Magic of medieval Tallinn
July 18th, 2007 by Helen Sarkanova
If the magic of medieval European cities is what you’re into, you’ll love Tallinn. I fell in love with Tallinn immediately, when I visited the Estonian capital for the first time a couple years ago. Full of 13th through 17th century buildings, churches and towers, the city offers an interesting cultural mix of Danish, Swedish, Russian, and German influences. Not many outsiders know that the city’s name, derived from the Estonian for “Danish Fort” (taani linnus), is a reminder of the fact that Tallinn was founded by the Danes in early 13th century and the political control over the city has nearly always been in the hands of foreigners from then on. In the past, Tallinn was dominated by Germans, ruled by the kinds of Sweden and the tsars of Russia and later, it became a part of the USSR.
Tallinn is a wonderful place to be indulging in hot chocolates, fine European pastries, delicious Estonian food and excellent beer. During the day, you can soak up the northern European sun at the beaches of the Baltic Sea. You could also stay in the city center and climb a few more than 270 stairs up to the top of St. Olaf’s cathedral. Once the tallest building in the world, you enjoy the magnificent view of the city from here. I actually think that the most amazing thing to do in Tallinn is to walk around its cobblestone streets and observe the little details of the city. You will find wooden doors covered with peculiar geometric patterns, beautiful stained glass windows, or a myriad of architectonic styles and designs noticeable in the city’s numerous churches.
While the overall image of Tallinn is that of a very historic city, I was amazed to find how widespread and accessible free Wifi zones in Tallinn are. Many bars and cafes let you bring in your laptop and surf the Internet for free.
Tallinn is a small city, so three days may be just enough time to stay there, especially if you don’t particularly love history and architecture or are on a tight travel schedule. But it’s definitely worth seeing.
