Tallinn is deservedly considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and its old part is a treasure trove of interesting sights. The center of the Estonian capital is surrounded by a fortress wall, which is extremely rare today. The architectural and historical ensemble of Tallinn is so unique that UNESCO has included it in its entirety in the World Heritage List. The sights of the city are not limited to the old part alone: there are beautiful parks, interesting modern buildings, picturesque beaches and much more. Today we will find out what to see in Tallinn to make your trip to this city bright and memorable.
Viru Gate
In the western part of old Tallinn, at the intersection of Vana-Viru and Viru streets, there is a gate, on the site of which in the Middle Ages there was one of the main entrances to the city. Today, it is through this gate that most guests enter the city: to the west of the gate is the business district of Tallinn, where many modern hotels are concentrated.
Viru Street
The busiest street in Old Tallinn is Viru Street. It connects the Town Hall Square with the same business district. Despite the fact that the street was actively built up in the 19th century and most of its buildings are not historical sights, both locals and tourists like to walk along it.
Town Hall Square
Answering the question: “What to see in Tallinn?”, the first thing they usually remember is the Town Hall Square, which is considered the heart of the city. Carefully restored facades, tiled roofs, old paving stones - all this creates an atmosphere of cozy and calm Northern Europe. In one of the corners of the square there is another attraction of the old part of the city - the town hall pharmacy. To make visiting the square even more memorable, it is recommended to climb the tower of the Town Hall, which offers fabulous views of the ancient and modern streets of the city. Climbing the tower is quite difficult, so it is better to do it not after walking around the city, but before them.
Not far from the Town Hall Square, at the intersection of Kullagsepa and Niguliste streets, there is a tourist information center where every guest of the city can take a map of the city and various information booklets in their native language for free.
Lühike jalg and Pikk Jalg streets
Not far from the town hall square begins a narrow and winding street-staircase Lühike jalg. In Russian, its name sounds like "short leg". This is one of the two streets that lead to Upper Tallinn(this is the name of the part of the city located on the hill of Toompea). The second street is called "long leg" - Pikk Jalg - and is located a little to the north. Both "legs" pass under the gate towers. In the Lühike jalg tower, a large oak door with metal rivets has been preserved, the caps of which face the Upper Town. Locals joke that Tallinn will always limp, because it stands on legs of different lengths.
The Danish King's Garden
On one of the two "legs" tourists get to Upper Tallinn - the center of secular and ecclesiastical power of the city. There are many attractions here. Let's start with the Danish king's garden.
In addition to undeniable aesthetic merits, this place also boasts that the Danish flag day is celebrated here every year. According to legend, it was in Tallinn in 1219, after one of the battles, that Denmark received its national flag. The battle did not develop for the Danes in the best way, but inspired by the red banner with a white cross that fell from the sky, they still defeated the enemy. This banner later became not only the flag of Denmark, but also the coat of arms of Tallinn.
Two interesting towers greet tourists in the Danish King's Garden. The first of them is Konyushennaya. In the recent past, there was a prison on its floors. Today, on the upper tier of the tower, there is a colorful bar, which can only be reached by a no less colorful spiral staircase. The second tower is called more romantically - Maiden. It attracts tourists with its interesting museum, cozy cafe and ghost, which supposedlyappears here at midnight and flies through the halls.
Dome Cathedral
The main Lutheran church in the old part of Tallinn is the Dome Cathedral. It is also considered one of the main attractions of the Upper City. In the dungeons of the Tallinn Dome Cathedral, families of noble Swedes and B altic Germans are buried, who donated significant sums for its construction and development. The coats of arms of these families can be found on the walls of the cathedral.
Observation decks
Not far from the Dome Cathedral is one of the two observation platforms of Upper Tallinn - Kohtuotsa. It offers beautiful views of the lower part of the city. In addition, from this observation deck you can see the weather vane "Old Thomas", which rotates on the tower of the Town Hall. The second observation deck was named Patkuli. It is less popular among tourists than Kohtuotsa, as it looks a little away from the old part of Tallinn.
TV tower
Tallinn TV Tower, which is located in the Pirita area, is the tallest building not only in Tallinn, but throughout Estonia. Its height is 314 meters. In the building of the tower, you can admire views of the city from a height of 170 meters, dine in a restaurant located on the 22nd floor, buy local souvenirs, visit a mini-TV studio, admire the quaint interior and take the children to rides. Thus, the Tallinn TV Tower is a center of tourism and active pastime.
Long German Tower
This landmark of Tallinn is located two hundred meters fromFalgi tee streets. "Long Herman" is the tallest tower in Toompea Castle and the entire Upper Town, its height is 45.6 meters. The tower has 10 floors, which were once divided into barns, living quarters and warehouses for weapons. It is crowned by an open area, over which the flag of Estonia is raised every morning.
