and it is the seat of the Archbishop of Tallinn, the spiritual leader of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and chairman of that churchs governing synod. The first church was made of wood most likely already and built by 1219, in 1229, when the Dominican monks arrived, they started building a stone church replacing the old wooden one. The monks were killed in a conflict between the Knights of the Sword and vassals supporting the Pope’s legate in 1233 and the church was thus desecrated. A letter asking permission to consecrate it anew was sent to Rome in 1233, the Dominicans couldn’t finish the building. Actually, they built only the base walls, the building was completed in 1240 and it was a one-aisled building with a rectangular chancel. In 1240, it was also named cathedral and consecrated in honour of Virgin Mary, in the beginning of the 14th century, reconstruction of the church began. The reconstruction began with building a new chancel, at about the same time, the new vestry was built. The enlargement of the building to a three-aisled building began in the 1330s. The construction work, however, lasted almost 100 years, the new longitudinal part of the church,29 meters long, built by following the principles of basilica, was completed in the 1430s. The nave’s rectangular pillars had been completed in the half of the 14th century. The church suffered damage in the great fire of 1684 when the entire wooden furnishings were destroyed. Some vaults collapsed and many stone-carved details were severely damaged- especially in the chancel, in 1686, after the fire, the church was practically rebuilt to restore it to its previous state. The new pulpit with figures of the apostles and the altarpiece were made by the Estonian sculptor, the Dome Church’s exterior dates from the 15th century, the spire dates from the 18th century. Most of the church’s furnishings go back to the 17th and 18th centuries, from 1778 to 1779, a new baroque spire was built in the western part of the nave. Two of the four bells date back to 17th century. The organ was made in 1914
11.
St. Olaf's Church, Tallinn
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Its dedication relates to King Olaf II of Norway. The first known written records referring to the date back to 1267. In origin, St Olafs was part of the western tradition of Christianity. However, from the time of the Reformation the church has part of the Lutheran tradition. Eventually proving surplus to the requirements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tallinn, the Baptist congregation continues to meet at St Olafs today. From 1944 until 1991, the Soviet KGB used Olevistes spire as a radio tower, in 1590, the total height of the church tower was 115. 35–125 m. The tower has been hit by lightning around 10 times, after several rebuildings, its spire is now 123.8 meters tall. List of tallest churches Tourist Sights in Estonia
12.
St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn
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Not to be confused with St Nicholas Church, Tallinn. St. Nicholas Church is a former church in Tallinn. It was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron of the fishermen, originally built in the 13th century, it was partially destroyed in Soviet Bombing of Tallinn in World War II. It has since restored and today houses a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia. The former church is used as a concert hall. The church was founded and built around 1230–1275 by Westphalian merchants, while the city was still unfortified, the church had heavy bars for closing the entrances, loopholes and hiding places for refugees. When the fortifications around Tallinn were finished in the 14th century, there are only a few parts of the original church that have been preserved through the present. In 1405–1420 St. Nicholas church obtained its current appearance, when the central aisle received a clerestory above the aisles in the form known in architecture as a basilica. In 1515 the tower was higher and covered with late-Gothic spire. In late 17th century the tower was strengthened and secured, the spire was replaced with a Baroque spire with airy galleries, which was raised higher stage by stage through several centuries. The tower is now 105 metres high, Saint Nicholas was the only church in Tallinn which remained untouched by iconoclasm brought by the Protestant Reformation in 1523. The head of the congregation poured molten lead into the locks of the church, on March 9,1944, the church was severely damaged by Soviet Bombing of Tallinn in World War II. The resulting fire turned the church ruins and destroyed most of its interior, including baroque pews, lofts. The tower continued to smoke for about a month, most precious art treasures survived thanks to their timely evacuation from the church. The renovation of the started in 1953 and was completely finished in 1981. The church tower was damaged by a fire on October 12,1982. The tower was burnt out and spire destroyed, roofs of the nave, due to its excellent acoustics, the church is very popular concert hall. Danse Macabre or The Dance of Death was a medieval motif in art
13.
Church of the Holy Spirit, Tallinn
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The Church of the Holy Ghost or Church of the Holy Spirit is a medieval Lutheran church in the old town district of Tallinn, Estonia. It is located behind Raekoja plats, and lies opposite the Great Guild and Maiasmokk, building of the church probably started sometime during the first half of the 13th century, and the church is mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1319. The fact that the church does not face due east may suggest that it was erected in an already built-up area and had to adapt to the street layout. The oldest part of the church is the choir, to which the aisle was added sometime in the late 13th century or early 14th century, the original wooden ceiling was replaced in 1360, when the present vaulting, tower and large gothic windows were added. In 1630, the received its current appearance, which however is a reconstruction as the tower was ravaged by fire in both 1684 and 2002. The church was the first church in Estonia to hold services in Estonian, chronicler Balthasar Russow was a pastor of the church. The stained glass windows are late 20th century, most noteworthy in the exterior is the finely carved clock, a work by Christian Ackermann. The layout of the interior is unusual, with the choir located asymmetrically to the north. Of the interior decoration, especially the main altar, a work by Bernt Notke, is noteworthy. It dates from 1483 and depicts, on the central panel, the galleries in the church are richly decorated with scenes from the Bible, painted in the mid-17th century and probably by different artists. Of more recent origin is the organ, dating from 1929, media related to Church of Holy Spirit in Tallinn at Wikimedia Commons
14.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn
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The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. It was built to a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinns largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky who in 1242 won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, the late Russian patriarch, Alexis II, started his priestly ministry in the church. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral crowns the hill of Toompea which is one of places where according to legend the Estonian folk hero Kalevipoegs father Kalev is said to have been buried. As the USSR was officially non-religious, many churches including this cathedral were left to decline, the church has been meticulously restored since Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The cathedral is decorated and has eleven bells cast in Saint Petersburg. It has three altars, with the altar dedicated to Vladimir I and the southern to St. Sergius of Radonezh. The base of the building is Finnish granite, in the five onion domes, gilded iron crosses are seen. Inside are three gilded, carved wooden iconostases, along with four icon boxes, the icons of the iconostasis and icon boxes were painted in St. Petersburg on copper and zinc plates. The windows are decorated with stained glass, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw, demolished after the restoration of Polish independence
15.
