The Pulaskian., 1920-02-27

! q III, landed his forces on Esthonlan
soil and, after having conquered
the region of Wyck (HapsaD /,
Harlem (RevaD, and Alutaga (Narva),
settled down and founded in 1919 the
town now known as Reval.
RevaI 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, stu
ated on the rock shore, with its Won
derfuI 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 peo-
pie, and one is struck by the beauty
of the women, and the numbers of
happy children.
There is 10 firmly established opin-
ion as to the derivation of the meme
Reval. One legend has it that the
name Reyal is derived from the Dan
ISL word s'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 Tor
thicl) Margaritta." and the ''KiclS in
de Kecll." The latter, overlooking the
town. receives its name. according to
rumor, because one can peep into all
its kitchens from its windows. Spleen
did bouIevards 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 Wiru, or
Narwa gate; the Karia, or Michailoff
gate the Hariu. 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 car,
Ivan yassilivitch. 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 a gold ground. sur
rounded with red; red and blue feath-
ers ornament the helmet, on which
rests q crown A woman clad in a
red garment holds a cross in her
hands. A silver cross on a red ground
is also sometimes found.
Historical Houses and Castle.
Reval. 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-
zeal 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 its castle, or Ritterhaus, a
new and no less wonderful vista opens
before us. The castle was built in
the thirteenth century by Waldemar
and was partly rebuilt in 1922 1t 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
lures. Unfortunately the archives
which were kept there, were lost
when, for some unknown reason, those
dating from before 1890 We're sent by
ship to Sweden in 1710. 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 oil
great interest. The Lutheran ant
N'colai churches we're built in tht
| ftur'eenth century. The Olaf church
ms built In 1929 and probably Gle
lived its o& ms from the Danish king