Kiek in de Kök tower
This tower was built in 1475 as the main defensive bastion of Toompea Fortress. There was a time when it was rightfully considered the most powerful gun turret of the entire B altic coast. Kiek in de Kök played an important role during the siege of Tallinn by the army of Ivan the Terrible, who intended to gain access to the B altic Sea during the Livonian War. Russian artillery managed to make a hole in the tower, but a high earthen rampart in front of it prevented them from using it. By the way, the 7-ton cannon that pierced that hole is today kept in one of the St. Petersburg museums. Nowadays, the Kiek in de Kök tower is used as an exhibition hall, and on its artillery floors there is a museum of the history of Tallinn fortifications.
Dominican Monastery
In most excursions around the city of Tallinn, this attraction is positioned as one of the main ones. The Dominican monastery was built in the 13th century and named after Saint Dominic Guzman. In 1216, Dominic proposed to the local Catholics to create something like an institution of itinerant theologians, carrying the "word of God" to the most remote corners of Europe. Church hierarchs liked this idea, and soonshe was brought to life. For the next several centuries, the monastery prospered - we althy citizens sponsored it in exchange for the right to be buried in the local tomb.
Slightly north of the Dominican Monastery is the City Museum of Tallinn. Near it is the “Stone Bag”, in which in the Middle Ages spouses were closed for three days, intending to break their marriage ties. During this time, the couple either changed their mind or finally became convinced of its correctness.
Church of the Holy Spirit
The Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit is located near the Town Hall Square. Despite the fair height of the bell tower, it is the smallest church in the old part of Tallinn. Once it played the role of a chapel at the City Hall, and now it attracts tourists with a large tower clock from 1684.
Fat Margaret Tower
The northern tip of the old city is marked by the gun turret “Fat Margarita”. It received its current name about a century and a half ago due to its dimensions: 25 meters in diameter and 20 meters in height. Today, in the complex, consisting of this tower and the Great Sea Gate, there is the Naval Museum of Tallinn and a cafe. The observation deck of the tower offers a beautiful view of the sea.
Monument to the battleship "Mermaid"
This monument is one of the few monuments to a warship that died in peacetime, erected within the boundaries of the former Russian Empire. It is a bronze angel standing on tiptoe and holding an Orthodox cross over his head.
Botanical Garden
Just ten kilometers from the bustling city is the Tallinn Botanical Garden, where everyone can enjoy beautifully designed landscapes. In addition to the common species that grow in Estonia, there are many rare specimens from various remote corners of the Earth.
Linnahall
One of the most unusual modern sights of Tallinn is the cyclopean building of the Linnahall concert hall, built for the 1980 Olympics. In addition to humanitarian, the building has a pronounced defensive function, which for some reason the architects decided not to disguise. Linnahall was to become a huge long-term defensive point and stronghold of the city's defense in the event of an attack from capitalist Finland. It is for this reason that the building was built on the territory of the seaport. This placement allowed him to cover almost the entire Old Tallinn. Linnahall is perfect for those tourists who are interested in the question: “What to see in Tallinn from Soviet architecture?”
Kadriorg
Two kilometers north of the old part of the city is the baroque palace and park ensemble of Kadriorg. Many call it the Tallinn Peterhof. Initially, the complex was called Ekaterinental, in honor of Catherine the Great. The modern name from the Estonian language is translated as "Catherine's valley". The main attraction of the park is the palace. Peter the Great, built in the style of an Italian palazzo.
Drama theater
The oldest theater building in Estonia, preserved in its original form, is the building of the Drama Theater, located in Tallinn. It was erected in 1910 according to the project of St. Petersburg architects Nikolai Vasiliev and Alexei Bubyr. For this work, the architects were awarded first place in one of the largest international architectural competitions. The Estonian Drama Theater in Tallinn is located right in the center of the city. Since its foundation and to this day, the repertoire consists mainly of productions of world classics, as well as modern drama from different countries.
Zoo
The Tallinn Zoo is located in the Veskimetsa forest park rich in picturesque views. It was created in 1939. Currently, the zoo occupies an area of 89 hectares, 26 of which are occupied by cages and aviaries. It contains almost 8 thousand species and about 6 hundred subspecies of animals from different parts of our planet. Among other things, the Tallinn Zoo boasts the world's largest exposition of rams and mountain goats. On the territory of the zoo you can rent various tourist equipment. There are special places for camping and picnics.
Conclusion
Today we have learned what to see in Tallinn to make your trip to the capital of Estonia really memorable. Finally, it is worth noting that not all the sights of the city were considered above, but onlythe main ones that are considered must-see.