St. Catherine's Monastery, Tallinn
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St. Catherines Dominican Monastery, often simply St. Catherines Monastery or the Dominican Monastery, is a former monastery and one of the oldest buildings in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is located in the heart of Tallinns Old Town district full of warehouses and its remains constitute one of two remaining medieval monastery complexes in Tallinn. A Dominican monastery is known to have existed at the site since at least 1246, the monastery also had a brewery, producing four types of beer. Throughout the Middle Ages, the monastery was renowned for its scholarship, in 1524, during the Reformation, the monastery was destroyed. Only fragments remain of the original complex, media related to St. Catherines Monastery at Wikimedia Commons
16.
Raeapteek
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The Raeapteek is in the center of Tallinn city, Estonia. Opposite the Town Hall, at house number 11, it is one of the oldest continuously running pharmacies in Europe and it is also the oldest commercial enterprise and the oldest medical establishment in Tallinn. The first known image of the Town-Hall Pharmacy is an oil painting by Oldekop, the first photos of the building date from 1889. Historians have not been able to determine exactly the pharmacy opened. Some scholars consider the opening year to be 1415, in a town councils notebook, there is an entry by a chemist named Nuclawes who stated that the owners of the pharmacy are 10 honourable men, the majority of whom are aldermen. Other documents dated after 1422 refer that the first chemist here was Johann Molner, the Burchart family are those most closely associated with the pharmacys history, having run the business for over 10 generations, spanning over 325 years from around 1582 to 1911. He was to be the first in a dynasty of pharmacists that were to run the Raeapteek. He also started the tradition of giving the first-born son the name Johann who was always expected to carry on the family business. This tradition was carried on for eight generations, until the late 19th century with the birth of the tenth first-born son in 1843 called Johann X Burchart. The Burcharts were well educated and often were not only pharmacists and they played a significant role in the life of the town. In 1688, Johann Burchart the IV finally was able to purchase the pharmacy from the city council for 600 thalers, in 1690, the Burchart dynasty and Town-Hall Apothecarys rights and obligations were confirmed with a privilege written by the ruling king Charles XI of Sweden. In 1710, Johann Burchart V started his career while Tallinn was being ravaged by the Black Plague, when Tallinn capitulated to the Russian army in the Great Northern War, he was one of the first to provide the Russian army with medicines. In 1716, he became the doctor and the doctor of the garrison. In 1802, Johann Burchart VIII established a museum of local life. Several items from his collection are now displayed in the Estonian History Museum, in 1802, he organized the first art exhibition in Tallinn. The last two Burcharts were men of ill health, who could not supervise the pharmacy and leased it out to others again, the Burcharts rule over the pharmacy came to an end in the 1890s with the death of the last male heir of the named Johann X Burchart. The sisters of Johann X sold the property in 1911 to C. R. Lehbert, during the second occupation of Baltic states, the pharmacy was nationalized. After 1990, the entire pharmacy underwent extensive refurbishment as the building had been neglected for almost 50 years and this refurbishment lasted over 10 years until 2003
17.
Great Guild, Tallinn
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The Great Guild was a guild for merchants and artisans, operating in Tallinn from at least the 14th century until 1920. It was based in the Great Guild hall, a Gothic building in the centre of Tallinn. The building was erected in 1407-1410, with the finished in 1417. The façade is decorated with arches, and has a typical. Inside, the main hall retains the medieval atmosphere. It is a room, supported by a range of pillars with decoratively carved capitals. The Great Guild hall is considered an example of medieval Tallinn architecture
18.
Pikk Hermann
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Pikk Hermann or Tall Hermann is a tower of the Toompea Castle, on Toompea hill in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The first part was built 1360-70 and it was rebuilt in the 16th century. A staircase with 215 steps leads to the top of the tower, the tower consists of ten internal floors and a viewing platform at the top. Pikk Hermann tower is situated next to the Estonian Parliament building, the national flag, measuring 191 cm by 300 cm, is raised and the national anthem is played at the time of sunrise and lowered at the time of sunset. While it is lowered, the song Mu isamaa on minu arm is heard
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Estonian Knighthood House
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The Estonian Knighthood House is a building in Toompea, the upper part of Vanalinn, the historic inner town of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Its address is Kiriku plats 1, the Dome Church is situated at the same square. Estonia was occupied by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a order of German nobles. Since then German nobles were the rulers in Estonia. They stayed in power when Estonia was occupied by Sweden in the 17th century, apart from a few Russians, all magistrates were German nobles. As large landowners they also possessed large parts of the Estonian soil, there were also many German nobles who opted for a career in the Imperial Russian Army. The German nobles in Estonia were united in the Estonian Knighthood, the Estonian Knighthood House was the building where the Knights met and held their festivities and where their peerage register was kept. The present building is the fourth Knighthood House, the first two were lost in fire and the third House soon became too small. The present building in Renaissance Revival style was designed by the architect Georg Winterhalter, in 1920, when Estonia had become independent, all privileges of the German Knights were cancelled. The building was put into use as Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940 the country had no Ministry of Foreign Affairs of its own anymore, between 1948 and 1992 the building functioned as National Library of Estonia. In 1992 the book collection was transferred to a newly built library in the subdistrict of Tõnismäe, in 1993 a part of the art collection from Kadriorg Palace was accommodated in the Estonian Knighthood House. Kadriorg Palace needed a restoration, moreover, in the subdistrict of Kadriorg a new art museum was being built, after 2000 the art collection was gradually returned to the restored Kadriorg Palace and the newly built Kumu. Since 2009 the Estonian Knighthood House houses the Estonian Academy of Arts, in 2016 the Estonian Academy of Arts will move into a reconstructed historical factory building in the Kalamaja quarter at the corner of Kotzebue tänav and Põhja puiestee. House of the Livonian Noble Corporation Brief history of the building Dates about the building Website of the Estonian Academy of Arts
20.
