# Tallinn history tour

Tallinn is Estonia's capital and largest city, with a legacy from the Viking Age, the Hanseatic League, the Danish Empire, the Swedish Empire, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and independence achieved in 1991.

## Understand

Tallinn grew from the Toompea castle, founded by Valdemar the Victorious of Denmark. The most probable origin of the city's name is Taani linn; the Danish Castle; it has also been interpreted as Talvelinn; the Winter City. Reval is a Germanic name of the city, used by the Teutonic order and the Hanseatic League, and the Germanic influence is visible in the old city's timberframe and brick architecture.

## See

* 59.442524.74961 Estonian Maritime Museum (Fat Margaret), Pikk 70. The Maritime Museum dates back to 1935 and is housed inside the largest of the Tallinn city wall towers, aptly named "Fat Margaret" (Paks Margareta). Visiting the museum allows one not only to see the potpourri of maritime-themed artifacts, but also the 16th-century cannon tower and experience the view from the cafe on its roof.
* 59.4413624.747862 St. Olaf's church (Oleviste kirik), Lai 51. Built in the 12th century. Today it is a Baptist church and probably the most visible landmark on the northern end of the Old Town. When Estonia was part of the Soviet Union the tower was used as a radio tower and a surveillance point.
* 59.4405624.747613 Ex-KGB Headquarters, Pikk 61. Now the Interior Ministry and not generally open to the public, this is where the KGB detained and tortured suspected dissidents. A Soviet-era joke says that this was the tallest building in Estonia: even from the basement, you could see Siberia. Interrogations were indeed conducted in the basement and you can see even today how the windows were crudely bricked up with concrete to mute the sound.
* 59.4382924.745644 Estonian History Museum (Great Guild), Pikk 17. The History Museum's main location is the medieval Great Guild Hall. Here, the permanent exhibition takes you through 11,000 years of Estonian history by means ranging from striking exhibits of artifacts to interactive "time capsules". Topics covered include a surprisingly wide range, from coinage and wine to the history of the Great Guild building itself. On top of that, there are always some temporary exhibitions which usually serve as a link with present-day Estonia and Tallinn.
* 59.4369924.745325 Town Hall (Raekoda), Raekoja plats 1. Built around AD 1400 it, is the oldest town hall in northern Europe. Nowadays it's used as a museum where smaller concerts are held. The weather vane on top of the spire is called Vana Toomas ("Old Thomas") and it has become a symbol of the city.
* 59.4392424.742276 City Wall. A section of the City Wall can be climbed from the corner of Suur-Kloostri and Väike-Kloostri, with entry into three towers possible. Quite frankly, the views from up on Toompea are better, and the spiral staircases are steep and somewhat claustrophobic.
* 59.4383624.740267 Stenbock House (Stenbocki Maja), Rahukohtu 3. Today, the Stenbock House is the seat of Estonia's government, but it was built as a courthouse in late 18th century, at the behest of the erstwhile Russian authorities.
* 59.43701724.7388698 St. Mary's Cathedral (Tallinna toomkirik). The oldest church in Tallinn, built as a Catholic church in 1229 but renovated and expanded many times since then. It became a Lutheran church in 1561.
* 59.4356124.737439 Toompea Castle (Parliament of Estonia), Lossi plats 1A. Yhe seat of Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). (updated Aug 2021)
* 59.4357224.7393110 Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Lossi plats 10, ☏ +372 644 3484.
* 59.4359124.7426911 St. Nicholas church (Niguliste kirik), Niguliste 3. St.Olaf's lookalike is at the other end of the Old Town. Heavily damaged in World War II and a fire in the 1980s, it is now an art museum and houses Bernt Notke's famous Danse Macabre from 1633.
* 59.4347524.7412512 Kiek in de Kök. An artillery tower, which is today a museum.
* 59.4337124.7440713 Freedom Square, Vabaduse väljak. Featuring the simple and elegant St. John's Church from the 1860s and the contemporary Victory Column, erected in 2009 to commemorate the Estonian War of Independence of 1918-1920. The square looks especially spectacular at nighttime, when the column is lit up.
* 59.4325424.7394314 Vabamu (Museum of Occupations and Freedom), Toompea. 8. Educates and involves the people of Estonia and its visitors and encourages everyone to think about the recent past, to sense the fragility of freedom, and to stand for freedom and justice.

## Go next

* Tenet tour, for the sets of the 2020 film Tenet.