The Cordova daily times., 1920-05-24


 II, landed his forces on EsthOnian s soil and, after having conquered
 the region of Wyck (HapsaD, Harien OevaD, and Alutaga (Narva), settled down and founded in 1219 the town now known as Reval.
 Reval is one of the few towns which has emerged, with all its beauty, from the Middle Ages says the Christian Science Monitor. Approaching Reval from the sea, one cannot but admire the gorgeous picture it makes, situ- ,ated on the rock shore, with it's Won- derful castle perched on the hill, look ing proudly down over past days of sad history, as if despising the SOr- row and anxiety which now prevail in that unique town.
 Reval in summer, with its clear, blue sky, reminds one somewhat of Naples. Fitting in with the climate is the wonderful complexion of the pe0- pie, and one is struck by the beauty of the women, and the numbers of happy children.
 There is no firmly established opin- ion as to the derivation of the na&ne }. Reval One legend has it that the name RevaI is derived from the Dan ish word "reffel" reef), as in those days the Island of Karlos, which is two or three versts from the town, was a long rocky peninsula.
 Medieval and Modern Mingled.
 The old town. is still partly sur rounded by a thick wall from which rise many queer, medieval towers, the highest of which is the "Long Her. mann" Then there is the "Fat Cor thick) Margaritta," and the "Kick in ;" de Keck." The latter, overlooking the town, receives its name, according to rumOr, because one can peep into all it's kitchens from it's windows. Splen- did boulevards give a modern touch to this town, despite its narrow, old world, winding streets.
 Like Athens, it has seven gates; the Big Strand Cor seal gate; the Small Strand, or Nicholas gate; the Wfru, or Narwa gate: the Karja. or MichailOff gate the Harju, or New gate; the Dom gate, and the Cistern gate (which the Esthonians call Nunnavarov, de- rived from the Nun gate, as convent was once situated nearby).
 The towers and walls are riddled with bullet marks, which date back to the times when the MOscOvian czar, Ivan Vassilivitch, besieged the town. The gates are decorated with the coat of arms of the city, dating from the Danish period. Some have three light blue lines on gold ground, sur rounded with red red and blue feath CTS ornament the helmet, on which rests a crown. A woman clad in red garment holds a cross in her hands. A silver cross on a red ground is also sometimes found.
 Historical Houses and Castle
 RevaI as already mentioned, is one of the few towns in Europe to survive medieval days. For one who loves historical towns. to indulge himself in admiring the wonderful old Danish and Swedish houses which ornament these narrow streets, is a real joy. The square near the castle and the market place are of peculiar histor- ical interest; those streets known as Broad street and Long street are the principal thOroughfares and contain most of the fashionable shops and residences.
 Turning to the magnificent Dom berg. with it's castle. or Ritterhaus, a new and no less wonderful vista opens before us The castle was built in the thirteenth century by Waldemar Vand was partly rebuilt in 1722. It is surrounded by walls and beautiful park. Formerly, this quarter was di- vided into two parts, one belonging to the church, the other to the knights. On the right, the house of the nobil- ity contains many interesting fea- tures Unfortunately the archives, which were kept there, were lost, when, for some unknown reason, those dating from before 1590 were sent by ship to Sweden in TITO. Two out of the three ships were wrecked. The only reliable source from which one could trace the history of Esthonia has thus been destroyed.
 Some Ancient Churches.
 The churches of Reval are also of great interest The Lutheran and Nicolai churches were built in the fourteenth century, The Olaf church was built in 1929, and probably de rived it's name from the Danish king,