Stenbock House
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Stenbock House is a prominent neo-classical building located on Toompea hill, Tallinn. It is the seat of the Government of Estonia. Originally, the building was intended as a courthouse, the architect for the new house was Johann Caspar Mohr, a provincial architect who was responsible for the maintenance of public buildings in Estonia and a popular designer of local manor houses. The construction of the started in 1787. Almost immediately, however, the Russian state ran low on funds as a result of expenditures in connection with the ongoing Russo-Turkish War, as a result, the province became indebted to Stenbock, and the unfinished building passed into his possession. He subsequently used it as his Tallinn residence, and the building bears its name in his remembrance. During both the first period of independence of Estonia and during the Soviet occupation it continued to be used as a courthouse. The maintenance of the building was, however, gravely neglected during the Soviet years, among other things, when the Estonian Government assumed ownership in the early 1990s, the whole building was in risk of collapse. A complete renovation was carried out between 1996 and 2000, the newly renovated building became the official seat of the Estonian Government at its re-opening in 2000. The architectural style of the building is a simple form of neo-classicism. The front façade is adorned by six pilasters and two made of dolomite from Saaremaa and a dentiled pediment. It faces a courtyard surrounded by less ornate outbuildings. The street front of the building is characterised by the rather unassuming outbuildings. On the building facing the street, there is a memorial plaque with the names of Estonian members of parliament and government who lost their lives during the Sovietization of Estonia. The best-known view of the building is of its back, which by its location at the edge of Toompea hill enjoys a view of the sea. This face is dominated by a large balcony raised on Doric columns, all in all, the exterior of the building still more or less reflects the original edifice. The interior was, as mentioned, badly damaged during the Soviet era, media related to Stenbock House at Wikimedia Commons
21.
Kadriorg Palace
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Kadriorg Palace is a Petrine Baroque palace built for Catherine I of Russia by Peter the Great in Tallinn, Estonia. Both the Estonian and the German name for the palace means Catherines valley and it was built after the Great Northern War to Nicola Michettis designs by Gaetano Chiaveri and Mikhail Zemtsov. The palace currently houses the Kadriorg Art Museum, a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia, the KUMU branch of the museum, showing Estonian art from the 18th century onwards is furthermore situated in the park. The house today is the result of a drastic renovation ordered by Nicholas I of Russia in 1827, however, plans for a larger palace in the area soon developed and construction of a new palace, Kadriorg, was started on 25 July 1718. Peter and Catherine visited the residence on several occasions. The great hall with Catherines initials and profuse stucco decor survives, the gardener Ilya Surmin was responsible for the flower garden with two fountains and the so-called mirage garden on several levels. The layout of the park shares similarities with that of Strelna, after the death of Peter the Great, the palace received little attention from the Russian royal family. It was sporadically visited, by the empress Elisabeth and Catherine the Great, in 1828-1830 extensive restoration works of the palace and grounds took place. Between 1741 and 1917, the palace housed the civilian governor of the Governorate of Estonia. After the declaration of independence of Estonia in 1919, the palace became state property, for a time, one of the wings housed the studio of sculptor August Weizenberg while the palace was used for art exhibitions. From this era, the library in elaborate so-called Danzig baroque style, a purpose-built presidential palace on the grounds was designed by Alar Kotli. The palace became the site for the Art Museum of Estonia in 1921. The museum was re-housed in temporary locations from 1929 while the palace was being converted into the Estonian presidents residence, during the German occupation of Estonia during World War II, the palace was the residence of the civilian governor of occupied Estonia, Karl-Siegmund Litzmann. Restoration works, supported by the government of Sweden, began in 1991 and it was also decided that a new building would be established nearby for the section of the museum devoted to Estonian art. From 1993 until 2005 a part of the collection could be visited at the Estonian Knighthood House in Tallinn’s city centre. The restored palace was reopened in the summer of 2000, but it no longer serves as the building of the museum. Culture of Estonia List of palaces and manor houses in Estonia Media related to Kadriorg palace at Wikimedia Commons Kadriorg virtual tour
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Pirita Convent
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Pirita Convent was a monastery, for both monks and nuns dedicated to St. Brigitta, in the district of Pirita in Tallinn, Estonia. The idea of founding the monastery dates to merchants of Tallinn of around 1400, in 1407, two monks from the Vadstena Abbey arrived to Tallinn to counsel the merchants. The first permit to break dolomite to gather building material for building the complex was acquired in 1417, the convent was constructed under the supervision of the architect Heinrich Swalbart. The main church of the monastery was consecrated on 15 August 1436 by the Bishop of Tallinn Heinrich II, during its heyday Pirita Convent became the largest Catholic monastery in Livonia. However, during Livonian War Pirita Convent was attacked by the Russian troops under leadership of Ivan the Terrible in 1557 and they sacked the monastery, looted its riches and burned it down. Pirita Convent was abandoned then, but adjacent lands were used for the cemetery by the locals. Several of the merchants who had proposed the monastery later became its monks. Vadstena Abbey Bjärka-Säby Monastery List of Christian religious houses in Estonia Official website Ermak Travel Site of Pirita Convent
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Glehn Castle
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The Glehn Castle is a castle on the hillside of Nõmme, part of Tallinn, Estonia. The manor was designed and established by Nikolai von Glehn on the part of the lands of his Jälgimäe Manor to become his new residence. The castle was completed in 1886, the castle is surrounded by a park with several buildings like a palm house, observatory tower and sculptures Kalevipoeg, Crocodile, all of which also designed by Glehn himself. After Glehn emigrated to Germany in 1918 the castle was looted, in the 1960s, restoration of the building commenced. The renovated palace was inaugurated on the 24 March 1977, the film The Hound of the Baskervilles was shot around the castle in 1981. List of palaces and manor houses in Estonia Official page at the website of Tallinn University of Technology Mustamäe Manor at Estonian Manors Portal
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Tallinn TV Tower
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The Tallinn TV Tower is a free-standing structure with an observation deck, built to provide better telecommunication services for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics regatta event. It is located near the suburb Pirita, six km north-east of the Tallinn city center, with its 314 m, the TV Tower is the tallest building in Tallinn. The tower was opened on 11 July 1980. The viewing platform at a height of 170 metres was open to the public until 26 November 2007, having been repaired, the tower began receiving visitors again on 5 April 2012. The building is administered by the public company Levira and is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers, the tower’s geographical coordinates are 59° 28′ 16″ N, 24° 53′ 15″ E. The architects were David Baziladze and Juri Sinis, the engineers – Vladimir Obydov, the construction work was supervised by Aleksander Ehala. The cornerstone was laid on September 30,1975, and the building was inaugurated July 11,1980. The tower body was constructed of reinforced concrete rings 50 cm thick that weigh a total of 17,000 metric tons, the tower survived a fire during the construction stage. The observation deck on the 21st floor, originally designed to have a section, is located 170 m above ground. The Tower was closed to the public on November 26,2007, before it was closed, tickets were priced at 60 Estonian kroon and, aside from an infrequently used concrete and metallic staircase, the observation deck was accessed by two elevators. Vilnius TV Tower has an architectural design but features a rotating observation deck 165 m above ground. The structure consists of a 190-metre reinforced-concrete tower and a 124-metre metal mast on top of it, under the tower is a two-storey building with equipment rooms, entrance halls and a conference centre. The diameter of the tower at its base is 15.2 metres, the diameter of the tower from 140 metres upwards is 8.2 metres. A total of 10,000 m3 of concrete and 1,900 tons of steel were used in the TV Tower construction, Tallinn TV tower was reopened on April 5,2012 with completely new interior design made by KOKO Arhitektid. Local guide books advertise the observation decks spectacular views of Tallinn, the tower is described as having a 1980s Soviet feel and a restaurant is located on the observation floor. Bullet holes dating from the Soviet coup attempt of 1991 are still visible at the base of the tower, a widely known account tells of a handful of radio operators who in 1991 risked their lives to protect the free media of the reborn Republic of Estonia. They placed a matchbox between the door and frame in such a manner that the elevator wouldnt work, forcing Soviet troops to climb every one of approximately 1,000 tower steps. The operators also had an oxygen-removing fire-fighting system at their disposal, however, it is not known if the system was operational or if it was a bluff, putting the system into use would have asphyxiated everyone in the tower, including those trying to defend it
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Linnahall
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Linnahall is a former concert/sports venue in Tallinn, Estonia. It is situated on the harbour, just beyond the walls of the Old Town and was completed in 1980 and it is not to be confused with the primary administrative building of the municipal government of Tallinn, sometimes referred to as the Town Hall). The 22nd Summer Olympic Games were hosted in Moscow in 1980, as inland Moscow had no suitable venue at which to stage the sailing event this task fell to Tallinn, the capital of then Estonian SSR. Apart from the venue for the sailing event, Pirita Yachting Centre. Lenin Palace of Culture and Sport, which was renamed to its present name - Linnahall. A large concrete structure, architects of Linnahall are Raine Karp, the venue also features a heliport, with service to Helsinki, and a small port for Linda Line catamarans. Linnahall Heliport, is a heliport at the Linnahall in Tallinn and it was used by Copterline for its flights to Helsinki Hernesaari Heliport in Helsinki, Finland. It is the only publicly used heliport in Estonia, official website News Estonia, Linnahall Works Suddenly Stopped
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War of Independence Victory Column
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The War of Independence Victory Column is located in Freedom Square, Tallinn, Estonia. The pillar is 23.5 m high and consists of 143 glass plates, the memorial incorporates the Cross of Liberty, Estonia’s most distinguished award established in 1919. The idea of creating a monument was conceived in 1919, before the end of the war, during the War of Independence in 1918–1920,4,000 people were killed, and 14,000 wounded on the Estonian side. In 1936, a law was passed to establish a monument in commemoration of the war. Preparatory work was interrupted by the Second World War and subsequent Soviet occupation, after Estonia regained independence in 1991, the question of establishing a national monument for the commemoration of the War of Independence was raised again. In the spring of 2005, the Riigikogu decided that a column of victory in memory of the War would be erected at the Freedom Square in Tallinn, in 2006, a design competition for the monument received more than 40 entries. The winning entry Libertas was designed by Rainer Sternfeld, Andri Laidre, Kadri Kiho, celander Ehitus OÜ was selected as the prime constructor. Cross of Liberty Freedom Monument in Riga Estonian War of Independence Freedom Monument
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Bronze Soldier of Tallinn
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The memorial was unveiled on 22 September 1947, three years after the Red Army reached Tallinn on 22 September 1944 during World War II. The monument consists of a structure made of dolomite and a two-meter bronze statue of a soldier in a World War II-era Red Army military uniform. It was originally located in a park on Tõnismägi in central Tallinn. In April 2007, the Estonian government relocated the Bronze Soldier and, after exhumation and identification, the disputes surrounding the relocation peaked with two nights of riots in Tallinn, besieging of the Estonian embassy in Moscow for a week, and cyberattacks on Estonian organizations. The monument was erected by Soviet authorities in Estonia to the liberators of Tallinn on 22 September 1944. The German Army did not engage in any battles with the Red Army entering the city on 22 September 1944, even though the Germans did not engage Soviets in Tallinn, they did retreat under pressure from the advancing Red Army. The two girls, 14-year-old Aili Jürgenson and 15-year-old Ageeda Paavel destroyed it, in their own words, both were later arrested by the NKVD and sent to the Gulag. The Bronze Soldier monument, with its figure of a soldier against a background, was created in 1947 by Enn Roos. It was unveiled on 22 September 1947, on the anniversary of the Soviet Red Army re-entering Tallinn in 1944. Originally intended as a war memorial to Soviet soldiers who died fighting in World War II. The Soviet liberation theme was changed when Estonia re-established independence in 1991, now stating For those fallen in World War II, the prototype for the face and figure of the statue is not known. It has been suggested to have been the Estonian 1936 Olympic gold medal wrestler Kristjan Palusalu, on the other hand, Palusalus daughter, Helle Palusalu, has claimed that her father served as a model for the statue. Rooss denial could have motivated by Palusalus having defected from Soviet military. On 25 September 1944, the remains of two Soviet soldiers were buried in the centre of the Tõnismägi hill, with remains of Soviet soldiers reburied there in April 1945. After the burial of the Red Army soldiers on Tõnismägi, the square was named Liberators’ Square on 12 June 1945 with the Bronze Soldier Monument added two years later, captain Ivan Sysoyev — political commissar of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in village Topsa, Arkhangelsk Oblast. Gefreiter Dmitri Belov — 125th division Colonel Konstantin Kolesnikov — second commander of 125th division, born in 1897 in Zhilaya Kosa, Stalingrad Oblast. Captain Ivan Serkov — chief of intelligence, 79th light artillery brigade, major Vasili Kuznetsov — commander of 1222nd artillery regiment. Born in 1908 in Ivanovo Oblast, Lieutenant Vasili Volkov — commander of mortar platoon
28.
Russalka Memorial
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It was the first monument in Estonia made by an Estonian sculptor. The monument depicts an angel holding an Orthodox cross towards the direction of the shipwreck. The model for the angel was the sculptors housekeeper Juliana Rootsi, whose grandson is the politician, in 2005, Eesti Post issued a postage stamp series for the 150th anniversary of the sculptor, with the Russalka Memorial depicted on the cover. Media related to Rusalka Memorial at Wikimedia Commons From Mermaid - to the Kursk
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Raekoja plats, Tallinn
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Raekoja plats is a town square beside Tallinn Town Hall in the center of the Tallinn Old Town in Tallinn, Estonia. It is a venue for numerous small festivals or concerts like Tallinn Old Town Days, the square also hosts a market regularly, with many stalls selling traditional Estonian items and souvenirs. There has been a hall in Tallinn since at least 1322. The hall was rebuilt from 1402 to 1404 into its current form, Tallinn Town Hall From Times Online, November 8,2009, Europes 20 best Christmas markets 2009
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Walls of Tallinn
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The Walls of Tallinn are the medieval defensive walls constructed around the city of Tallinn in Estonia. The first wall around Tallinn was ordered to be constructed by Margaret Sambiria in 1265 and for that reason and this wall was less than 5 metres tall and about 1.5 metres thick at its base. Since that time it has enlarged and strengthened. The walls and the gates are still largely extant today. This is one of the reasons that Tallinns old town became a World Heritage Site
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House of the Blackheads (Tallinn)
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House of the Blackheads, or House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads, in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is a former headquarters of the Brotherhood of Blackheads. Historically this was an association of ship owners, merchants. They were active in Livonia but fled to Germany during the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States in 1940, the House of the Blackheads was visited by several Russian Emperors including Peter I, Paul I and Alexander I who also became honorable members the Brotherhood. The building was acquired by this organization in 1517, in 1597 it was renovated under supervision of the architect Arent Passer. The façade was rebuilt in the style of Renaissance architecture from the Low Countries, the painted doors date from the 1640s. A Maure, a symbol of Saint Maurice, the saint of the Brotherhood. The House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads today comprises three buildings, and has four halls and several other rooms which are used for a variety of events. The White Hall was built in 1531-32, but was remodelled during reconstruction work between 1909 and 1911, st. Olaf’s Guild Hall, whose interior architecture comes from the early 15th century, was purchased by the Blackheads in 1919 and was remodeled between 1919 and 1922. House of the Blackheads, Riga, Latvia House of the Blackheads
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Toompea
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Toompea is a limestone hill in the central part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The hill is an oblong tableland, which measures about 400 by 250 metres, has an area of 7 hectares and is about 20–30 metres higher than the surrounding areas. In folklore the hill is known as the mound over the grave of Kalev. The history of Toompea is closely linked to the history of rulers, today Toompea is the center of the Government of Estonia and the Riigikogu, both of which are often simply referred to as Toompea. The location of the Riigikogu is the Toompea Castle, situated in the corner of the hill. The flag on the top of the tower is one of the symbols in Estonia of the government in force. Toompea is part of the Tallinn Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, geologically Toompea is associated with the North Estonian Klint. A separate relic klint island, Toompea lies about 1.5 km northwest of the North Estonian Limestone Plateau, the plateau and Toompea are connected with a gently sloped sandstone ridge. From the east, north and west Toompea is bordered for 1.5 km by a cliff with a height of up to 25 m, the southern slope of the hill descends more gently. The upper layer of the consists of Ordovician limestone, which is also the main rock exposed at the cliff. However, most of the face has been hidden behind a protective wall. Toompea first emerged as an island from the Baltic Ice Lake around 10,000 years ago, due to steady post-glacial rebound it became connected with the mainland during the early Littorina Sea stage. At 5,000 BCE the sea reached the foot of the cliffs of Toompea. The modern coastline is at a distance of more than 1 km from Toompea, the hill reaches about 48 metres in elevation. She heaped a cairn of stones over his tomb, which formed the hill on which the Cathedral of Revel now stands. Kirby,1895 The first stronghold is believed to have built on the hill in either the 10th or 11th century by residents of the ancient Estonian county of Revala. The late Iron Age fortified settlement did not probably have permanent inhabitants, early archaeological evidence from the hill dates mainly to the second half of the 12th century and first half of the 13th century. Smaller amounts of older finds support the view that the stronghold might have been established already during the Viking Age, the hill fort is mentioned in the Henry of Livonias Chronicle of the Livonian Crusade by the name Lindanise
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Kadriorg
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Kadriorg is a subdistrict in the district of Kesklinn, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 4,561, the subdistrict name derives from the Catherinethal, a Baroque palace of Catherine I of Russia. It is one of the wealthiest regions in Estonia, kadriog is known for the Kadriorg palace and the surrounding park, commissioned by the Russian Czar Peter the Great. Nowadays the park is a location of several museums including the Kadriorg art Museum, KUMU, Mikkel, Peter the Great, nearby is the Russalka Memorial which commemorates the loss of a Russian warship in 1893. The official Presidential Palace of the President of Estonia is situated next to Kadriorg Palace in the park
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Kalamaja
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Kalamaja is a subdistrict of the district of Põhja-Tallinn in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is located just northwest of the town centre, on the coast of the Tallinn Bay. Kalamaja has a population of 9,820, Kalamaja is mostly notable as one of the best preserved wooden architecture areas in Tallinn, and Estonia. The quiet neighbourhood has long known for its colourful hodgepodge of old fashioned. Throughout most of Tallinns history Kalamaja served as the main fishing harbour. Starting from the 14th century the area was dominated by fishermen, fishmongers. A new era began in 1870, when Tallinn was connected to Saint Petersburg by railroad, the Tallinn railway station, was built between Kalamaja and the city centre. Suddenly enormous factories started to sprout up in part of town. The wooden houses, which have become Kalamajas architectural legacy, were built to accommodate these workers, most of the Kalamajas main sightseeings are located on the coast of Kalamaja. In 2011 a former railway embankment was converted into a trail called Culture Kilometre. In 2015, the former Kultuurikilomeeter was converted into a street, Kalamaja was the location of the oldest cemetery in Tallinn, known as Kalamaja cemetery which was founded in the 15th or 16th century. The cemetery was flattened in 1964, during the occupation of the Baltic states
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Tallinn Zoo
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Tallinn Zoo is a zoo in Tallinn, Estonia, that was founded in 1939. It is the zoo in Estonia, and as of 2012. Since 2009, it is the most visited zoo in the Baltic states, in 1937, a team of Estonian marksmen won the World Champion title in Helsinki. They brought back with them a young lynx, named Illu, Illu became the first exhibit in the zoo, which was formally opened on 25 August 1939. The lynx was later chosen to be the zoos emblem animal, inititally, the zoo was based on the edge of Kadriorg Park. Estonia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and it relocated to a 89-hectare site in the Veskimetsa district in 1983. Tallinn Zoo has the worlds largest mountain goat and sheep collection, the zoo has two tropic houses which include crocodiles and other reptiles, as well as fishes, exotic birds, marmosets, chimpanzees, and mongooses. The Elephant House was built in 1989 to celebrate the zoos 50th birthday and it houses snakes, African elephants, pygmy hippos, armadillos, and rodents. The Alpinarium has been part of the zoo since 2004, in the Alpinarium, one can find mountain sheep, ibex, and snow leopards. The Middle-Asia Complex was built in 2002, and includes such as Przewalskis horses, Bactrian camels, bison, yak. Near the Middle-Asia complex are pheasants, and water bird lakes that are home to ducks, pelicans, swans, hawk Mountain is home to eagles, vultures and owls. Here one can find different vultures, golden eagles, Stellers sea eagles, barn owls and many other eagles, Tallinn zoo has successfully bred many animals, including the Amur leopard, long-tailed goral, Stellers sea eagle, and snow leopards. Tallinn Zoo is working on a European mink mission to release these animals to wild. In late 2007, a bear escaped from its cage due to human negligence. In July 2004, a man who had fallen asleep in a stupor, woke up. He evidently tried to offer a polar bear a cookie, only to have his hand bitten off and his screams alerted security, who called an ambulance. He survived following surgery, but his hand was never recovered, Tallinn Zoo is building new exhibits for bears, wolves, tigers, and other animals, which live in old military buildings right now. The zoo is undergoing a major modernization program, updating the facilities
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Tallinn Botanic Garden
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Tallinn Botanic Garden, is a botanical garden in Tallinn, Estonia. It is located on the bank of the Pirita River. With an area of 123 ha, it is the largest in Estonia, the idea of founding a botanical garden in Tallinn first arose in the 1860s. It took almost 100 years for the idea to be realized, the garden was established on 1 December 1961 as a subordinate institution of the Academy of Sciences of the Estonian SSR and was developed over the following years. Major plant collections were planted during the first 20 years, the systematic open-air collections were opened for visitors in 1970 and the greenhouse collections in 1971. Originally, the focus of research was the foreign species in Estonian context e. g. plant growth requirements. Since 1992 Tallinn Botanic Garden is a member of the Association of the Baltic Botanic Gardens, in 1995, the responsibility for the Botanic Garden was transferred to the Tallinn city council. The territory of Tallinn Botanic garden occupy the land of the farm of Konstantin Päts. The garden includes an arboretum, rosary and rock garden, university of Tartu Botanical Gardens Official website Tallinn Botanic Garden at BGCI
37.
Pirita (river)
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The Pirita is a 105 km long river in northern Estonia that drains into Tallinn Bay in Pirita, Tallinn. The basin area of the Pirita is 799 km², for the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, the estuary to the Gulf of Finland at Tallinn Bay hosted the sailing events. As part of the Tallinn water supply system, the Pirita is impounded into the Paunküla and Vaskjala Reservoirs, the reservoir in Vaskjala is connected over a canal to the Lake Ülemiste in Tallinn, where the Ülemiste Water Treatment Plant is situated. Additional water is directed to Pirita from the Jägala, Soodla and Pärnu rivers through a canal network that joins Pirita in Veskitaguse
38.
Aegna
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Aegna is an Estonian island in the Bay of Tallinn in the Baltic Sea. Administratively it is part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and is a sub district of the Kesklinn district. Aegna island has an area of around 3 km2, and can be found off the Viimsi peninsula and it has a 10 km coastline which includes two sandy beaches. The islands highest point is about 13 m above sea level, as of 1 January 2015, Aegna had 6 permanent residents. Aegna is a destination for day and camping trips, and has around 15 km of walking routes. On 10 August 2005 a Copterline helicopter on Tallinn–Helsinki route crashed 3 km south of the island, all 14 people on the helicopter died. The small ferry Juku operates to and from the island during the summer months, with support from the city of Tallinn
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Kopli cemetery
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The Kopli cemetery was Estonias largest Lutheran Baltic German cemetery, located in the suburb of Kopli in Tallinn. The former cemetery is now a public park, the cemetery at Kopli was founded in 1774 on the outskirts of Tallinn. It was divided two sections, the western part was used for the deceased belonging to the St. Nicholas Church parish. The cemetery served as a ground for over 170 years for almost all Baltic Germans who died in the city between 1774 and 1944. In 1939, it contained thousands of graves of many prominent citizens of Tallinn. Burials at the continued on a much smaller scale until 1944. Around 1950–1951, the cemetery was flattened by Russian Soviet authorities. Gravestones were used to build walls along the ports and sidewalks in other parts of the city, Soviet administration also destroyed two further 17th and 18th century cemeteries in the city, in Kalamaja and Mõigu, which belonged to the ethnic Estonian and Baltic German communities. In contrast, the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, also established in the 18th century, presently, the former area of the cemetery is a public park, with no immediate visible indication of its previous status. The only surviving evidence of those who were interred there consists of the registers of burials. Adolf Richters Baltische Verkehrs- und Adreßbücher, Band 3-Estland, Riga 1913 Schmidt, bergengruens Tod von Reval aus historischer Sicht. Journal of Baltic Studies,29,4, 315-325 Tallinna Kalmistud, Karl Laane, Tallinn,2002
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Kalamaja cemetery
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The Kalamaja cemetery, in Tallinn in Estonia was once the citys oldest existing cemetery, located in the suburb of Kalamaja in the north of the city. The former cemetery is now a park, Kalamaja kalmistupark. The exact origins of the cemetery are not completely clear, and it was the principal burial ground of the ethnic Swedish and Estonians living in or around Tallinn. Until its destruction the cemetery had thousands of graves standing of various figures from Estonias history. Shortly after the Second World War and during the occupation of Baltic states. In 1964 the cemetery was flattened under the order of Soviet authorities. Gravestones were used to build walls along the ports and sidewalks in other parts of the city, in contrast the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, also established in the 18th century, south of the old town of Tallinn, was left standing. Presently the former area of the cemetery is a public park, however a small plaque with a very short description has been put on the site on the side of a restored chapel. The only surviving evidence of those who were interred there consists of the registers of burials. Adolf Richters Baltische Verkehrs- und Adreßbücher, Band 3-Estland, Riga 1913 Schmidt, bergengruens Tod von Reval aus historischer Sicht
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Kumu (museum)
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Kumu is an art museum in Tallinn, Estonia. The museum is one of the largest museums in Estonia and one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe and it is one of the five branches of the Art Museum of Estonia, housing its main offices. Kumu is an abbreviation of the Estonian Kunstimuuseum, kumu presents both permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. The main collection covers Estonian art from the 18th century onwards, including works from the occupations period, Temporary exhibitions include both foreign and Estonian modern and contemporary art. Kumu received the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award of 2008 from the European Museum Forum, the designer of the building is Pekka Vapaavuori, a Finnish architect who won the competition in 1994. The museum is successfully positioned in the slope of Lasnamäe Hill. Ground floor, Entrance from the Kadriorg park side, auditorium, 1st floor, Entrance from the Lasnamägi car park side, terrace, information, cloakroom, toilets, large auditorium, library, bookstore and restaurant. 2nd floor, Classics of Estonian art from the 18th century until the end of the Second World War, 3rd floor, Estonian art from 1945 to 1991. 4th floor, Temporary contemporary art exhibitions, art after 1991, the Art Museum of Estonia was founded on November 17,1919, but it was not until 1921 that it got its first permanent building — the Kadriorg Palace, built in the 18th century. In 1929 the palace was expropriated from the Art Museum in order to rebuild it as the residence of the President of Estonia, the Art Museum of Estonia was housed in several different temporary spaces, until it moved back to the palace in 1946. In September,1991 the Kadriorg Palace was closed for renovation, at the end of 1991, then the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia decided to guarantee the construction of a new building for the Art Museum of Estonia in the Kadriorg park. Until the new building was finished, the Estonian Knighthood House at Toompea Hill in the old town of Tallinn served as the main building of the Art Museum of Estonia. The exhibition there was opened on April 1,1993, the Art Museum of Estonia permanently closed down the exhibitions in that building in October 2005. In the summer of 2000 the restored Kadriorg Palace was opened, but not as the building of the Art Museum of Estonia. The Kadriorg Art Museum now exhibits the art collection of the Art Museum of Estonia. For the first time in its nearly 100-year-old history, the Art Museum of Estonia now has a building that meets the museums requirements and is worthy of the Estonian art in its collections. Kumu includes exhibition halls, an auditorium that offers diverse possibilities, Art Museum of Estonia Official website Digital model of the museum
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Mikkel Museum
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The Mikkel Museum is a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia, located in Kadriorg park in Tallinn. It displays a collection of mainly Western art and ceramics, and Chinese porcelain, the museum was founded to house the art collection of Johannes Mikkel, who in 1994 had donated his collection of foreign art to the Art Museum of Estonia. Johannes Mikkel came from southern Estonia, studied various subjects at the University of Tartu and worked, after World War II, through his vast network he was able to assemble the collection of the present museum. In 1996, the kitchen building of nearby Kadriorg Palace. The museum contains about 600 objects, the nucleus of the collection is the large amount of Western graphic art from the 16th to 19th centuries, with a special focus on the Dutch Golden Age. The part of the devoted to graphics include works by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Adriaen van Ostade, Jacob van Ruisdael. In addition to pictures, the collection also displays a set of European ceramics, the Mikkel collection is indeed the only place in Estonia to house a representative European ceramics collection, spanning several centuries. The core of the collection are pieces of Meissen porcelain. The Chinese porcelain collection is focused on blue-and-white porcelain, culture of Estonia Official homepage of the museum
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Estonian Maritime Museum
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The Estonian Maritime Museum is located in the Fat Margaret tower in the old town of Tallinn. The museum presents history of ships and navigation in Estonia and related to Estonia, other parts of the Maritime Museum are the mine museum and the Seaplane Harbour where museum ships are presented. Fat Margaret was built in the early 16th century during the reconstruction of the city gate system. Apart from being a fortification against would-be invaders to the port of the town, the tower is a defensive structure at the end of Pikk tänav. Together with the Suur Rannavärav, an arch flanked by two towers, it served to defend the harbour of Tallinn. Suur Tõll - a steamer-icebreaker built in 1914 Estonian Navy EML Olev EML Vaindlo Media related to Estonian Maritime Museum at Wikimedia Commons Estonian Maritime Museum
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Seaplane Harbour
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The Seaplane Harbour is a maritime museum in Tallinn, Estonia, opened in spring 2012. The museum is part of the Estonian Maritime Museum, the museum is located in the Tallinn aeroplane harbour in a building originally constructed as a hangar for seaplanes in the area of Peter the Greats Naval Fortress. The hall has an area of 8000 m², the hall was put out of service during the Soviet era. The renovation was funded 70% by the European Regional Development Fund, the main attraction in the museum is the 1936 submarine Lembit, which was ordered by Estonia from the United Kingdom, and has nowadays been renovated to its original 1930s appearance. The museum also has a submarine, which can be used to familiarise oneself with piloting a submarine. None of the original seaplanes remain to this day, the wreck of the wooden ship Maasilinn dates to the 16th century and had sailed between Saaremaa and mainland Estonia. The icebreaker Suur Tõll originally sailed for Finland under the name Wäinämöinen and it was conquered from the Russians near Helsinki in 1918 and donated to Estonia from Finland in 1922 according to the Treaty of Tartu. The attractions in the museum are located in three levels, in the air, on the sea and below the sea, the museum presents the history of the old maritime country Estonia in a modern visual language. The museum has submarine and flight simulators, and a pool where people can sail miniature ships, official site Tallinnaan uusi merimuseo toukokuussa, yle. fi 28 November 2011, YLE. Tallinn Seaplane Harbour - Lennusadam at Vimeo
